During this challenging time of change for our nation and for our national parks, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore wants to shine a bright light – a lighthouse beacon if you will – on this very special place and on the people dedicated to protecting the national lakeshore for future generations.
The Love Our Lakeshore series is designed to explore what makes the lakeshore a place worth supporting, protecting and preserving. (You can tell us why you Love Our Lakeshore by filling out our simple form at this link.)
Friends Earth Day event draws dozens of volunteers, lakeshore lovers to Bayfield
What’s your memory of your first Earth Day? Friends Executive Director Jeff Rennicke asked the audience step back in time as he recounted the history of Earth Day and it’s everlasting connection to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. And he asked everyone to roll up their sleeves.
Love Our Lakeshore: the power of nature
In this report Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore board member Neil Howk squeezes in one more hike before the snow flies, to witness the power of nature. And based on the current snowy forcast for Thanksgiving week, his timing was perfect.
Love Our Lakeshore: How you can help keep Apostle Island National Lakeshore privies open
In this Love our Lakeshore report, learn how you can do your part to keep the privies open and get a behind-the-scenes look at the logistics and hard work required to make your next visit to the islands possible.
Love Our Lakeshore: Final thoughts as a Sand Island volunteer
In this report Friends of the Apostle Islands board member and former NPS ranger Neil Howk wraps up his two-week assigment as a National Park Service volunteer stationed on Sand Island by reflecting on the experience, on his interactions with Lakeshore visitors and on what the future holds for the Lakeshore we love.
Love Our Lakeshore: A talk with the next generation of Lakeshore lovers
In this report Friends of the Apostle Islands board member and former NPS ranger Neil Howk talks with the next generation of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore visitors about their connections with nature and with the Lakeshore We Love.
Love Our Lakeshore: So much to do on Sand Island
In this report Friends of the Apostle Islands board member and former NPS ranger Neil Howk says visitors are making the most of the great mid-summer conditions this week. In this report Friends of the Apostle Islands board member and former NPS ranger Neil Howk tells us what it’s like to be a volunteer for the National Park Service, stationed on Sand Island or Waabaabikaa-minis. He says visitors are making the most of the great mid-summer conditions this week; there’s so much to do onSand Island.
Love Our Lakeshore: A glimpse inside the Sand Island volunteer logbook
In this report Friends of the Apostle Islands board member and former NPS ranger Neil Howk tells us what it’s like to be a volunteer for the National Park Service, stationed on Sand Island or Waabaabikaa-minis. Neil gives us a glimpse into the life of another dedicated volunteer with special ties to Sand Island.
Love our Lakeshore: Why I wore my water shoes to work as a Sand Island volunteer
In this report friends board member Neil Howk tells us what it’s like to be a volunteer for the National Park Service, stationed on Sand Island or Waabaabikaa-minis. Sand Island is home to an iconic lighthouse made of locally-quarried sandstone, old farm clearings, foundations, and existing structures, forests, rocky ledges and second-growth forests. As you will learn, it is also a wet island.
Love Our Lakeshore: Why people keep coming back to Bayfield and the Lakeshore year after year
In this report Friends board member Neil Howk asks Bayfield business community member Rachael Lamkin, Assistant General Manager and Marketing Director of the Bayfield Inn, about the importance of relationship between the Lakeshore, the visitors and the local community, as an economic engine and as a special place worthy of our attention and protection.
Love Our Lakeshore: A thriving national lakeshore means a thriving local business
In this report Friends board member Neil Howk sits down with Bayfield business community member Mary Grant, owner of Keeper of the Light gift shop in Bayfield to explore the importance of relationship between the lakeshore and the local community, as an economic engine and as a special place worthy of our attention and protection.
Love Our Lakeshore: protecting the Park Service means protecting what gives meaning to the Apostle Islands
In this report Friends board member Neil Howk sits down with Bayfield business community members Ali Erickson and Aidan Lee, owners of Trek & Trail, to explore the importance of relationship between the lakeshore and the local community, as an economic engine and as a special place worthy of our attention and protection.
Love Our Lakeshore: Join us for our Earth Day 2025 event, 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26th, Bayfield Library
Join us at 10 am on Saturday, April 26th at the Bayfield Library where we will share refreshments and stories about our love for these islands, gather photographs and quotes to be used in our on-going series on our website and social media, and distribute free “Love Our Lakeshore” yard signs in an effort to “share the love” of our national lakeshore with friends and neighbors.
