Friends of Dick Proenneke and Lake Clark National Park

The Friends of Dick Proenneke and Lake Clark National Park raises money to provide long term and reliable funding for the care and preservation of the Richard L. Proenneke Historic Site, and protecting, managing, and interpreting the wilderness, natural and cultural heritage of Alaska's Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.
In 1968 Dick Proenneke built the quintessential Alaskan log cabin along the shore of Upper Twin Lake in what would become Lake Clark National Park. Many have called Dick a modern-day Thoreau. He chronicled his 31 years living at Twin Lakes in thousands of detailed journal entries. Dick’s original movie, One Man’s Alaska, was instrumental in the 1980 establishment of Lake Clark National Park. Fifty years following publication, his widely popular book, One Man’s Wilderness, remains in print. Four films covering Dick Proenneke’s life at Twin Lakes frequently air on public television.
During the Summer of 2017, the Friends hired historic log building preservationists to replace the sod roof of Dick’s cabin and remediate mold growth occurring inside. In 2018 the Friends paid for archival 4×5 inch Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) photographs of Dick’s cabin and outbuildings for placement in the Library of Congress. In 2019 and 2020 the Friends raised $ 100,000 to purchase for Lake Clark National Park and the Jay Hammond Wilderness a very important private parcel on Upper Twin Lake near Dick Proenneke’s cabin.

Contributions to the Friends of Dick Proenneke and Lake Clark National Park brings Alaskans together to honor Dick Proenneke. Thousands of people inspired by the books and movies about Dick have made the pilgrimage to Alaska that includes a visit to Dick's humble wilderness cabin. Dick gave his cabin and its handcrafted contents to Lake Clark National Park and the Friends have become instrumental to the care and preservation of Dick's cabin. Projects for which we are currently raising funds include repairing the masonry of the cabin's chimney and removing mold occurring on the cabin's outer walls. The Friends established an endowment with the Alaska Community Foundation, that when fully funded, will pay for the preservation and summer staffing of Dick's cabin in perpetuity.
Dick deeply loved the wilderness and its wild creatures he encountered during his 31 years at Twin Lakes hiking, canoeing and exploring. He became a Volunteer in the Parks and strongly supported the National Park Service's mission. The Friends follows Dick's lead by financially supporting Lake Clark National Park projects that protect and preserve the natural and cultural history of the four million acre park. One of Alaska's new National Parks created in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the park holds 223 private parcels totaling 193,705 acres. When owners are willing to sell their land within the park, the Friends considers raising purchasing funds to acquire parcels with wilderness characteristics that are desired as additional park lands.
Thank you for considering supporting the Friends of Dick Proenneke and Lake Clark National Park through Pick. Click. Give. Your caring is greatly appreciated!