A Ramp for Everyone at Meyers Beach, Apostle Islands

National Park Service Director Chuck Sams and Jeff Rennicke, executive director of Friends of the Apostle Islands, walk down the stairs at Meyers Beach, near the site of the planned ramp. Credit: National Park Service / Billy Flynn.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, on Lake Superior in Wisconsin, has made accessibility a priority, with improvements every year — boardwalks on the islands, better restrooms and accessible campsites. In 2019 it opened a new visitor center with fully accessible outdoor exhibits at Little Sand Bay.

Since then the park has worked with Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (FAINL) on its Access For All initiative, which aims to remove barriers to reaching and enjoying the lakeshore. One of them is the staircase at Meyers Beach — the only way down to the beach and to the kayak launch for paddling to the mainland sea caves. A universally designed ramp will remove that barrier for kayakers and beachgoers alike.

"Universally designed infrastructure benefits everyone," said Superintendent Lynne Dominy. "Whether you are in a wheelchair, walking with crutches, need a flatter slope for better balance, or if you are pushing a stroller, this ramp serves you better than stairs."

Draft plan for the Meyers Beach ramp. Image from the National Park Service's page.

How it was funded

In the past year FAINL raised $325,000 for the ramp, and further money came through the National Park Foundation (NPF) — the official charitable partner of the National Park Service, which quickly matched FAINL's funding — and the NPS Centennial Challenge Program.

Congress created that program with the National Park Service Centennial Act in 2016, letting parks match donations from outside the federal government at least one-for-one for signature projects and programs. It has funded a wide range of work in line with Park Service priorities, including better visitor facilities. The Meyers Beach ramp was chosen because it creates universal access to a popular destination, and because two partners, FAINL and the NPF, provided 66% of its funding.

At the end of August, NPS Director Chuck Sams visited the lakeshore, met FAINL board members and park staff, and saw the existing stairs and heard about the project they had funded. Partners like FAINL and the NPF, the Park Service says, help widen fair and accessible recreation for everyone by paying for essential improvements such as this ramp.

Meyers Beach, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Credit: National Park Service / Billy Flynn.

Director Chuck Sams with the Friends of the Apostle Islands board at the site of the ramp project. Credit: National Park Service / Billy Flynn.

Sources

Based on "Elevating Accessibility: Meyers Beach Ramp Project," published by the National Park Service, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore; rewritten in hubnx's own words.