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Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes – Making an Impact

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The October 1, 2013 – September 30, 2014 fiscal year was a good one! The Federal Government operates on this fiscal year and the Friends have changed our fiscal year to match the Park. That simplifies some of our reporting and bookkeeping. Each year, Park Management asks us to report on the projects, grants, and volunteer hours during the year, and this one is the best ever!

Trail Crew installs signs on SBHT

Trail Crew installs signs on SBHT

Our Adopt-A-Beach program reported 90 volunteers maintaining our Lake Michigan beaches and logging over 1,000 hours. We were fortunate this year in having only a couple of major trash wash-ups, and very few dead birds! The Adopt-A-Trail program reported 35 volunteers logging over 660 hours keeping our hiking trails clear and safe.  The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Ambassadors (84 volunteers) and Trail Crew (28 volunteers) logged almost 2,600 hours.

The Friends made cash grants to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore of $9,382 and contributed $205,314 in a long list of projects. The major projects included the SBHT trail spur to the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive parking lot and the Donor Recognition Plaza for the SBHT at the Dune Climb. Funds for these projects came from the private fundraising for the SBHT led by TART and the SBHT Campaign Cabinet.

Beach Access Stairs at Sunset Shores

Beach Access Stairs at Sunset Shores

We built another beach access stairs in Port Oneida, to allow safe access from road level down a steep bluff to the Lake Michigan Beach. Fifteen volunteers (many from Cherry Republic) logged over 250 hours building these steps under the direction of Chris Lefleur, Park Roads & Trails Crew. The first visitors to use the new steps was an extended family with a baby and some elderly aunts and uncles, who all very much appreciated the new stairs.

Several projects that support historic and cultural activities at the Park were transferred to Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, another non-profit Park Partner focused on historic and cultural preservation within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We transferred these projects to minimize duplication of effort and it allows the Friends to focus on recreational projects like trails, natural resource protection, and educational projects.

Click here for a complete listing of our projects and the funding for 2013-2014.
Click here for a summary of the value of grants and in-kind donations for 2013-2014.

 


Making the Park Accessible to More People

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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a beautiful place, and one of our goals is to make it more accessible to people of all levels of ability.. Our efforts are focused on awareness, training, and projects to improve access to trails … Continue reading

Ski Season is Just Around the Corner

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Winter on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is special. Light fluffy snow covering the trees and trail make it ideal for photography, skiing, or snowshoeing through a secluded winter wonderland! Most of the trail is groomed in the winter with a corduroy base for skate skiing, snowshoeing, and classic tracks on the outside for classic cross-country skiing. Click here for up-to-date ski conditions.

Groomer Crew Training in November 2013

Groomer Crew Training in November 2013

The grooming crew is getting ready for the season. The wheels on the Gator will be replaced with snow tracks and the grooming equipment is in place. Groomer Crew training will be held on Tuesday, November 18. If you are interested in being on the Crew this winter, contact us.

Trailhead parking is available on Forest Haven Road in Glen Arbor, Glen Haven, the Dune Climb, Pierce Stocking Drive, and the corner of Voice Rd and Bar Lake Rd on the north end of Empire.

The trail from Glen Arbor to the Dune Climb (4 miles) is relatively flat with beautiful scenery. A loop trail through DH Day Campground and a loop just south of the Dune Climb have been added this year. You will have to remove your skis to cross M-109 and in Glen Haven. 

The section from Empire to Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive (3 miles) is also beautiful, but has more challenging slopes. This section will be groomed without classic tracks because of the hills. This will be a good section for skate skiers to get a good workout!

Between the Dune Climb and Pierce Stocking Drive, the trail crosses multiple driveways and climbs significant hills, so this section will not be groomed. There is no good way to ski between the Scenic Drive and the Dune Climb at this time.

Excellent Ski Season Completed

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The 2014-2015 cross-country ski season got off to a slow start. There wasn’t enough snow to groom the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail until mid-January, but the cold weather and snow did arrive, and by March, we had groomed the trail all the way from Glen Arbor to Empire many times.

