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All articles published by Friends of the Apostle Islands can be found on this page. Scroll through the articles below or use the Search, Topic or Date options to narrow the focus.

Welcome Aboard! Annual Friends Cruise planned for August 10th

Welcome Aboard! Annual Friends Cruise planned for August 10th

It is the highlight of the season at Friends of the Apostle Islands: a time to gather with friends, members, supporters, new faces, and enjoy the very place we all work so hard to protect. This year, our Annual Cruise is slated for Thursday, August 10th. We will board the Superior Princess of the Apostle Island Cruise Service at the Bayfield City Dock at 5pm and cruise Lake Superior passing Basswood Island, Hermit, Oak, and others. Along the way we will enjoy a buffet and drinks, stories of the islands, watch the scenery slip by and our destination – Stockton Island – looming on the horizon.Once docked at Stockton, there will be a gathering at the new all-accessible amphitheater known by the Ojibwe name maawanji’ i ding — “place where we...

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Marigolds: A simple tribute to a different era in the Apostle Islands

Marigolds: A simple tribute to a different era in the Apostle Islands

If you are ever lucky enough to be invited to sit on the deck at photographer Mark Weller’s home, you may notice a small planting of marigolds. Flowers on a deck are nothing unusual and you may not give the potted flowers a second thought. But look again. These flowers have more than beautiful blossoms: they have a story.“I am a lighthouse man,” Mark Weller says. “Over the past decade, I and a team of talented photographers have traveled to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to photograph the Milky Way behind some of the park’s famous lighthouses. We sell the images to support the Friends of the Apostle Islands.”But this story isn’t about photography or even fundraising. It is about remembering.The Lights of Devils Island - Mark...

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“Why I support the Meyers Beach accessible ramp may surprise you.” Public comment period ends May 12th

“Why I support the Meyers Beach accessible ramp may surprise you.” Public comment period ends May 12th

An unseen patch of late-winter black ice changed my life in an instant. My feet took flight as I went airborne. I landed on my side with a bone-shattering thud, a shout and a groan. In that instant, I became something I never expected. I became physically disabled. During many months of recovery, I experienced varying degrees of mobility challenges. I learned to use a wheelchair. A walker. Then a cane. I also felt what it’s like to require help from others for even the most-basic tasks. This accident taught me a valuable lesson: We are all an instant away… whether by accident, by illness or by aging… from becoming a person with disabilities. Thankfully, with help from a support team and with healing time, I made a full recovery. I also...

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Friends endorses Meyers Beach ramp, Little Sand Bay trails, encourages you to show your support before comment period ends

Friends endorses Meyers Beach ramp, Little Sand Bay trails, encourages you to show your support before comment period ends

With the public comment period winding down, now is the time to show the National Park Service your support for Access for All and the exciting Meyers Beach accessible ramp project, as well as a companion project that includes a new trail system at Little Sand Bay. You only have until May 12th to add your voice on the National Park Service website.Last month, the Park Service published a draft Environmental Assessment covering both projects. The 54-page document says, “Providing an Architectural Barriers Act-compliant ramp would provide long-term, beneficial impacts to visitor experience via access to the beach and primary kayak launching location to the mainland sea caves, increase safety and improve capacity for visitors of all...

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Connecting people and the Apostle Islands to Costa Rican parks

Connecting people and the Apostle Islands to Costa Rican parks

10 Bayfield area volunteers, including Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore board members Neil Howk and Mark Peterson, recently left snowy Wisconsin to complete two weeks of conservation work on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, under an agreement between Lake Superior’s national parks and Costa Rica’s National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC).The parks are linked by migratory birds that winter in Costa Rica and breed in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and other parks around Lake Superior. The agreement signed in 2013 encourages both institutions to work for the benefit of both parks and protected areas.“This agreement looks to promote the development of education programs, encourage local community participation, as...

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The scoop about Coop: 10 questions with retiring Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Archeologist Dave Cooper

The scoop about Coop: 10 questions with retiring Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Archeologist Dave Cooper

We join the National Park Service in celebrating the retirement of David J. Cooper, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Archeologist and Cultural Resource Manager. Superintendent Lynne Dominy recently praised Cooper's award-winning efforts. “Dave has spent his lifetime protecting the historical and cultural resources on and around Lake Superior." she said. "From portages to fish camps to lighthouses and shipwrecks, Dave carefully documented and communicated the human interactions and influences on the islands, shorelines, and lake beds of Lake Superior.” In the photo above, Dave enjoys a brief respite on the lawn of the Outer Island light station. As "Coop" begins his next chapter, he sat down with Friends board member and former colleague...

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An Earth Day letter to you from the daughter of Gaylord Nelson

An Earth Day letter to you from the daughter of Gaylord Nelson

Dear Friends of the Apostle Islands: In 1970, my father Gaylord Nelson was at the heart of two major movements in this country – the founding of Earth Day and the legislative designation of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin. Both efforts to celebrate and protect the life-sustaining and life-enhancing wonders of our planet were bound by his undying commitment to inclusion. I believe they are connected.Tia and Gaylord Nelson - Ked Martin photoWith Earth Day, dad changed the way all of us view and celebrate the planet we live on. By protecting this soul-stirring place, what he called “this unique collection of islands,” he helped ensure that there would always be a place for us and future generations to walk the...

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Protecting the Apostles from plastics one lunch at a time

Protecting the Apostles from plastics one lunch at a time

Sandra Harris just wanted to make her kids a healthy lunch. She may have started a revolution that could change your next trip to the Apostle Islands. Harris, who worked as an investigative journalist, was all-too aware of the worldwide plastic pollution problem and its associated health issues. But from years in the nonprofit world, she knew too that change could happen if people just had the tools to work with. Then, an idea came to her one-day while packing school lunches for her kids.Stainless steel lunch boxes and snack containers - Ecolunchbox photo“I wanted to eliminate plastics from my kids’ lunchboxes, both to reduce their exposure to the leachy toxins and to do the right thing for Mother Earth,” she says. “So, I set out to...

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“Discover the night” in the Apostle Islands during International Dark Sky Week

“Discover the night” in the Apostle Islands during International Dark Sky Week

30 miles offshore, Devils Island and Outer Island offer some incredible views of the Milky Way set in a field of innumerable stars. And if you’re very fortunate, you'll witness the spectacular northern lights dancing in some of the darkest skies in Wisconsin. The featured photo above captures the northern lights as seen from the top of the Outer Island lighthouse. In fact, most of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore offers great night sky viewing; night sky lovers, stargazers and photographers want to protect those views for generations to come.Milky Way over Stockton Island - Jon Okerstrom photo - click to enlargeThe International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) says 83% of the world’s population lives under a light polluted sky. Just...

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Access for All: National Park Service wants your comments on plans for accessible ramp at Meyers Beach, Little Sand Bay trails

Access for All: National Park Service wants your comments on plans for accessible ramp at Meyers Beach, Little Sand Bay trails

Plans for an accessible ramp at the popular Meyers Beach kayak launch take a significant step forward in April, as the National Park Service publishes a draft Environmental Assessment and asks for public comment for the next 30 days. The 54-page document says, "Providing an Architectural Barriers Act-compliant ramp would provide long-term, beneficial impacts to visitor experience via access to the beach and primary kayak launching location to the mainland sea caves, increase safety and improve capacity for visitors of all abilities. " "This is an important step in achieving Access for All, according to Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Executive Director Jeff Rennicke. "As the official philanthropic partner to the park,...

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