Autumn Arrives

flowers

While the beginning of this October has been mild, fall has officially arrived at Lakeshore State Park. Only a few forbs remain and wind sweeps the park, rustling the drying grasses. Early fall is prime viewing for some of the last flowering plants. Take a stroll through the park and view a variety of Asters (genus: Symphyotrichum) before they fade and go to seed. 

Upcoming Events

Our park educators offer a wide variety of programs for both kids and adults and events that focus on nature education and exploration, all designed to be hands-on and family friendly. We hope you look forward to these upcoming events!

 New England Aster- S. novae angliae

October 6: Public Seed Collecting Extravaganza, 3:00-4:30 PM (south entrance)


October 16: Scavenger Hike, 5:00-6:00 PM (south entrance)


October 16: Beach Bonfire and S’mores, 5:00-7:00 PM (pebble beach)


November 15: “Rock your Mocs” Hike, 5:30pm-6:30pm (south entrance)


November 29: #OptOutside Hike, 11:00am-12:00pm (south entrance)


December 6: Christmas in the Ward 5:30-8:30PM (Catalano Square)

Event details available here: FLSP Events Page
Contact: Elaine Zautke (Park Manager) elaine.zautke@wisconsin.gov414-274-4281

Please note this change! All events will start at the park south entrance unless otherwise indicated. Public parking on the south side behind Summerfest Grounds can be found by entering “Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse” into a GPS map program. Approximate coordinates to the start location: 43.029163, -87.895880

Welcome Our New Board Members!


Stephanie Sansoucie is an executive coach with Thrive Dept. and Wisconsin Master Naturalist who enjoys spending time with the bumblebees of Lakeshore State Park. With a passion for both our natural world and our local community, she’s delighted to support efforts to protect and promote our beautiful urban gem. Stephanie brings her expertise in creative leadership and her love for the outdoors to her role on the board of Friends of Lakeshore State Park.


Andrez Aldape is an IT Data Analyst at Johnson Controls. He loves music, the outdoors and his German shepherd, Kumori. Andrez cares about the park because of its biodiversity and prime location, one that he’s visited since childhood. He has found the Friends to be a great group of people that truly care about our community and the park, and looks forward to making positive impact on the park and community.

Mike Marek is a Landscape Ecologist and founder of Marek Landscaping, LLC, a 28 year business based in Milwaukee.Their mission is “Protecting and restoring ecosystems where people and nature connect”.  He’s the father of a 13 year old girl and 15 year old boy and lives in Riverwest. He is an avid canoeist, kayaker, surfer, free diver, skier, snowboarder, biker, foodie, and loves combining all of it with camping.  His passion for Great Lakes ecology, water health, and fostering a healthy, diverse, and connected community are what led him to accept a board position with the Friends.


Want to know more about joining our board or a committee?
Please email inquiries to admin@friendslsp.org

Some Recent Activities in the Park

On September 16th, volunteers from Navico Group helped keep the park beautiful during their company’s Global Cleanup Day. Lakeshore State Park was one of 12 sites around the globe selected by the company for a cleanup. Many thanks to these volunteers including our board member Lee Kanwar of Navico who helped make this happen! 

Did you notice how many more purple martins were at the park this season? Their chatter could often be heard by the park marina where they fully occupied their beautiful new home then taking off to fly in circles hunting insects in the air.The purple martins left several weeks ago, but they don’t do a clean-up on the way out, leaving more work for volunteers who lowered the house and cleaned each of the boxes to make ready for the return of purple martins next spring!  Cornell Lab has more information about these fascinating birds here:

About Purple Martins

Get Involved! 

We’re dedicated to environmental education and local community engagement. By supporting The Friends of Lakeshore State Park, our partners help us continue these vital programs and keep the park beautiful and accessible. Interested in joining us on our mission? Let’s connect! email admin@friendslsp.org

Coming Later in October: Creatures in the Park Lagoon!

For our story this month we interviewed Professor John Berges of UWM about small critters lurking in the park lagoon. We aren’t ready to share this story will you just yet, please look for an email in a couple weeks.

Membership Matters

Membership with the Friends of Lakeshore State Park helps ensure the continued growth and protection of the Park in many ways including maintaining trails, enhancing habitat for our resident foxes and other wildlife, and promoting environmental education programs that inspire visitors of all ages. 

As a member, you will contribute directly to vital conservation initiatives and ongoing improvement projects. Your support is essential to the continues success of the Park.