News from the NWS Board

As part of the 2023 Door County Big Plant, over 40 volunteers planted more than 700 trees at the entrance to Newport State Park on April 26th. This collaborative project was sponsored by Destination Door County and coordinated by the Climate Coalition of Door County and Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership. […]

The Nature Center at Newport SP is in the beginning stages of a makeover, thanks to the vision of Master Naturalists Helen Berch-Kenny, Maureen Flatley, Mary O’Grady, Lynn Reuter, Holly Smith; volunteer Julia Keepper; and Park Naturalist Beth Bartoli. Existing displays are being organized and consolidated and a new display devoted […]

Our 33rd Annual Candlelight Ski-Hike-Snowshoe is in the history books. As is the tradition, guests enjoyed traversing the Fern Trail loop, guided by candlelight through the forest and along the lakefront. Conditions were fairly icy this year, so most people chose to hike. A roaring fire and yummy hot chocolate […]

NWS volunteers began turning lumber into new Leopold Benches in early February…a great winter project. The benches will be installed at 13 Newport campsites when the weather permits. This project was funded by NWS with the help of a $3,500 matching incentive grant from Friends of Wisconsin State Parks. It also includes […]

As we have in the past, Newport joined with many other parks around Wisconsin and the nation and hosted a First Day Hike on January 1st. It is the perfect way to ring in the New Year!  Coordinated by Mark Glasser, a record number of people enjoyed hiking the Fern […]

Earlier in 2022, it came to the attention of Newport park management and Newport Wilderness Society that the fire rings and Leopold benches at some of the park’s campsites were showing signs of significant wear and tear. With the help of a $3,500 matching incentive grant from Friends of Wisconsin […]

Text and Photos by Deb Ford, NWS Board NWS volunteers have begun constructing the first 600′ of the new elevated, accessible boardwalk that will traverse a seasonally-flooded section of the Fern Trail. Preassembled panels, decking lumber and hardware were delivered to the park on September 19 & 20. Our first […]

With the initial delivery of materials and hardware, we are officially underway with the construction of a new elevated, accessible boardwalk along a section of the popular Fern Trail that is prone to spring flooding. Delivery of construction material from Custom Manufacturing (Clinton, WI) occurred earlier this week. Greg Thoma […]

Text by Mary O’Grady; Photos by Deb Ford Lynn Reuter and Mary O’Grady recently completed the Wisconsin Master Naturalist training program held this past Spring.  Course participants are required to produce a Capstone project in either environmental education/interpretation, stewardship or citizen science.  For their project, Lynn and Mary chose to […]

Text and Photos by Mark Glasser, NWS President We got started on replacing kiosk roofs today, August 22, 2022.  NWS volunteer Dave Keen supplied the materials we needed from his inventory that included underlayment boards, tar paper, and shingles.  Today was a “proof of concept” to see if what we […]

Text and Photos by Gene Kenny, NWS Board I should have gone away this past winter. Every person I met asks, “How’s the Fern trail project going?” I don’t really mind the question. I enjoy telling everyone about the project, but I forget who I’ve told what details to. As […]

Helen Kenny and Maureen Flatley, two NWS members who have already given so much of their time and skills in support of Newport, recently completed the Wisconsin Master Naturalist training program held this spring at The Clearing in Ellison Bay. Master Naturalist training is a 40-hour series of sessions and […]

An amazing group of over 40 NWS volunteers came out on Saturday, April 30th to help park staff move forward on some large projects at Newport. The exterior of the Visitors Center and nearby gardens were tidied up; trash was picked up from along the main road and along Newport […]

Depending on the amount of winter snow and spring rains we receive in Door County, the park’s Fern Trail is often seasonally-flooded from April into early June. This year, the flooding has been impressive. These photos were taken on April 21. NWS is planning to construct an elevated boardwalk through […]

Newport Wilderness Society will be at the Every Day is Earth Day festival at Kress Pavilion on April 23. Please stop by our booth to meet some of our volunteers and learn more about the work we do in support of Newport State Park. There are so many great events […]

Our 32nd Annual Candlelight Ski-Hike-Snowshoe is in the history books. It was a cold, beautiful, almost windless evening. As is the tradition, guests enjoyed skiing or hiking the Fern Trail loop, guided by candlelight through the forest and along the lakefront. A roaring fire and yummy hot chocolate waited for […]

Photos by Deb Ford, Mark Glasser, & Gene KennyClick on any photo to view in larger format Over the course of several work days in November, NWS volunteers removed all four ground-level segments of boardwalk from the Fern Trail. We need to explain. The Fern Trail was designed to be […]

Carol Ash and her family have a deep connection to Newport State Park. As a child, she lived within biking distance of the park and remembers many family outings for picnics, swimming, baseball games, or just simply exploring. She carried on these traditions when she had children of her own. Fast forward […]

When you start up a conversation with Shannon Mough, owner of the activewear (and so-much-more) shop Twisted Tree at the Pharm, it takes a nanosecond to learn that anything outdoors, especially Newport State Park, is sanctuary. She and Maple, her ridiculously adorable Aussie, have spent many precious off-time hours in the park, reconnecting with everything […]

Photo-diary by Deb Ford, NWS BoardClick on any photo to view in larger format Where We Begin This is where our story starts. The original history kiosk definitely serves a purpose, but it doesn’t necessarily draw visitors in. NWS board member Julia Keepper researches Newport history, collects photos, and keeps the […]

Annual Meetingof the Newport Wilderness SocietySaturday, July 31st, 9:00amPicnic Shelter; Lot 3 The Annual Meeting of the Newport Wilderness Society will be held outdoors at the park Picnic Shelter on Saturday, July 31st at 9:00am. Coffee and baked treats will be provided by Kick Ash. Along with reports from the NWS […]

In early May, several NWS volunteers gathered at the park to hand-pull some large areas of Garlic Mustard along the Lynd Point trail. Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an aggressive invader of wooded areas throughout the eastern and middle United States. Shade tolerance allows this plant to invade high quality, mature woodlands, where it […]

Meet Shannon Mough and Miss Maple. (Miss Maple is the one in the backpack, if there was any confusion.) They own Twisted Tree at the Pharm, an activewear and so-much-more shop located in Sister Bay. And they love to hike and play at Newport State Park. Twisted Tree has been […]

Coinciding with Earth Day weekend, nearly 30 NWS volunteers gathered at Newport on Saturday, April 24 to work on a variety of spring maintenance projects around the park. Board member Mark Glasser coordinated the work teams and projects, with input and great support from park management. Volunteers tidied up the buildings and gardens around the Visitors Center […]

Newport Wilderness Society is proud to be a supporter of the 2021 Every Day is Earth Day celebration. This event celebrates the people, organizations, and businesses that uphold our sustainable culture in Door County and beyond.  Every Day is Earth Day comprises an environmentally focused weekend of resource exchange, an […]

Roasted by Kick Ash in Ellison Bay in support of NWS Carol Ash, NWS board member and owner of Kick Ash Products in Ellison Bay, continues her deep-rooted support of Newport Wilderness Society with the launch of Dark Sky Roast Coffee. All profits from your purchase of Dark Sky Roast will go to support the work of NWS. It’s the […]