The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation

In late September, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore hosted a meeting of the board of the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, a group which intends to provide philanthropic support for all four U.S. national park sites on the big lake (Apostle Islands and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshores, Isle Royale National Park, and Grand Portage National Monument).  The Friends board had a very productive social and dinner with the NPLSF group, which also included the superintendents of all four parks.  Everyone agreed that there’s room for multiple groups and that philanthropy on behalf of the national parks, working closely with the managers of those parks, is a good thing regardless of what organization it comes through.  NPLSF, which is not a membership organization, will focus primarily on large corporations and foundations with a multi-state interest, while Friends and other groups specific to the other parks will focus more on the gateway communities, home states, and visitors to the specific parks.  It does create an interesting challenge for Friends, though, as we try to reach out to potential members and contributors amongst those who love the Apostle Islands in the Twin Cities or Chicago, for example, as both groups may be reaching out to potential donors in those areas.

According the NPLSF web site (www.nationalparksoflakesuperior.org), “NPLSF is a newly organized, privately supported effort to fund special projects in the four U.S. national parks on Lake Superior, over and above appropriated funds. These projects include preservation of historic structures and lighthouses, improved visitor services and facilities, enhanced environmental education programs and more. This effort is meant to complement efforts by the Friends organizations of individual parks [emphasis added]. Any private donations received will be split evenly between the parks, unless the donation has a specifically targeted project or park… We are actively seeking partners to assist in developing this special new funding organization and invite individual and major donors to contact us to learn more about how they can become involved in these efforts.”

While the NPS does not regulate the conduct of fundraising partners, fundraising activities that may result in donations to the NPS are only appropriate when consistent with law and the mission and policies of NPS and the Department of the Interior.  To ensure such consistency, in most cases NPS only accepts donations from fundraising campaigns for its benefit that have been conducted pursuant to written agreements with its fundraising partners.   The Friends of the Apostle Islands have had a formal agreement with the NPS in place since 2004, and NPS is currently developing a similar agreement with the NPLSF.  Assuming the NPLSF agreement is finalized in the next few months, these two organizations are the only groups authorized to raise funds specifically for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.