A NEW HORIZON THE TIDE IS COMING IN FOR THE LAKESHORE STATE PARK VISITOR AND EDUCATION CENTER By Molly Snyder A visitors’ center for Lakeshore State Park, Wisconsin’s only urban state park, was always a part of the original plan. Over the years, numerous factors delayed the project — but now Friends of Lakeshore State Park (FLSP) is determined to finally make the building a reality. Currently, FLSP is amid a $5 million fundraising campaign to build Lakeshore State Park Visitor and Education Center, which includes an endowment to support the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) ongoing maintenance of the building. The group is reaching out to corporations, endowments, family foundations and anyone else who has an interest in helping to bring the project to completion. They’ve raised $1.5 million to date, and the goal is to complete fundraising by the end of 2026. 32
“THE PARK IS SUCH A TREASURE, AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO USE IT SO MUCH MORE WITH THE VISITOR AND EDUCATION CENTER,” SAYS MARAGARET KREI, FLSP BOARD MEMBER AND THIRD WARD RESIDENT. “THIS IS A GIFT THAT WILL BENEFIT MANY GENERATIONS TO COME.” The purpose of the Visitor and Education Center is three-fold: To provide environmental education and community events on the island year-round – including the winter months; to make the park a destination instead of a “pass-through;” and to teach the importance of protecting the lakefront to next generations. “When the Visitor and Education Center is built, it will ensure a vibrant future for Lakeshore State Park by expanding opportunities for education, accessibility and year-round engagement,” says Jim Plaisted, executive director of the Historic Third Ward Association and Friends of Lakeshore State Park board member. “It will strengthen the park’s role as a place where nature, recreation and community come together on Milwaukee’s lakefront.”