Hello – As the end of year approaches, I think it’s a good time to celebrate the many accomplishments of the Friends of Lakeshore State Park thus far in 2022. Here are highlights:Facilitated enrollment of volunteers under Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s Adopt-a-River program for two Park clean up days

• Assembled grant funds to purchase over 4,500 native forbs and prairie grass plugs for Fox Prairie, and participated in the three-day volunteer effort to get these plants in the ground in late May

• Hosted the first ever Brunch on the Beach food truck event on a beautiful July summer day

• Promoted the Park at multiple events:  Family Day at Northwestern Mutual Community Park, the Air & Water Show, Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile, “Indeed We Can” at Indeed Brewing, The Dragon Boat Festival and Harbor Fest

• Raised grant and donation dollars to pay for three new picnic tables in the Park and facilitated the addition of two benches and another table

• Used grant dollars secured in 2021 to pay for park naturalist and diversity intern hours and supplies devoted to developing and leading educational tours and programs in the Park

• Secured a grant and sourced matching funds to cover updated signage and tools for the fishing programs. Awarded a grant to cover similar educational services in 2023

• Awarded a grant to cover the cost of a Park Educator in 2023

• Used grant dollars to pay for Park bike racks

• Completed the second year of environmentally safe goose mitigation spraying using a grant secured in 2021, resulting in a year-over-year drop in the goose population count – and cleaner paths

• Used grant dollars for supplies and helped recruit a volunteer group to complete painting of harbor railing along the south approach to the Park

• Significantly increased our presence on social media and news reporting including TV on-site coverage of Brunch on the Beach

• Moved ahead with planning for the Visitor & Education Center by completing engineering studies for bringing water and sewer infrastructure into the Park

• Began a collaborative project to develop a conservation and education program using student-designed pollinator houses to be installed in the Park in 2023

All this from your all-volunteer Friends of Lakeshore State Park – your donations make this and more possible! Please consider today making a donation.

And new this year, we’re excited to join with dozens of other non-profit organizations on the “Giving First” initiative on November 22nd. Up to $2,000 of donations raised on that date will be matched dollar for dollar by two anonymous donors, a 3-for-1 benefit we’d love to maximize. Please look for more information about this program later this month.

I hope you can take time to enjoy these fine fall days we’re having. The Park prairies are beautiful now with late blooming asters aglow in the late afternoon sun – so come out to the Park!

September was a busy month at Lakeshore State Park. Thanks to the work of Wisconsin DNR staff and volunteers, we had over a dozen organized events enjoyed by many park visitors. Partnerships are vitally important to us as we work with the Wisconsin DNR in support of the park. Our many community partners help us bring varied activities that meet the wide interests and needs of our visitors and also help make outdoor recreation and education fee-free and accessible for everyone.

Walking is one of those free and readily accessible activities that can be enjoyed most anytime. In this month’s article, Diane Bacha gives 10 reasons why our park is a great place to walk. Our guided hikes provide wonderful opportunities to see many of our feathered friends, and are especially fun during the fall migration. During a recent park visit, nature photographer Jim Edlhuber captured an amazing moment when a young pelican flew over the park entrance sign – click on the photo below to see more at his blog.

Spreading the word about all our park has to offer is important. At Harbor Fest last week, our volunteers along with the DNR hosted a tent in the Harbor District, providing information to many festival goers about our beautiful park and the many programs that are offered here. More than 60 people signed up to receive our monthly newsletter – welcome new subscribers! We hope everyone shares the newsletter with their friends and family as well.

The days are getting noticeably shorter, but there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the natural beauty of the park. A variety of activities will be available with 10 events planned in the upcoming weeks, listed in the park update below, on our Events page and on Facebook.

David Wenstrup
President, Friends of Lakeshore State Park

Because Lakeshore Park has a beautiful and unique location between Lake Michigan and the Summerfest lagoon, water naturally plays a key role in many of our park’s activities.  Two popular water events welcomed back this August were the Dragon Boat Festival and the Canoemobile – see the photo collage below.

We have many more planned events in this month. The weekend of September 10th and 11th we’re celebrating Girl Scouting with activities open to everyone. On Sunday morning, visit one of the food trucks that will be parked on the green by the pebble beach, then try out your skills with kayaks, canoes and paddleboards provided courtesy of the Milwaukee Kayak Company. The monthly Park Update below, courtesy of Elaine Zautke, our park manager, gives details about these and other activities that will available this month – something for everyone and free for all.  

To help you keep track of all these activities, check out our new calendar feature on our website at  https://friendslsp.org/events/ . Through long hours of volunteer work, Joseph has been using his expertise to transform our site with many improvements – thank you, Joseph! 

Summer seems to be moving by quickly, doesn’t it? To take advantage all the fun and educational activities available at the park during the remaining warm days ahead, please plan a visit soon

David Wenstrup
President, Friends of Lakeshore State Park

It’s prime time for fun at Lakeshore State Park, and with so many educational and recreational activities available, keeping up with the list can be a challenge!

We post planned events on our social media, and starting this month, we’re adding details to our website: https://friendslsp.org/events/ A summary of events the DNR and we host is listed at the bottom of the newsletter as well.

Numerous public events at the park not hosted through the DNR don’t get listed though. For example, the US Triathlon is this weekend: https://tinyurl.com/US-Triathlon. The park is a great place to watch the action. Another to note is the Dragon Boat Festival which takes place on August 13th. Friends of Lakeshore State Park volunteers will be there to help promote our organization and sell raffle tickets. Please stop by our table and say hello while enjoying this wonderful cultural festivity.

Last night, our Friends group hosted an “Indeed We Can” benefit in Walkers Point. Thanks so much to the DNR staff who led a popular trivia game about the park, and our volunteers and board members who promoted the park and sold raffle tickets. And thanks to Indeed Brewing Company for generously donating net proceeds of $558 from beer sales to our organization. Turnout was great, and we plan to hold this event again next year!

For our monthly article, Diane Bacha did fine research about shipping news in the Milwaukee harbor area. See why Lakeshore State Park is one of the best places to watch these huge vessels come and go!

Canoemobile is back in Milwaukee! Reservations are still available. See Elaine’s Zautke’s park update for details about this event and other activities like volunteering and field trips.

The many activities, the beauty of Lake Michigan and downtown Milwaukee combine to make Lakeshore State Park a premier location for education, conservation and recreation for everyone – come take advantage of everything the park has to offer!

David Wenstrup
President, Friends of Lakeshore State Park