Jessica Grasse, co-owner of Grasse’s Grill in Sister Bay and a long-time supporter of NWS and the park, has recently published a gorgeous book that reimagines several popular hikes in northern Door…including Newport. She is donating 100% of the profits from the sale of the book to Door non-profits, including NWS. This […]
Newport News
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With her extraordinary gifts of talent and time, NWS volunteer Alison Whitney has completed a stunning new mural inside the Visitors Center at Newport State Park. What is most remarkable about the project is that this is Whitney’s first mural. NWS funded the costs of paint and materials, but Alison […]
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. […]
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 […]
Text by Beth Bartoli, Naturalist at Newport SP Since 2007, Newport volunteers have been friends and helpers of the declining eastern bluebird population. NWS volunteers built and placed nesting boxes in appropriate habitat from Highway 42 down County Road NP and into the park. The number of boxes varied over […]
Text and Photos by Julie Roenigk Zip A Dee Doo Dah. Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I’m Always Chasing Rainbows. I have heard and sung these songs for as long as I can remember. But they took on a new depth of meaning a few years ago when I saw my […]
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 […]
Newport Wilderness Society participated in the Every Day is Earth Day Festival held on Saturday, April 23rd at the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor. It was nice to be back at this event ‘in person’ and to meet so many people interested in the work that we do in support […]
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 […]
Greetings, my name is Brian Grube, and I am the new Park Manager for Newport and Rock Island State Parks. I am honored to be a new member of the team and I am looking forward to working with Newport Wilderness Society. I moved here from Flagstaff, Arizona where I […]
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 […]
We wanted to share this great video filmed by Jiaojiao Tian. She drove 15 hours from Oklahoma to solo camp and welcome the New Year at Newport. We love her spirit! Many thanks to Newport friend Maryanne O’Dowd for giving us a heads-up about this video.
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’s always the perfect way to ring in the New Year! Coordinated by Mark Glasser and led out by Ken Fosczc, over 40 people […]
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 […]
The poems currently featured on the trail are by Mike Orlock, the seventh Poet Laureate of Door County. A former high school teacher and coach, Mike is the author of two poetry collections and has won awards from the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the Wisconsin Writers’ Association. The purpose […]
Thanks to all of you who voted and helped Newport win a 2021 Gold Seal Award for the Best State Park System to Learn about Astronomy! We are so proud of our Dark Sky Park and everyone who helps us protect it. Here is Park Naturalist Beth Bartoli with the […]
By Julia Keepper, NWS BoardClick on any photo to view in larger format. In the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, there was a thriving town located near what is now Parking Lot 3 and the Newport Beach area. Hans Johnson and Peter Knudsen started a lumbering business and […]