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

Cold weather or warm, morning or night — there’s one activity that’s constant year-round at Lakeshore State Park, and that’s ship-watching.

Because LSP is so close to Port Milwaukee, it offers a terrific vantage point for viewing vessels that come and go. Bring your folding chair and perhaps a set of binoculars, and you can spot a variety of freighters, barges and cruise ships making a stop to unload cargo, pick up cargo, or do both. And in the case of cruise ships, they’ll be bringing visitors, too.

Port Milwaukee is a true 24/7, 365-day port. We have vessel activity potentially every day throughout the year.

Adam Tindall Schlicht

The ship-watching activity is increasing — last year, 400 vessels visited Port Milwaukee, up from 349 in 2020. “Port Milwaukee is a true 24/7, 365-day port. We have vessel activity potentially every day throughout the year,” said Port Milwaukee director Adam Tindall Schlicht.

Schlicht explained that there are four main types of vessels visiting Port Milwaukee:

• Tugs or tug-and-barge combinations, which help large vessels operate safely or carry cargo to or from the port. Many of these are built to operate on the Great Lakes or may be traveling from or to the Mississippi River.

• A “laker,” which is a U.S. or Canadian vessel specifically designed for the Great Lakes. These are some of the largest vessels on the Great Lakes. Along with barges, they’re also the most common at the port.

• A “saltie,” an international ocean-going vessel that enters the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence Seaway. They typically visit April through January.

• International cruise ships, the newest type of vessel at Port Milwaukee. This year alone Milwaukee is expecting 33 cruise ships carrying well over 10,000 passengers, Schlicht said.

Import/export cargo includes salt, fertilizer, steel, cement, grain, limestone, liquid methane and lumber, to name a few. “Our economic role cannot be understated,” Schlicht said. “The vessel activity and the cargo that we handle year-round generate over $100 million in economic impact each year.”

Want to know more about the vessels you’re spotting?

Here are three resources Schlicht recommends:

• Port Milwaukee’s real-time vessel tracker, portmilwaukee.com/vesseltracker. This updates in real time the information about vessels coming and going. (The Port Milwaukee website, portmilwaukee.com, has information about the port, as well.)

• Board Nerd, boatnerd.com, a website that monitors vessel activity across the Great Lakes, along with information about their history and fun facts.

• Wisconsin Marine Historical Society, wmhs.org. “If you’re looking for more of that historical context – what is that ship, what is her service, what is she traditionally carrying? — Wisconsin Marine Historical Society is a fabulous resource.”

If you’re looking for more of that historical context – what is that ship, what is her service, what is she traditionally carrying? Wisconsin Marine Historical Society is a fabulous resource.

Wisconsin Marine Historical Society

There’s lots to love about summer at Lakeshore State Park, but one of our favorites: It’s the season for paddle boats!

“For my money it’s the best view in the city,” said Timothy Ritter, owner of Lakeshore Paddle Sport Rentals. Tim and wife Val operate their business mid-May through mid-September, depending on the weather. “The water is so clean, and the breezes, and going by Summerfest … it’s just a really unique spot.”

Lakeshore Paddle Sport Rentals gives visitors a chance to experience the park from a different vantage point by paddling around the Maritime Water Basin and the Quiet Water Basin between Lakeshore State Park and the Summerfest grounds. Rent a paddleboat or hydrobike and you’ll have a non-polluting way to get around while getting exercise, too.

It’s a great activity for families, friends, or anyone who enjoys being on the water.

For my money it’s the best view in the city. The water is so clean, and the breezes, and going by Summerfest … it’s just a really unique spot.

Timothy Ritter

A few tips to keep in mind when renting from Lakeshore Paddle Sport Rentals: 

•  If you’re a 2022 Park Pal or Prairie Patron, you’ll have a separate email* from us today that you can use to get discounted paddle boat and hydrobike rentals.  Don’t lose that email – it’s good all summer!  That same email also will give you information on claiming a discount at Milwaukee Kayak Company this summer.
• Bring water or soft drinks to enjoy while you paddle. Each rental is for an hour, so you’ll appreciate having refreshments.
• It’s a good idea to bring a hat and sunglasses. The paddle boats have canopies for shade, but on a sunny day there’s plenty of glare off the water.
• A life vest is included with your rental.
• Bring your (small) pet!

 About that last piece of advice: Ritter said he has seen all kinds of pets join their humans on the water. “We’ve had dogs, cats, snakes, turtles,” Ritter said. “It’s such a fun thing to do.”

But to Ritter, the people are what make his job rewarding. “We have nothing but nice people and families as customers, it’s a joy.” Many are out-of-towners who ask his advice about things to do. “And they just gush, people just gush about Milwaukee and the downtown. It gets me right in the heart.”

*If you are a 2022 Prairie Pal or Prairie Patron and did not get the discount email, send a message to admin@friendslsp.org with your full name and approximate date of contribution and we’ll get the discount email out to you right away.

Making Lakeshore State Park a beautiful and thriving place takes a lot of work and your Friends organization plays a key role in making that happen.

We partner with the Wisconsin DNR and our community to support the park as Milwaukee’s premier lakefront destination for environmental and freshwater education, conservation, recreation, and outdoor enjoyment – for everyone!

Thanks to generous donations, memberships, and the support of the Friends over the past year, the park prairies have been further improved, the ADA-accessible fishing pier re-decked, the goose population remediated with a non-toxic solution, and multiple events held such as Cracking Arts Rebirth “swallows”, beach bonfires, and MKE Doors Open.

 And as the season turns towards summer, Lakeshore State Park is again abuzz with activity! We’re excited about programs and events being planned. We’ve just add over 4,500 native prairie plants. Our grant-funded bilingual park educator has over a dozen educational events planned at the park in June alone – with much more to come!

The need for these kinds of programs grows, so won’t you please help the Friends of Lakeshore State Park continue the work to make our park a thriving lakefront destination for everyone?

Become a Park Pal or Prairie Patron today!  This year joining or renewing at any level qualifies you for discounted rentals at Lakeshore Paddle Sport Rentals and Milwaukee Kayak Company.  See the park from a new angle!

David Wenstrup
President, Board of Directors