Authorities recover unoccupied dinghy in Apostle Islands National Park

Authorities have recovered an unoccupied dinghy in the Apostle Islands National Park, but it isn’t known at this time who it may belong to, or if it’s associated with an overdue boater.

A news release from the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office says kayakers informed the National Park Service about the dinghy on Thursday evening, and that it was recovered on the shore of Otter Island Friday evening.

Following the recovery of the dinghy, crews conducted ground searches on and around Otter Island on Friday and Saturday, and also searches of surrounding islands, and mainland searches at local marinas, and parks.

The U.S. Coast Guard also conducted water search operations overnight on Friday through daybreak on Saturday.

Authorities suspended search operations on Saturday afternoon due to "dangerous weather conditions." At the time, they hadn’t found any "involved persons."

The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who may be missing a dinghy, know of an overdue boater, or may have any information regarding this incident to contact the Ashland County Communications Center at (715) 682-7023 option 1.