September brings some of the nicest weather to Northern Michigan. The lakes are super warm and the nights are starting to cool off. The National Lakeshore has seen amazing numbers of visitors and Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes has seen tons of volunteers helping make summer 2020 a huge success! Below are some news and happenings around the park.
The National Lakeshore had a record-setting month in July with 592,000 visitors! Deputy Superintendent of the park, Tom Ulrich, shed some light on the record-setting numbers: “Having so many beaches in the park, visitation is always affected by weather; and we had spectacular beach weather in July. Also, we imagine that a variety of activities not available to people because of the pandemic. People sought out a visit to the National Lakeshore for some much-needed outdoor recreation.”
In general, the lakeshore has seen huge visitation numbers in 2020 and is on track to be another record-breaking year.
Park Update: The CR-669 Culvert project at Shalda Creek.
The completion date has been revised and is scheduled to be completed by September 4th instead of August 28th.
In July alone we saw almost 2000 volunteer hours, WOW!
Thank you to all our volunteers. We truly appreciate all you do to help Sleeping Bear.
We reached out to one of our first-time volunteers, Jesse Lewit from Suttons Bay, to tell us why he decided to volunteer. “I have great memories of coming here as a child, and my two sons now have the same. I want to help create those same great memories for the next generation. Plus, as part of PSAR, I get an office with the best view in the world.” If you are interested in volunteering you can find more information on our website https://friendsofsleepingbear.org/volunteer/
Need activities for your kids? Love learning about the National Lakeshore?
Grab one of our books today “The Life of Sleeping Bear”.
Are you a teacher? Or do you know a teacher? Sleeping Bear Dunes offers free virtual distance learning programs. Programs are aligned with state and national learning standards, are FUN, and new lessons have been added for this school year. Check out the Parks Distance Learning webpage for more info and registration details. They look forward to seeing you in the virtual classroom!
We are looking for a person with good communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills to join our high-functioning all-volunteer organization. The Fund Development Director is responsible for integrating all fundraising programs into an Annual Fund Development Plan to assure financial support for operations and programs approved by the Friend’s board and national park administration. This is accomplished by helping to direct a group of dedicated volunteers seeking donations via fundraising events, granting sources, individuals, and businesses.
A position description is available at https://friendsofsleepingbear.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Fund-Development-Director-20171023.pdf
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes will provide training and assistance as needed. Time commitment will vary with the individual and seasons but may amount to approximately 12 hours a week. Interested in helping out?
For more information please email Bill Stot at: wstott3193@gmail.com
You can view a recording of the 2020 Annual Membership Meeting and/or sign up for our monthly meeting notifications. Signing up will give you the Zoom access information so you can participate remotely. Email us at secretary@friendsofsleepingbear.org
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