‘A shared responsibility’: Milwaukee Beach Ambassadors work to make Lake Michigan safer

If you frequent Milwaukee’s McKinley or Bradford beaches, you likely have seen — or even spoken to — a Beach Ambassador.

Dressed in baby blue matching shirts, the Milwaukee Beach Ambassadors have been working to educate Lake Michigan beachgoers on current and water conditions since 2021, an effort spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“What we saw in that time was people engaging with natural spaces in ways we hadn’t seen before,” Rhonda Nordstrom, partner at Milwaukee Water Commons, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

With the uptick in activity on Milwaukee’s beaches, there was also an unfortunate rise of drownings and near-drownings among beachgoers.

At least four people drowned at McKinley Beach alone in 2020, which prompted Milwaukee County officials to close it for the remainder of the year — though the closure actually lasted until last spring, with restoration effort complications and an active lifeguard shortage.

“We needed to figure out how to educate the community,” said Lloyd Seawright III, individual project partner.

And, thus, Milwaukee Beach Ambassadors was formed.

The program, in its fourth year, is a collaborative effort between the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant and Milwaukee Water Commons.

“All deserve shared access to the space,” Nordstrom said. “And there’s a shared responsibility.”

Ambassadors take to McKinley and Bradford beaches every Thursday through Sunday during the summer months. They’re typically out in groups from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., wearing matching Beach Ambassador shirts.

Aside from answering questions on beachgoers’ minds, ambassadors share resources on water quality, conditions and more.

When they’re not on the lakefront, they’re connecting with residents through local events, according to ambassador Grace Caster. The culmination of their efforts fosters “a relationship with the people of Milwaukee and the lake,” Caster said.

Ambassador and former CBS-58 Meteorologist Sam Kuffel said the group has gotten “a positive response” from Milwaukeeans. “At the end of the day, its community looking out for community,” Kuffel said.

The group’s impact doesn’t end when cooler weather rolls around, and has even reached beyond Milwaukee. Seawright said the Ambassadors have served as a “blueprint” for other programs, including in South Haven and Racine.

“While Beach Ambassadors are hired to work seasonally, there are networks of individuals and organizations throughout the area that focus on increasing safety in Lake Michigan and our rivers year round,” Nordstrom said.

For more information on the organization, you can visit its website. You can also visit here for information on water quality, current and beach conditions.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ‘A shared responsibility’: Milwaukee Beach Ambassadors work to make Lake Michigan safer

Reporting by Cailey Gleeson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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