Skiers on the SBHT

Skiers on the SBHT

We were concerned about the steep hills in the section from the Dune Climb to Empire, but we found that with fresh snow, skiers had no problems with the hills. They were easy enough to ski up without doing a herring bone up the hills, and coming down was a gentle glide.

Now that spring is here, the snow is melting off the trail and many areas are bare. It is time to get your bike out and tuned up. Once all of the snow is off the trail, the Trail Crew will be out with the blower to clear winter debris from the trail. We will let you know when all the snow is gone, so it is safe to ride your bike all the way from Empire to Glen Arbor.

The new section of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will be built from Glen Arbor to Port Oneida this spring. We will be installing signs as soon as the asphalt is in place. If you can help us install signs, send an e-mail to info@friendsofsleepingbear.org. We will let you know when the new section of trail is open!

Explore Shipwrecks

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Walking the Lake Michigan Beach can become a history lesson. Shipwrecks appear and get buried by the dynamic nature of the Lake Michigan shoreline due to winds, waves, and currents. Learn more about the history of the area.

Shipwrecks of the Manitou Passage

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Explore the shipwrecks of the Manitou Passage. The mainland shore of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has many shipwrecks from the 1800’s and early 1900’s for you to find. Some of these are described on this page.

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Expansion

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The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT) is a hard-surface multi-use trail that passes through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and connects the villages of Glen Arbor and Empire. A new section of trail will open in 2015 north of Glen … Continue reading

Find Your Park

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Sure, you know where Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is – but what about the other 400+ sites managed by the National Park Service?  As part of the build-up to the NPS centennial  celebration in 2016, an awareness and education campaign co-chaired by First Lady Michelle Obama and former First Lady Laura Bush is kicking off now!

Primary.FindYourParkLogo.URL-200xYou will be hearing a lot about Parks in the coming months. Click on the logo to go to findyourpark.com web site to explore National Parks around the country. Stay tuned here to learn about NPS-themed events in our area that highlight Sleeping Bear Dunes and our local community.

National Park Week – April 18-25

Park Entrance Fee for April 18 & 19 is FREE.

Star Party – April 18 from 9:00 – 11:00 PM at Platte River Point. Join Park Rangers and Grand Traverse Astronomical Society for a guided exploration of our night sky.

Find Your Park Scavenger Hunt – download from the Park web site or pick up at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center.

Junior Ranger Day – April 25 – Two Sessions: 10:00 – 11:30 AM and 1:00 – 2:30 PM at the DH Day Log Cabin. Park in Glen Haven and walk to the cabin on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.


Spring Wildflowers in Bloom

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Yellow Trout Lily

Yellow Trout Lily

The wildflowers are popping up and starting to put on a show thanks to the recent sunshine and warm temperatures. This is a perfect time to get out on the trails to hunt for some close-ups of the flowers or vistas of Lake Michigan from atop a bluff.

Why not take the Trail Trekker Challenge this year and see if you can hike all the trails in Sleeping Bear Dunes? Pick up your form in our booklet display at the Visitor Center or download it here.

While you’re out on the trail, you might find a flower or two that you want to identify. Tap into the extensive wildflower database on our web site. If you have a smart phone and good reception, you can access the database right there on the trail! You can also pick up a wildflower guide at the Visitor Center.

 

Trail Ambassador Training – June 6

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With the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail becoming longer every year, we are looking for more  volunteers to ride, walk, or ski the trail as Trail Ambassadors. It’s simple, easy, and fun! You will meet a lot of nice people while you are on the trail with an Ambassador vest on. Trail users have told us that they really like to see Ambassadors on the trail because it gives them a sense of security knowing that there are people they can ask questions or get assistance.

SBHT Ambassadors meet Trail Users

SBHT Ambassadors meet Trail Users

Saturday, June 6 at 1:00 PM is Ambassador Orientation Day at the DH Day Log Cabin in the DH Day Campground – right along the trail near Glen Haven. If you have been an Ambassador in the past, or want to learn more about the program, please come and join us. After a short orientation meeting, we will ride the trail from the Log Cabin through Glen Arbor to Port Oneida Road on the new section of trail. Park Rangers and volunteers will ride with us and discuss points of interest along this new section.

