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Forest Lodge Restoration Volunteer
June 2 - June 28
Perhaps our longest continuing project to date, Forest Lodge is among our most popular volunteer opportunities, and with good reason. Early birds get the worm on this one, so don’t wait to register and we’ll see you on Lake Namakegon!
It’s that time of year again when a returning cast of characters and a slew of new preservationists make the drive out to the northern woods of Wisconsin in an effort to continue a time honored tradition we’ve been enough lucky to foster at the etherial Forest Lodge. Without a doubt, Forest Lodge is HistoriCorps’ longest continuing project and with good reason. The roughly 50 acre Historic District is made up of 12 structures including the Gatehouse, Great Hall, Guesthouse, and the iconic Boathouse which sits on the banks of the beautiful Lake Namekagon.
For nearly a decade HistoriCorps has engaged over 200 volunteers along with several youth corps to restore the various structures making up the Historic District. From window glazing, log repairs, finish and rough carpentry, roofing and flooring, to just about any kind of preservation effort required to maintain a compound of this stature, we’ve been hands on making it happen. However, what has set this project above the rest and why so many flock to Wisconsin each June has been the reliable camaraderie and pristine lake access accompanied with a long day’s preservation effort. It’s one of those places you have to see to believe, but also one of those projects you have to experience for yourself.
HistoriCorps’ Operations Manager Denis Moran has been serving double duty as Forest Lodge’s Project Manager and Project Supervisor, and for nearly a decade he’s instilled a legacy of exceptional craftsmanship and strong leadership to accompany his lighthearted afterwork recreation efforts, usually involving a kayak and a local brew. It’s this legacy that has many volunteers returning each season to build new memories to go alongside their previous ones.
Forest Lodge is made up of 8,723 acres that was donated to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in 1999 by Mary Griggs Burke with the intention of providing environmental research and educational programs. Today is it stewarded by the Northland College serving as a premier center for environmental leadership, sustainability, and conservation education. It’s important to note this area was home to the Anishinabek and Sioux nations, among many others, who are the traditional custodians of land and waters surrounding Forest Lodge. For more information please visit Northland College’s website.
We say it every year, but this opportunity fills up fast, so please don’t hesitate if you are interested in joining us this season. We look forward to sharing this amazing legacy with you and can’t wait for another year of cherished memories!
SESSION DATES: June 2-7, June 9-14, June 16-21, and June 23-28
Please plan to arrive at the campsite no earlier than 5pm and no later than 7pm on the first day of your session.
LOCATION: Located 3 hours Northeast of Minneapolis, MN!
HistoriCorps is committed to educating and training volunteers in preservation skills, with an overarching mission of inspiring a preservation ethic in all those involved. Learning and working alongside expert HistoriCorps field staff and participants from the Great Lakes Climate Corps, volunteers will use the traditional skills necessary to restore several elements of the Forest Lodge:
- Rebuilding Kitchen Porch
- Re-glaze wooden sash windows in Guest House
- General maintenance of campus
- Small cedar re-roof of Guest House Bulkhead
Click here for more information and registration!
You will know your registration was successful when you receive a confirmation email. Contact volunteer@historicorps.org for assistance.