Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Accessibility: the main focus of Friends of the Apostle Islands this year was in the area of accessibility. Our efforts included a major outreach campaign resulting in wide-ranging media exposure in magazine articles (lake superior, National geographic), radio (Wisconsin public radio), videos, websites, newspaper articles such as the duluth news tribune, and more. the effort resulted in a significant raising of awareness of the accessibility issues facing National parks including the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. To begin to address these issues, we convened an accessibility advisory board chaired by greg lais (founder and former e.d. of wilderness inquiry, the nation's leading wilderness outfitter for special needs trips) and made up of representatives from government agencies, nonprofits, accessibility advocates, and more. A series of programs was undertaken to raise funds and raise awareness of the core principle behind this pillar of our organization: the idea that National parks belong to all of us.education: raising awareness of the human and natural history, issues, and more about the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore remains a priority for Friends. Through our redesigned and accessible website, newsletters, public presentations, programs, and informational booths at major user group gatherings, Friends continues to offer the public opportunities to learn more about the Islands. Representation at things canoecopia (the nation's largest paddling expo), the Wisconsin governor's conference on tourism, and through our support of the National park service junior ranger program, as well as speaking in classrooms and more, Friends focused strongly on helping the public learn about the Apostle Islands National lakeshore.service: the ability to help those who love these Islands give something back to them in the form of volunteer programs is an important pillar of Friends. We organize bands of volunteers for everything from earth day beach clean ups to tending the historic gardens at the Michigan island lighthouse. Our volunteers plant beach grass to stabilize fragile island sandscapes and help clear trails for hikers. We lead nature hikes and plant trees with the National park service giving our members the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and give back to the place they love.stewardship: to help protect the future of these Islands, Friends worked with youth groups such as the lake superior youth forum and others to build a strong connection for future generations to care for the park. Although island school was on a hiatus following covid, we remained in talks with the National park service to continue that important project into the future. We discussed adding a dark sky committee whose goal will be to seek protection from light pollution and secure an international dark sky designation for the park.