Some Trail Ambassadors also join the Trail Crew to do trail maintenance. If you are interested in helping keep the trail safe and in good condition, join the team.

Click here to learn more.

THANK YOU Consumers Energy Foundation

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What’s an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)? You might not be thinking of an AED next time you run up the Dune Climb or walk a beach, but you will be happy to know that there are trained people with the right equipment nearby if you need one!

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm. AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). SCA is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.

SCA usually causes death if it’s not treated within minutes. In fact, each minute of SCA leads to a 10 percent reduction in survival. Using an AED on a person who is having SCA may save the person’s life.

We had a situation at the Dune Climb last June, where a visitor had a SCA after climbing up the Dunes. Emergency personnel reacted quickly, applied an AED and stabilized him before transporting him to the hospital where he recovered. Fast action and availability of an AED saved his life.

Consumers Energy Foundation presents a grant to purchase AEDs

Consumers Energy Foundation presents a grant to purchase AEDs

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes applied for a grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation to purchase new AEDs for high use buildings and patrol vehicles. We were fortunate to receive a grant of $4,000 to purchase some of these devices. Most of these new devices are in service now!

We still need your help to raise about $3,000 to purchase the remainder of the AEDs for our first responders. We would like to have an AED in each of the Ranger patrol cars. If you can help, please make a donation. You can make your donation on our web site or by mailing a check to the Friends. See donation details on our web site.

Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes – Making an Impact

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The October 1, 2013 – September 30, 2014 fiscal year was a good one! The Federal Government operates on this fiscal year and the Friends have changed our fiscal year to match the Park. That simplifies some of our reporting and bookkeeping. Each year, Park Management asks us to report on the projects, grants, and volunteer hours during the year, and this one is the best ever!

Trail Crew installs signs on SBHT

Trail Crew installs signs on SBHT

Our Adopt-A-Beach program reported 90 volunteers maintaining our Lake Michigan beaches and logging over 1,000 hours. We were fortunate this year in having only a couple of major trash wash-ups, and very few dead birds! The Adopt-A-Trail program reported 35 volunteers logging over 660 hours keeping our hiking trails clear and safe.  The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Ambassadors (84 volunteers) and Trail Crew (28 volunteers) logged almost 2,600 hours.

The Friends made cash grants to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore of $9,382 and contributed $205,314 in a long list of projects. The major projects included the SBHT trail spur to the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive parking lot and the Donor Recognition Plaza for the SBHT at the Dune Climb. Funds for these projects came from the private fundraising for the SBHT led by TART and the SBHT Campaign Cabinet.

Beach Access Stairs at Sunset Shores

Beach Access Stairs at Sunset Shores

We built another beach access stairs in Port Oneida, to allow safe access from road level down a steep bluff to the Lake Michigan Beach. Fifteen volunteers (many from Cherry Republic) logged over 250 hours building these steps under the direction of Chris Lefleur, Park Roads & Trails Crew. The first visitors to use the new steps was an extended family with a baby and some elderly aunts and uncles, who all very much appreciated the new stairs.

Several projects that support historic and cultural activities at the Park were transferred to Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, another non-profit Park Partner focused on historic and cultural preservation within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We transferred these projects to minimize duplication of effort and it allows the Friends to focus on recreational projects like trails, natural resource protection, and educational projects.

Click here for a complete listing of our projects and the funding for 2013-2014.
Click here for a summary of the value of grants and in-kind donations for 2013-2014.

 

Yoga on the Beach

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YOTB-SB-250x188Do you love Yoga, fresh air, the sound of gentle waves lapping on the beach? Pick up your yoga mat or towel and head for the beach with us! The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes is partnering with Yoga on the Beach to conduct two yoga sessions this summer. All donations for the classes benefit Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes!

The first class will be Friday, July 24 at 9:30 – 10:30 AM at Good Harbor Beach (Bohemian Road CR-669). Click here to go to the event page on Facebook for more information and to RSVP (click Join).

