News Release

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Kicks Off its 50th Anniversary

News Release Date: September 23, 2020

Contact: Julie Van Stappen, 715-209-2804

BAYFIELD, WISCONSIN – Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and its partners will celebrate its 50^th year with a year-long series of virtual and carefully planned community events beginning on Saturday, September 26, 2020.

“We are very fortunate to be the caretakers of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and honored to be a part of engaging so many people in celebrating its legacy and future,” said Superintendent Lynne Dominy. “As Wisconsin’s only national lakeshore, Apostle Islands will spend the entire year celebrating what the lakeshore means to the residents of Wisconsin and the many visitors who travel here each year.”

“We originally planned to start the Anniversary events in March 2020, but the arrival of the pandemic shifted our focus to staff and public safety instead. We spent this year working with the Friends of the Apostle Islands to rethink ways to bring the lakeshore into people’s homes so they can stay connected to the park and share their own personal experiences even from their living rooms. We are also still working on ways to ensure our celebration is rooted in the community and involves interested organizations, businesses, and individuals around the lakeshore,” added Dominy. “We hope that everyone in the surrounding communities will consider integrating the Apostle Islands into their on-line conversations and existing events or will create anniversary logoed products for their businesses. What makes anniversaries fun and meaningful is when each business and organization creates their own way of showing their passion for our national lakeshore. The possibilities are endless- from ice creams or entrees named after places in the park; to photo or art exhibits in galleries, schools or museums; from Apostle Island movie showings or music performances; to the sale of logoed mugs, t-shirts, jams, sodas, coffees, hats…the possibilities are endless for creative ideas.”

“The 50th anniversary is about celebrating the connections between people and this special landscape,” said Friends of Apostle Islands (FAINL) President, Erica Peterson. “We are creating conversations and ideas for ways for us all to care about this place now and into the future. FAINL is focusing on ways to make this lakeshore more accessible, ways to engage more youth in its stewardship, and in ways to get more people actively involved in caring for our national lakeshore.”

For information about the Apostle Islands 50^th Anniversary, visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore website. To join our conversations, become a sponsor, or partner with “Friends” to create an anniversary logoed product, visit the website for Friends of the Apostle Islands at www.friendsoftheapostleislands.org. “It’s not too late to become an Apostle Islands Anniversary partner,” added Erica Peterson. “Create an anniversary event, activity or product, and we will help promote it for your organization or business while encouraging visitors to help us celebrate.” The anniversary will also include an online dialogue where personal stories, photos, art, and ideas can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and local websites.

For more information about Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, please visit our website or call [phone]. Join the conversation on Facebook. Send 50th Anniversary inquiries via email to [e-mail].