Current events
For additional information please go to Calendar of Events tab
Bong Naturalist Association (BNA) is so pleased that you are here!
We are the Friend’s Group that supports Richard Bong State Recreation Area (RBSRA.) We offer a variety of programs for visitors of all ages and help to fund park improvements for all to enjoy. Please scroll down to see BNA News and be sure to click on the Calendar of Events tab for upcoming events at RBSRA! Just a reminder that a Wisconsin State Park vehicle admission sticker or a daily entrance fee is required to enter the park
Grant Updates and Thank You to our Partner Organizations!
The Bong Naturalist Association (BNA) recently received generous funding from the Wild Ones Root River Chapter Native Plants grant and the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks Incentive Grant as well as the David and Joyce Weizenicker Fund for State Parks and the Norma and Stanley DeBoer Quiet Trails grants through the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. The BNA is very grateful for the support of these organization and the opportunities created by these grants!
If you’d like to volunteer with the BNA/RBSRA, please send an email to bongnaturalistassociation@gmail.com!
Please click on the link below to read the full descriptions of these wonderful grant awards and the upcoming changes at RBSRA! Additional Information
Aldo Leopold Benches for Sale!
In celebration of Aldo Leopold and the 75th anniversary of A Sand County Almanac, BNA is selling Aldo Leopold Benches!
These beautifully hand-crafted cedar-tone benches are available in 3-foot or 4-foot lengths. Dimensions: 4 ft = 51”(w) x 29”(h) x 27”(d); 3 ft = 39”(w) x 29”(h) x 27”(d)
- Aldo Leopold Bench Prices:
- $140 – 4’ Cedar-tone Bench
- $135 – 3’ Cedar-tone Bench
Welcome! Enhance your garden and yard to a place where you can relax and observe the beauty around you.
To order: please click on the following link for the BNA Aldo Leopold Bench order form.
Please contact us with any questions at bnaleopoldbench@gmail.com
All funds raised as a result of this special event will support BNA/RBSRA events, programs and facilities!
BNA offers our sincere thanks for participating in this special event!
All RBSRA Campgrounds are Open!
With both Sunrise and Sunset campgrounds open, RBSRA offers campers a total of 214 campsites, 57 with electric hookups. Large groups can book
one of the six group campsites and the Park also offers a fully accessible cabin.
Firewood is sold year-round at the Molinaro Visitor Center/Headquarters parking lot through a firewood vending machine which is open 24/7. You can pay with any major credit card or debit card, but sorry, not by cash.
Stop by the Visitor Center and pick up a brochure on BNA Events or click on the Calendar of Events on this website where you will find additional details on events at the park. As events are always being added, please check the Calendar of Events tab on this website, our Bong Naturalist Association FaceBook page and on the DNR/RBSRA calendar
Please click on the link below for maps of the RBSRA Sunrise and Sunset campgrounds as well as links to DNR camping rules and the DNR Camping Reservation system. Additional Information
Happy Camping!
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board accepts 132-Acre Land Donation for RBSRA
It’s official! On May 22, 2024 the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) voted to accept the donation of 132 acres of land located adjacent to the SE corner of Richard Bong State Recreation Area (RBSRA.), and at the same time make this land part of RBSRA.
Over the past four years, the Bong Naturalist Association (BNA) has worked tirelessly to raise over $365,000 needed to match State and Federal grants, culminating in raising a total $1.3M needed to make the purchase. About a year into the process the BNA joined forces with Ducks Unlimited, the fifth largest land trust in the US, for without their help the acquisition would not be possible. In addition, the NRB voted unanimously to acknowledge the BNA for its gift and presented a certificate of acknowledgement thanking the BNA for its part in making this gift possible.
The BNA will be forever grateful to numerous local businesses and private individuals who made donations to the effort, the Knowles Nelson Grant Foundation, Federal Fish and Wildlife, and all local government bodies who supported and encouraged this acquisition to move forward.
America’s Ace of Aces, Richard I. Bong’s, P-38 Lightening Fighter Found in Papua New Guinea
Richard Bong State Recreation Area (RBSRA) is named after World War II Flying Ace and America’s Ace of Aces, Richard I Bong.
On May 24, 2024, the Richard I Bong Veterans Historical Center, in Superior, WI, announced that Major Richard I Bong’s P-38 Lightening fighter plane, Marge, had been located in Papua New Guinea. The Richard I Bong Veterans Historical Center collaborated with Justin Taylan, Director of Pacific Wrecks, Inc., in a historic project to locate Richard Bong’s P-38, Marge.
Justin Taylan, search team leader, travelled to Papua New Guinea where Richard Bong’s P-38 Lightening, Marge, went down due to engine troubles while flown by another pilot more than 80 years ago. Using cutting edge technology and working closely with the Papua New Guineas government Justin Taylan found several matching serial numbers as well as sections that had been painted red, that were specific to that aircraft, which confirmed the plane was indeed, the P-38 Lightening, Marge, flown by Richard Bong during his career. Click her for the Full Article