The second class will be Thursday, August 13 at 8:00 – 9:00 PM at Glen Haven Beach (near the Cannery). Click here to go to the event page on Facebook for more information and to RSVP (click Join).

In case of rain, we will meet at the DH Day Log Cabin located in the back of the DH Day campground. You can get to the log cabin by driving to the back of the campground or by parking in Glen Haven and walking on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail to the cabin.

Heritage and Rustic Trail Closures – Storm Damage

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The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail and the Rustic Hiking Trails experienced various levels of damage, due to the extreme “weather event” of August 2, 2o15.

Visitors to these areas are advised to observe closure signs in various areas, and to observe extreme caution in all other areas that are open.  Special attention should be exercised if you are in wooded areas to be on the lookout for “leaners” and falling limbs and trees, especially if there is significant wind speed.

Friends volunteers are working on clearing the Heritage Trail and doing assessments and minor cleanup of the rustic trails for hazards.  Many of the trail segments will require Park Maintenance crews to handle the “big stuff”.

The assessment of the rustic hiking trails has been completed.  Most trails are relatively clear, but several dangerous areas on the Bay View trail exist.  If hiking there, please use extreme caution.  You may see the status of each trail segment by following this Rustic Hiking Trail Status link.

The following links will take you to our status pages where Friends volunteers are working.  This information is not “official” but is being used to coordinate our crews.  However, you may use this information to get a general picture of what might or might not be open.

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Status
Rustic Hiking Trail Status

Press Release – Lakeshore Continues to Recover from Storm Damage

Friends Social and Annual Meeting – Aug 30

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We’ve all had a busy couple of weeks following the windstorm that blew down trees and damaged buildings in the area on August 2. The community response to the storm was to work together to get things back to normal.

The teamwork between Park Staff and Friends Volunteers allowed us to get the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail back open by Friday – less than two weeks after the storm! When we first surveyed the damage between Glen Haven and Glen Arbor, many of us thought it would be closed for the rest of the year. But our request for volunteers was met by 138 volunteers who provided 1,053 volunteer hours in 6 days of work! AMAZING!

Besides the storm clean-up, many of you have been busy this summer keeping our beaches, trails, and rivers clean and safe. Most often you do that with family or friends on your own schedule, and seldom do you get a chance to meet all of the other people doing the same thing. Our Annual Meeting is an opportunity to meet people of like mind and make some new friends. We have 124 Adopt-A-Beach volunteers, 115 Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Ambassadors, 35 Adopt-A-Trail (Rustic Hiking Trails), 10 Adopt-A-Highway, and 10 Adopt-A-River volunteers. There are many others working on a variety of other projects too.

You are a member of the Friends if you volunteer or make financial donations! So please come on out to our Annual Social Gathering and Business Meeting. This year, the meeting will be held on Sunday, August 30 at the Glen Lake Yacht Club at 6617 Sunset Drive, Glen Arbor. This is a beautiful spot right on Glen Lake!

Pre-meeting Informational Walk – Leonard Marszalek will lead an informal walk along the new section of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail starting at the Crystal View Trailhead at Noon. This is your chance to learn more about the new trail and the section that will be built starting this fall.

Pre-Meeting Walk – Noon at the Crystal View Trailhead of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
Annual Meeting – 1:00 PM at the Yacht Club
Social Event starts about 1:30 PM at the Yacht Club

I hope all of you volunteers and donors will join us and take this opportunity to meet some of the other friendly, committed supporters of our National Park. I promise we will keep the official meeting short and there will be plenty of time for informal discussions with our board members and other volunteers during the social time.

Click here for meeting agenda and a map to the Yacht Club.


Ball Foundation Grant Supports Storm Recovery

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On Sunday August 2, a storm ripped through the small town of Glen Arbor and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that left massive destruction in its path. As a result, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail was completely closed down with trees, branches, and storm debris covering the pathway. In particular, along the section of trail between Glen Arbor and Glen Haven, especially near Glen Arbor, the devastation of the forest was profound. For years to come, visitors will see trail scenery completely transformed by the storm – down trees, and once closed canopies now gaping with holes the size of football fields.

