About Apple Island Tours
Apple Island Tours is an annual event during the second weekend in June by Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society (GWBHS), in partnership with West Bloomfield School District, City of Orchard Lake Village, and West Bloomfield Parks. Tours begin at Orchard Lake Museum and include outdoor exhibits, volunteer island docents, presenter Mi-kwan-dahn (Mike) Jewell, bus and boat transportation, and a self-paced island tour.
Apple Island, officially known as Marjorie Ward Strong Woodland Sanctuary, is a 37-acre island in the center of Orchard Lake. It is currently uninhabited by people and is kept as a nature preserve with several archaeological sites by West Bloomfield School District. The public can visit the island during the annual Apple Island Tours.
Thank you to West Bloomfield High School student Sofie Delidow for designing all Float the Boat artwork!
Thank you to our 2026 Apple Island Tours Float the Boat Fundraiser donors!
$400 DAYSAILER – Anonymous, Family of Suzanne Bentley Hadley
$250 KAYAK – Steve Presby
$150 ROWBOAT – Karen Pushie
Since 1982 we have partnered with West Bloomfield School District to provide affordable opportunities for the public to visit Orchard Lake’s Apple Island, our community’s incredible natural and historic resource. If you love the island as much as we do, please help us “Float the Boat.” Rising transportation costs are challenging our ability to continue offering public tours at family-friendly prices. This year’s tours are dead in the water unless we raise $5,000 by May 15.
If you love Apple Island, please give. If you have been meaning to visit Apple Island, please give. If you just love a good pontoon ride, please give. All hands on deck are needed to keep this exceptional program ship-shape.
All Float the Boat donors will be recognized in print. Donors of $150 and up will receive complimentary tickets to Apple Island Tours. Thank you for your support!
Donor Levels:
- $150 ROWBOAT (includes 1 complimentary tour ticket)
- $250 KAYAK (includes 2 complimentary tour tickets)
- $400 DAYSAILER (includes 4 complimentary tour tickets)
- $1,000 RUNABOUT (See GWBHS for ticket needs)
- $5,000 PONTOON (See GWBHS for ticket needs)
Community Partners
2019 Apple Island Tours poster
2019 Apple Island National Register of Historic Places Celebration Program
The Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors explained the history of surveying during the 2017 Apple Island Tours on Civic Center TV.
2015 Apple Island Tours presenters
2014 Civic Center TV coverage of Apple Island Tours
2024 Apple Island Tours event images