We are a group of people who love Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area and want to see it thrive right now and for many generations to come.

Friends of Nordhouse Dunes (FOND) was established in 2019 by a small group of friends who hold Nordhouse near and dear to our hearts. We have all seen Nordhouse grow in popularity over the past years—which is wonderful—but with more people comes more trash, foot traffic over fragile dune ecosystems, and other hazards that can cause harm to the place we love. So, our mission began: to promote the enjoyment, preservation, and health of Nordhouse Dunes’ beautiful land and water.

FOND is not part of the US Forest Service, but we support them with helping to educate and raise awareness for proper care and protection of the wilderness area, organizing clean up events, fundraising for special projects, and whatever else we can dream up.

We are so excited that you are here—please join us at our next event or reach out!

friendsofnordhousedunes@gmail.com

MEET THE TEAM

Anna Kornoelje
Director & Co-Founder 

I had been car camping before but didn’t know that Wilderness was even a thing back in 2000 when I was freshly graduated from Grand Valley State University with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. Around that time, I was introduced to Nordhouse Dunes and my mind was blown! The whole wild place seemed so open for exploration and fun times. 

There were much fewer visitors in those days and it wasn’t unusual to be the only car in the parking lot on a week day. I made lots of mistakes. I camped in the open sand until I learned it damaged fragile dunes and was way too hot in the tent in the morning. I loved making driftwood fires on the beach until a friend told me that the driftwood provides shelter for beach-dwelling critters and it also left long-lasting fire scars in the sand.

Part of starting FOND is making amends for early mistakes but it’s mostly because I just love Nordhouse so much. The dunes ecosystem is so inviting and cool and the access to open space and Lake Michigan gives me so much joy. 

I’m grateful for everyone who has joined in on this project with me so far! My hope is that we can help people enjoy Nordhouse while still respecting this land and leaving it better than we found it.