Thanks to the work of volunteers led by the Friends of Sleeping Bear and the strong partnership of the National Park Service, the community was able to quickly bring the Heritage Trail back to life. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of volunteers spent thousands of dollars and hours clearing the trail. After the heavy lifting of opening the trail and making it passable, volunteers found there is still much work to be done – the trail and signage were damaged during the storm and trees and debris continue to fall. To support these efforts, the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation, based in Muncie, Indiana, and with long-time ties to the region has made a first of its kind grant from the Foundation, providing $10,000 to TART Trails to help support storm related clean-up efforts along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The Foundation, which helped fund the development of the trail, is supporting volunteer efforts to ensure the trail’s safe and scenic recovery.

“This was important to the Foundation. We do not do emergency grants, but the size and scope of this storm was exceptional,” said Chuck Ball, associate executive director of the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation. “TART and its partners are an important part of the beauty and character of Leelanau. Adding extra cleanup support for the Heritage Trail to a recently approved general grant for trail planning stretched our overall grant funding, but it was for a great cause.”

Deputy Superintendent Tom Ulrich said, “The donation of the Ball Foundation to re-open the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail after the devastating storm epitomizes the way this community has pulled together and supported one another through this difficult time. We are grateful for their contribution toward giving this trail back to the people who love it.”

Kerry Kelly, Chairman of the Board for the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes offered his praise commenting, “The community response to clearing the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail after the August 2 storm was amazing. The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes organized volunteers to work with the National Park Service Tree Crew to clear the trail from down trees and to make it safe for our visitors to ride. We had over 100 volunteers working over 700 hours in the past two weeks. This generous donation from the Ball Foundation supports the efforts by our volunteers. It really was a team effort. Together we made rapid progress to get the trail open and safe!”

In total 138 volunteers (85 of them brand-new) worked 1,053 hours over the course of 6 days — running chainsaws, loppers & hand-saws and hauling brush — with no accidents/incidents.  Friends of Sleeping Bear Ambassadors continue to monitor the trail and remove weakened trees that continue to fall.

2015 Accomplishments

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Each year presents its own challenges, but the storm on August 2, 2015 threw an already busy year into turmoil. Thousands of trees were blown down in the Park and surrounding community, and the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail was especially hard hit. The outpouring of community support was amazing.

Even with the added work that the storm created, we had to redirect our priorities, but we made a significant positive impact on Park operations. The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes made direct grants to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore (the Lakeshore) of $11,682.50 and in-kind grants valued at $55,764.65 through a long list of projects this year. Unfortunately because of the storm, we were not able to make much progress on new trails (Kettles, Bay to Bay, and Echo Valley), but we expect some of these projects to resume in 2016.

CLICK HERE for a detailed description of our 2015 projects.

The Friends is an all-volunteer organization, and we work hard to keep our overhead low. Donations designated for a specific project goes 100% to the project. Overhead comes out of general donations. As you read about our work, I hope you will find a project or two that you will want to support – either with your time or your donations.

Echo Valley Mt Bike Trail

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The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes has begun raising funds to support an Environmental Assessment to evaluate the impacts of an proposed Mountain Bike trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Echo Valley Trail Wins Cherry Republic Challenge

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The Cherry Republic Holiday Trail Challenge was held from December 10 – 13. It was an friendly competition between three Mt. Bike trail projects to raise funds over this short time period. Thanks to your generous donations, WE WON! As a result, we will receive an additional $5,000 from Cherry Republic for the planning phase of the proposed Echo Valley Mt. Bike Trail.

During this campaign, we raised $11,125 + $5,000 from CR. We currently have $21,125 set aside for the planning phase of the new trail. That is enough to get started as soon as the management team at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is ready to start working on this. We hope that will be in the spring of 2016.

Click here to learn more about the proposed trail.

Ski Conditions

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Winter means cross-country skiing on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail! We groom the trail whenever we get enough snow and have cold temperatures. Ski conditions are posted on our web site whenever we groom or there is a change in … Continue reading
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