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National Park Service advances plans to relocate Chequamegon Point Light Tower

National Park Service advances plans to relocate Chequamegon Point Light Tower

(Apostle Islands National Lakeshore News Release) BAYFIELD, Wis. — Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has awarded a $167,400 contract for the deconstruction and removal of the historic Chequamegon Point Light Tower on Long Island due to structural failure.Long Island light in water - NPS photoThe National Park Service announced in May 2026 that the 42-foot tower cannot remain in its current location. Shoreline erosion and storm damage have caused significant structural failures, including failing footings, severed anchors, and damaged structural braces, leaving the tower at imminent risk of...

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...

National Park Service to deconstruct Chequamegon Point Light due to structural failure

National Park Service to deconstruct Chequamegon Point Light due to structural failure

(Apostle Islands National Lakeshore News Release) BAYFIELD, Wis. — Apostle Islands National Lakeshore plans to dismantle and remove the historic Chequamegon Point Light Tower on Long Island in summer 2026. The National Park Service (NPS) announced the deteriorating 42-foot tower can no longer be preserved in place. Shoreline erosion and storm damage have caused significant structural failures, including failing footings, severed anchors, and damaged structural braces. The tower poses an imminent safety risk. If not addressed, it threatens to collapse into Lake Superior. “Protecting public...

Plovers Welcome: Volunteers prepare nesting locations

Plovers Welcome: Volunteers prepare nesting locations

The seemingly endless sand beaches of Long Island may look, to us, like the perfect place for a summer picnic or barefoot stroll. But to piping plovers, those same beaches are something much more important.Long Island is the most important habitat in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and, until 2019, the only successful nesting spots in the park for this federal, tribal, and state endangered species. Along with the Michigan Island sandspit, its beaches were designated as “critical habitat” for the species in 2001 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and until 2019, Long Island was the...

Lakeshore Logbook – Diane Chalfant

Lakeshore Logbook – Diane Chalfant

Diane Chalfant As part of our 50th Anniversary celebration, we are collecting and sharing the stories of people connected to the islands, whether they are park guests, former residents or former park employees. This is the 22nd in our series called “Lakeshore Logbook,” a collection of memories provided by former National Park Service employees. Living and working in the park on a day to day basis, they’ve experienced a lot to be sure. We hope you enjoy their perspectives. Diane Chalfant worked in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore from the spring of 1984 to the fall of 1990. She served...

Where in the park is Neil? The week 11 answer is Long Island

Where in the park is Neil? The week 11 answer is Long Island

As part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, we’re going on a virtual tour with Neil Howk, a man who has spent decades exploring the islands and teaching people about what makes them special. He knows the islands like the back of his hand. At the eleventh stop on our digital tour, Neil is on Long Island, which is an extension of the sand spit off Chequamegon Point. Long Island is at 46.7269° N, 90.7849° W. Piping plovers love to nest on the open beaches found on Long Island.  For more than 30 years, Long Island is one of the only places in...