Love our Lakeshore: Earth Day wishes for the future of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore from local business leaders
We asked a number of other members of the local business community about the vital role the lakeshore plays in their lives and livelihoods, and about their hopes for this special place in this time of massive change for the National Park Service, which has managed the lakeshore since 1970.
Love Our Lakeshore: Touring the islands takes teamwork
In this report Friends board member Neil Howk sits down with Bayfield business community member Shannon Major of Apostle Islands Cruises, to explore the importance of relationship between the lakeshore and the local community, as an economic engine and as a special place worthy of our attention and protection.
Love Our Lakeshore: Real estate agent says lake, location, location are key
In this report Friends board member Neil Howk sits down with Bayfield business community member Esme Martinson of Broad Street Brokers, to explore the importance of relationship between the lakeshore and the local community, as an economic engine and as a special place worthy of our attention and protection.
Love Our Lakeshore: Bookstore owner’s hope for the next chapter of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
In this report Friends board member Neil Howk sits down with Bayfield business community member Julie Buckles of Honest Dog Books, to explore the importance of relationship between the lakeshore and the local community, as an economic engine and as a special place worthy of our attention and protection.
Love Our Lakeshore: Welcoming the Ajijaak to the National Park Service fleet
The Sandhill Crane has landed. The staff of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore recently took delivery of the first new addition to the park’s marine fleet since 2016, the Ajijaak, which means “Sandhill Crane” in the native Ojibwe language.
Love Our Lakeshore: Wave Watch water safety program deployment planned for spring 2025
Planning is well under way for the 2025 summer season. The goal is to deploy five buoys in mid-April before the Memorial Day weekend and the start of the peak season in the lakeshore. While buoys at the mainland sea caves, Stockton Island and at the north end of Devils Island will be placed near last year’s locations, two others will be moved.
Love Our Lakeshore: Where unpredictable, incredible memories are made
Visitors to the world’s largest paddlesports show shared some wonderful stories about why they Love Our Lakeshore. Neil Howk talked with Owen Murphy of Sauk City, Wisconsin about Murphy’s incredible interaction with a feathered friend on the water.
Live from Canoecopia: Why you Love Our Lakeshore
We’re meeting tons of people who Love our Lakeshore at Canoecopia, 2025, under way this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. They’ve got a lot to say about the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and why they love it.
Love our Lakeshore: New report shows more people are visiting Apostle Islands, new record for national parks visits
In this report, we explore new data released by the National Park Service on visitation to the Apostle Islands Natinal Lakeshore and its importance as an economic engine for the region, as well as record-setting visitation nationally.
Love our Lakeshore: because sometimes you can walk on water to the islands
I love our lakeshore because sometimes you can walk on water to the islands. OK…maybe ski on the ice is more accurate. Recent satellite images confirmed that the February cold spell expanded the Apostle Islands ice pack beyond Rocky Island.
Love our Lakeshore: Water safety is a team effort in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
In this report we explore how the work of keeping park visitors safe on the water requires a team approach and the vital resources of the National Park Service, the US Coast Guard, Red Cliff’s Conservation Wardens and many others.
We want to know: Why do you Love Our Lakeshore?
We would love to hear your stories about how this jewel of Lake Superior makes a difference in your life. Some ideas: What happened during the most-memorable adventure you’ve had in the park? What act of skill, compassion or kindness did a park ranger or volunteer do for you? What do you like most about your visits to the Lakeshore and what touches your heart?
Love our Lakeshore: A heart wide open
In my heart, the importance of having these Apostle Islands protected as a National Lakeshore is immeasurable. Especially now as we are being confronted with questions that ask: How important are these hard-to-reach islands to us? How valuable is the clean fresh water we swim in and enjoy? What are we willing to risk to continue to protect and prioritize their well-being? What actually is our relationship to it all?
Love our Lakeshore: If you care about the national parks, then care about their employees
The National Parks have been called “America’s Crown Jewels” and “America’s Best Idea.” If we care about these places that epitomize the landscapes, cultures, buildings, and ideas that make America great; we must also care about the people that care for these treasures.