Environmental Articles

Articles containing information about Environmental Science.

Friends volunteers work to control invasive species on Long Island

Friends volunteers work to control invasive species on Long Island

Purple loosestrife flower headHundreds of vibrant magenta or purple flowers standing three to seven feet tall over Apostle Islands wetlands may look pretty, but dig a little deeper into the story of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and you'll understand why this invasive plant poses an ongoing threat. A single plant can produce a million seeds or more. And left to multiply, these highly aggressive plants from Asia and Europe can choke out native vegetation, leaving wildlife without proper food, nesting grounds, or shelter. The plants flower from July into the fall. Removing the flower...

Friends Earth Day event draws dozens of volunteers, lakeshore lovers to Bayfield

Friends Earth Day event draws dozens of volunteers, lakeshore lovers to Bayfield

What's your memory of your first Earth Day, whether you were a college student or you were merely a figment of your future parents' imagination on April 22, 1970? 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.That connection is Wisconsin Governor and Senator Gaylord Nelson, a man inspired by the environmentally disastrous Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969 to change the world through environmental education and action. The next year, Earth Day was...

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

Well over 1,000 people attended one of the more than 50 events that made up our Dark Sky Star Bright festival this year – art exhibits, candlelit dinners, astronomy programs, author talks, film-screenings, saunas under the stars, and more. “The response to our first-ever festival was out of this world,” says Jeff Rennicke, Executive Director of Friends of the Apostle Islands.Festival goers enjoy the indoor planetarium and other activities in the Bayfield Pavilion - Jon Okerstrom photoInside the planetarium - Bob King photoAurora corona display - Bob King photoThe success of the new event, a...

How smart lighting choices can protect our precious night sky, save energy and money – a Dark Sky Star Bright Festival event

How smart lighting choices can protect our precious night sky, save energy and money – a Dark Sky Star Bright Festival event

The Dark Sky Star Bright Festival celebrates our precious night sky, and as the crowd gathered at the Honest Dog Books event space on Tuesday learned, it's more than that. Friends of the Apostle Islands Executive Director Jeff Rennicke put it this way. "We also wanted to make sure that when people got inspired and learned about the sky, they could take that next step. And the next step is okay, what can I do about it? In my home. In my business. In my community. How do I help, one lightbulb at a time?" To answer that question, outdoor lighting expert, Electrical Engineer and Dark Sky...

International Dark Sky Week focuses attention on the starry skies over the Apostle Islands

International Dark Sky Week focuses attention on the starry skies over the Apostle Islands

The Apostle Islands have some of the most beautiful night skies in the country. Will you help us work to keep them that way?  In 2024, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has launched our Starry Skies Initiative. It's designed to identify and monitor light pollution threatening the lakeshore, and to engage in public outreach, increase awareness, and pursue potential certification for the Apostle Islands as an International Dark Sky Park through the Dark Sky International.In the months since then, the Wisconsin chapter of Dark Sky International has formed. Friends Executive...

Bird’s-eye view: What 50 years of research reveals about waterbirds in the Apostle Islands

Bird’s-eye view: What 50 years of research reveals about waterbirds in the Apostle Islands

2024 is a milestone year for the waterbirds of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and for the scientists who study them. It is also a time for concern as some waterbird populations are now significantly smaller than they’ve been over the past half century. Others are simply gone. The Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay have served as nesting areas for herring gulls, ring-billed gulls, common terns, black terns, cormorants and great blue herons. These birds are colonial, meaning that they typically nest in colonies or groups. As rugged and remote as most of the islands are, Wisconsin...

Celebrate the Apostle Islands during National Park Week, April 20-28

Celebrate the Apostle Islands during National Park Week, April 20-28

Video courtesy National Park ServiceThe Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a national treasure. It's also one of more than 400 national parks being celebrated during this special nine-day event, April 20-28, 2024.The National Park Service has given each day a theme: Saturday, April 20: Discovery What will you discover? A new place, a new interesting fact, a new activity. For parks that have them, entrance fees are waived on this day. (The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore does not charge entrance fees.) Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is doing an Earth Day Community...

Earth Day 2024: Planet vs. Plastics in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Earth Day 2024: Planet vs. Plastics in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

From the single-use water bottles, containers and bags you might carry into the park to microplastics detected in the lake water around the islands, plastics are having an impact on the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Doing something about our personal and global dependence on plastics is the global theme of Earth Day 2024.Earth Day is an annual event designed to promote the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability. Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970. On that day, an estimated 20 million people nationwide attended the inaugural...

Earth Day Community Clean-up in Bayfield set for Saturday, April 20th

Earth Day Community Clean-up in Bayfield set for Saturday, April 20th

As part of Earth Day 2024, please join us for a Community Clean-up event in Bayfield on Saturday, April 20th. This year's Earth Day theme is Planet vs. Plastics, so we're doing what we can to keep plastics and other trash out of Lake Superior.Meet at the National Park Service Headquarters courtyard on Washington Avenue at 9:30 Saturday morning. Bring your own gloves. Bags and safety vests will be provided. We'll also have some muffins and coffee for you. Our community clean-up will run until noon. If you have questions, email jill@friendsoftheapostleislands.org.Volunteers gather for an...

Dark Sky Week: from the first lighthouse beacon to the starry skies of today and beyond

Dark Sky Week: from the first lighthouse beacon to the starry skies of today and beyond

Michigan Island Lighthouse - 1913 - NPS photoThe first brilliant beam pierced the ink black skies over the Apostle Islands like a lightning bolt. The year was 1856, when the first keeper lighted the lamp atop the original Michigan Island lighthouse for the first time. In the years that followed, keepers lit a constellation of new lights on Long, Raspberry, Outer, Sand, Devils and Michigan Islands.All of the light stations built in the late 1800s and early 1900s were designed to help mariners navigate their way around the Apostle Islands while avoiding dangerous shoals in the dark of night....