Contact: Ellen Kwiatkowski
Phone: (715) 779-5263
Email: ellen@brcland.org
Preliminary work has begun, and more extensive improvements are pending, as the Red Cliff Tribe prepares to officially open the new Frog Bay Tribal National Park on Friday, August 3rd.
The nearly 90-acre park was made possible when the Bayfield Regional Conservancy and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa joined forces to acquire and permanently protect the site, which had been inaccessible for many years because it was in private ownership. The Conservancy worked with owners, David and Marjorie Johnson, to acquire the land, which the Johnson’s offered at half value in order to return the property to tribal ownership. Funding came in a grant to protect coastal lands and estuaries from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. With the land being purchased through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agencies Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, which funded half the cost of acquiring the property and David and Marjorie Johnson generously donated the other half. Preserving natural habitat on coastal lands and estuaries goes a long way in maintaining water quality and fisheries habitat in Lake Superior. The Apostle Islands Area Community Fund and Larry A. Reiten Fund provided additional funding. Photo Caption: Frog Bay Tribal National Park opens Friday, August 3rd. The new park offers breathtaking views of several islands within the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
The tribe immediately moved to make what Red Cliff Natural Resources Administrator, Chad Abel, called “a real gem” available to the public. This spring, signs were put in place and work began on a trail linking the parking area to the shoreline of Lake Superior so visitors will be able to reach the beach without trespassing on adjacent privately owned land.
Frog Bay Tribal National Park is located just 15 minutes north of Bayfield, WIPlans to develop several miles of hiking trails, footbridges over steep ravines and a comfort station for visitors are in progress now. The tribe has applied for a stewardship grant to cover the costs of those improvements, and work is well under way in anticipation of the grand opening on Friday, August 3rd. Frog Bay is located just 15 minutes north of the popular harbor town, Bayfield, which is home of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
For more information, please contact the Bayfield Regional Conservancy at (715) 779-5263 or email Executive Director Ellen Kwiatkowski at ellen@brcland.org.
