MILWAUKEE — The sand and the sun can equal a whole lot of fun at beaches, but for one group in Milwaukee it’s also about safety.
Summer is coming to a close, and beach-going season is ending with it. That means the Beach Ambassador program will wrap up its first full year of educating beachgoers in Milwaukee.
Last year, four organizations — Milwaukee Water Commons, Milwaukee Riverkeepers, Milwaukee Community Sailing Center and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant — teamed up to launch Milwaukee’s Beach Ambassador program. In 2021, the Beach Ambassadors launched a pilot program, with no lifeguards on duty at Bradford Beach, and McKinley Beach being closed due to dangerous conditions.
The group said its mission was to inform people about beach and water safety.
“We will touch base on resources to look up water conditions, water quality conditions, chat about rip currents, long shore currents, water temperature,” Chris Giddens, a beach ambassador, said.
Giddens and a team of beach ambassadors provided the tools swimmers may need for a safe day on the beach. Rhonda Nordstrom, a water city manager with Milwaukee Water Commons said this team came in at the right time.
“Lifeguard shortages were happening, drownings were happening, more people than ever were coming out to the water to enjoy it. We felt really well positioned to speak out to people having a really good time on Lake Michigan. It’s gotten a really great public response,” Nordstrom said.
The team of ambassadors said it felt good to be able to help keep the community safe while enjoying all that lake Michigan has to offer.
“It feels good to be able to empower people with the knowledge so they can make informed decisions for themselves,” Giddens said.