Seeking Volunteers for May 15, 2024, Lakewalk Clean-up
Friends of the Lakewalk is seeking volunteers to help clean-up Duluth’s Lakewalk on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 1:00pm - 3:00pm. This event will be held Rain or Shine.
We will clean-up the Lakewalk sections from Kitchi Gammi (Brighton Beach) Park to 47th Ave East, as well as the Lakewalk connection into Lester Park - Park. Clean-up supplies are provided.
Registration takes place at 12:45 at the Lester Park picnic pavilion, adjacent to Lester River Road and East Superior Street. Location and Parking details are at
https://www.friendsofthelakewalk.org/duluth-lakewalk-lester-river-to-brighton-beach
This clean-up is held in partnership with members of Friends of the Lakewalk, staff from University of Minnesota Duluth Enrollment Management, as well as volunteers from Duluth Parks & Recreation and the public.
If interested in volunteering or if you have questions, please email us at Fotlduluth@gmail.com
Be Active
Friends of the Lakewalk (Fotl) welcomes volunteers whether they are members of the organization or not. Activities are announced through our Gmail notification system. If you wish to be added to this notification list, please contact fotlduluth@gmail.com
Volunteer Opportunities
As a volunteer organization, FotL depends upon member and community volunteers for involvement in its activities. Here is a list of some FotL member and community volunteer accomplishments in 2021-2023:
1) Cleanup: Lakewalk neighbors, Key Club, Boy Scouts, City employees, and FotL members participate at our biannual Spring & Fall Lakewalk cleanups. You and/or your organization can participate.
2) Pollinator Gardens: Help plant, water, tend, weed, maintain pollinator gardens. Volunteer plot size has more than doubled. FotL planted and maintains pollinator gardens along the Lakewalk in partnership with Duluth Monarch Buddies, Arrowhead Chapter of Wild Ones and the City.
Other Recent FotL Accomplishments and Activities
Volunteers are welcome to contribute to these types of activities:
3) Safety: Addressed unsafe S curve section: Easement at Ledges has been designated between the City and Ledges Homeowner Association to remove S curve and realign the Lakewalk near the intersection with 23rd Ave. E.
4) Plan ADA realignment: Lobbied to reduce the grade and improve turn radius of the Lakewalk at the hill junction behind 26th Ave E Holiday Station and at the Tee junction leading to London Road and RR tunnel Construction anticipated in 2023 or 2024.
5) Partnered with city staff to provide input on ADA accessibility, restoration, maintenance, interpretive & directional signage.
6) Outreach: Spoke at City Council meetings, Parks Department public meetings, Bluestone path abandonment onsite meeting, and Lakewalk reopening. Presented to Harbortown Rotary, news media.
7) Input: Provided inout to Duluth Parks Plans, Harbor Plaza/ Baywalk/Seawall redo, The Breakers on Water Street LLC proposed multi-story 16-unit condo.
8) Engage: Gained new life members and doubled the number of Business Life members
9) Fundraise: Partnered with Mount Royal Market on their round-up donation program. During 7/2022, customers of Mount Royal Market donated $3491.24 to our organization.
10) Donate: We dedicated 100% of Mount Royal round-up dollars toward Lakewalk interpretation and wayfaring projects, plus provide a 101% match. Once a go, we will donate $7,000.00 in addition to $2,500 we already provided.
11) Interpret: $2,500 provided by FotL for design preplanning interpretative kiosk signage.
12) Wayfaring: Advanced future directional signage installation entire length of Lakewalk.
13) Apply: Applied for Duluth Parks Department and Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation grants to assist in funding signage projects.
14) Sponsor: $100.00 annual donation to Keep Duluth Clean.
15) Other activities: Designed to preserve, protect, and improve the Duluth Lakewalk.
Future replacement and new interpretative signage will be more durable, handicap accessible, and consistent with Parks signage style. Here is an example:
