Infrastructure Articles

Our Work – Articles about Friends’ work regarding park infrastructure.

Celebrating Friends: 2022 annual cruise a sweet success

Celebrating Friends: 2022 annual cruise a sweet success

At Friends, our staff, board members, and volunteers can often be found in deep discussions over issues, planning budgets, setting up meetings, the everyday stuff of any organization. However sometimes you just have to set that all aside and return to the heart of things: the reason for doing all of it. Sometimes, you just have to go to the islands. Recently 58 Friends members, donors, board members, and supporters boarded the Superior Princess at the Bayfield City Dock for our 2022 Annual Cruise, a signature Friends event, this year sponsored by Wickcraft Boardwalks.Superior Princess – Jeff...

Explore the Top 10 Friends website stories of 2021

Explore the Top 10 Friends website stories of 2021

DRUMROLL PLEASE! It has been a big year in the Apostle Islands -- from fun and fanfare to tragedy averted. During this last week of the year,, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is counting down its TOP TEN Island stories of 2021. In sharing these stories, we thank you, our readers and supporters, for your support and we wish you an adventure-filled 2022 in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. 10 HERE WE GO: Weather stories always resonate with Island Lovers, so the #10 most popular story of the year goes to the tall birch trees dancing in the big gale. 9 At #9 on our...

Project Update: Accessible Amphitheater Construction Nears Completion on Stockton Island

Project Update: Accessible Amphitheater Construction Nears Completion on Stockton Island

It’s almost done! National Park Service crews have been busy this spring, assembling and installing a brand new accessible amphitheater on Stockton Island, thanks in part to Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and collaborating donors and funding partners. This new raised-deck amphitheater is being built near the Stockton island Visitor Center, on the same gentle hillside where aging benches and fire ring had been located. The site is near the Presque Isle Bay Dock and an accessible campsite, all of which are connected by a boardwalk.Stockton Island – NPS mapWhen completed,...

Shoreline stabilization to protect historic Apostle Islands buildings completed

Shoreline stabilization to protect historic Apostle Islands buildings completed

A high-priority shoreline stabilization project completed this month now protects historic buildings on Sand Island in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Extremely high water and wind-driven waves have gradually eroded the fragile clay shoreline in front of the historic West Bay Club. This property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has been threatened since 2015. The erosion undermined and damaged the ice house building which was built near the shore in 1913.This photograph, made in May of 2020 shows the eroded shoreline before the repair project began – NPS...

Project update: construction begins for accessible amphitheater on Stockton Island

Project update: construction begins for accessible amphitheater on Stockton Island

Sparks are flying in Madison Wisconsin, where crews are now building the framework for the new, universally accessible amphitheater to be installed on Stockton Island this summer. The new raised-deck amphitheater is funded by $55,000 in grants and private contributions to Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The tubular structural steel framework with wooden decking will replace the aging benches and fire ring now located on a gentle, wooded hillside near the Presque Isle Bay Dock and other National Park Service facilities. The amphitheater is used for programs for park...

First look inside Little Sand Bay Visitor Center

First look inside Little Sand Bay Visitor Center

What a fantastic place! The newly-completed visitor center at Little Sand Bay is closed to the public for now due to the pandemic but we are pleased to give you a look at what’s inside. The building serves as one of the gateways to the mainland and island units of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It’s designed to be a fun and interactive experience for park visitors. You can get information on planning your visit and learn a lot more about the park and its rich history. The energy-efficient building completed last fall replaces an older visitor center which could not be restored. The...

Little Sand Bay kayak launch site offers increased accessibility

Little Sand Bay kayak launch site offers increased accessibility

Paddling the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is an amazing opportunity for kayakers, including those who face mobility challenges. The National Park Service has now installed an accessibility mat at the Hokenson Fishery Kayak Launch at Little Sand Bay on the mainland. The mat makes it easier for people who might need wheelchairs or other mobility aids to access the sandy launch site, which is to the west of the harbor. The view from the kayak launching area toward the harbor breakwater. Erica Peterson photo. The other official launch site is at Meyers Beach, where paddlers currently need...