It’s been a year of significant progress at NPLSF. As we near the end of 2024 and look ahead to 2025, it’s a great time to celebrate our success, mark some key milestones, and redouble our efforts to protect, restore, and enhance Lake Superior and its five national parks.
Here are a few highlights!
Protecting Our Great Lake's Ecosystem
Moose have long called this region home, but they are facing serious challenges. Recent studies show a nearly 60% decline in the moose population over the past decade.
NPLSF is providing targeted support to scientists addressing issues such as parasites, habitat loss, and other factors contributing to moose mortality in Northeast Minnesota.
We proudly sponsor the North American Moose Conference and, in 2024, provided scholarships for Indigenous researchers to attend.
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This year, we launched a major project to fully winterize research quarters on Isle Royale National Park for staff and visiting scientists conducting vital moose and wolf population studies during the harsh winter months. This ongoing study is the longest-running of its kind in the United States, and we are committed to enhancing the park infrastructure needed to sustain it.
Fostering Inclusive Education
In 2024, we helped catalyze an innovative education program called Agaaming Aki (the land across the water in Anishinaabe), which offers tribal youth hands-on experiences at Lake Superior, integrating science-based activities with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). We are actively working with our partners to continue and expand this impactful initiative.
NPLSF has also been a long-term supporter of the exciting Rendezvous Days fur trade reenactment weekend at Grand Portage National Monument.
In 2024, we expanded our commitment by preserving fur trade-era artifacts and interpretive tools, ensuring they would be cared for and utilized by park interpretation staff and properly displayed throughout the park.Â
As we look to 2025, we're excited to partner with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Anishinaabe) on a major project to tell the story of their long-standing connection to Isle Royale (Minong in Anishinaabe). Thanks to seed funding from the National Park Foundation, we will create a permanent interpretive exhibit in the new Hat Point Marina ferry terminal, where thousands of visitors embark for the island each year.
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Helping Our Parks Move Towards Sustainability
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NPLSF's innovative Decarbonize the Parks project employs sound science and proven technology to make our park operations more efficient and carbon-free, minimizing the risks associated with fossil fuels while inspiring visitors to reduce their own carbon footprints.
In 2024, we hired a National Park Service veteran to help translate our engineering studies into actionable initiatives. We are thrilled with the results so far! Major projects are set to begin, including new solar power installations at Isle Royale National Park and energy saving enhancements to land based facilities at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore’s Little Sand Bay that will lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions and operating costs.
We’ve created a new Decarbonize at Home map and guide for visitors to promote sustainable practices, and we partnered with the National Parks Conservation Association to hold workshops in Ashland, Wisconsin and Munising, Michigan on electric vehicle charging needs in these park gateway communities.
Check out the Decarbonize the Parks section of our website for more details on this nation-leading project!
Celebrating Milestones
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There was much to celebrate in our parks in 2024, including commemorating twenty-five years of the National Park Service and Grand Portage Band’s co-management of Grand Portage National Monument.
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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore hosted its own celebration this year, marking 150 years of continuous service at the iconic Au Sable Light Station.
NPLSF’s popular Lake Superior Podcast finished its fifth season in 2024. In all we’ve produced 62 episodes with hosts Walt Lindala and Frida Waara bringing on an array of guests to share the fascinating stories of Lake Superior’s people and places.
Nearly 40,000 people have tuned in! This season’s episodes included the science of the northern lights, Lake Superior shipwrecks, Great Lakes shipping, and much more.
Check out all 62 episodes on our podcast page and rest assured that Walt and Frida are already busy preparing for the sixth season!
Board of Directors News
NPLSF is proud of our team of volunteer Board of Directors, which includes two former national park superintendents, community leaders, and seasoned experts with an array of skills.
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In 2024, NPLSF board member, author, and former Grand Portage National Park Superintendent Tim Cochrane, received an exciting honor, winning a Minnesota Book Award for Making the Carry: The Lives of John and Tchi-Ki-Wis Linklater. The book tells the story of John Linklater (Anishinaabeg, Cree, Scottish) and his wife, Tchi-Ki-Wis (La Croix First Nation), who lived along the Ontario, Canada, and Minnesota border in the late 1800s through the early 1900s.Â
We are also happy to share that nationally-known sustainability leader and former Duluth, Minnesota Mayor Emily Larson became NPLSF’s newest board member in late 2024.
Well known for her commitment to the health, resilience, economics and ecology of Lake Superior, Emily will bring a wealth of expertise to the board and we are thrilled to have her on the team.
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About The NPLSF
The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF) exists to provide financial support for projects and programs that preserve the natural resources and cultural heritage of the five Lake Superior national parks: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Grand Portage National Monument, Isle Royale National Park, Keweenaw National Historical Park, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Funded through grants and private donations, NPLSF projects and programs ensure that these great parks and historic sites are maintained for the enjoyment of all current and future visitors.