Officials of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore this week unveiled their latest set of planning documents and are seeking additional public comment on a proposed new 20-year General Management Plan and Wilderness Study for the park.

Lakeshore spokesman Bruce Huffman said that some 2,400 glossy, 12-page, full-color newsletters were mailed out to “parties interested” in the planning process; and that a “massive file” containing the entire newsletter now appears on the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/slbe.

“Hundreds of people provided comments on our last newsletter,” said Huffman, “and we expect even more will provide their thoughts on the new set of preliminary alternatives.”

Comments may be submitted through the mail, online or in person. Three public meetings have been scheduled to hear public comments: May 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Platte River Elementary School in Benzie County; May 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Glen Arbor Township Hall in Leelanau County; and May 3, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Traverse Area District Library in Traverse City.

As required by federal law, Park Service officials drafted a “no action” alternative to use as a base line for comparison to three other preliminary alternatives spelled out in the latest newsletter.

“What a lot of people don’t seem to recognize is that the “no action” alternative – the way the park is already managed – includes managing nearly 31,000 acres of the Lakeshore as wilderness,” Huffman said.

“Alternative A” highlights “conservation of natural resources” and could include about 33,600 acres managed as wilderness.

“Alternative B” highlights “recreational opportunities in scenic outdoor settings” and could include management of about 13,900 acres on North Manitou Island as wilderness.

“Alternative C” highlights “visitor use concentrated in selected areas, with more natural, primitive conditions promoted in the rest of the Lakeshore.” That alternative could include about 23,200 acres managed as wilderness.

National Park Service officials stress that designation as “wilderness” does not preclude recreational uses, but actually encourages certain “non-mechanized” recreational uses including hunting and fishing as well as handicapped access.

None of the preliminary alternatives proposes eliminating existing county roads or rights-of-way, or barring motorized vehicles from using county roads passing through wilderness areas.

“Our overarching message is that the preliminary alternatives are really just a pallete of information and ideas that people can pick from,” said Huffman. “Depending on what the public tells us, we may combine elements of one alternative with elements of another. Right now, there is no ‘Preferred Alternative’ and nothing’s set in stone.”

The Park Service planning framework also divides Sleeping Bear Dunes into four “management zones.”

A “high use zone” would provide for visitor orientation, education and other structured activities, as well as the Lakeshore’s main administrative and operational facilities.

An “experience history zone” would be managed to preserve historic structures and landscapes, such as in the Port Oneida Rural Historic district and in Glen Haven.

A “recreation zone” would provide a wide range of recreational opportunities and would include Lake Michigan beaches as part of a one-quarter mile-deep zone.

An “experience nature zone” would be the only place where land is managed as “wilderness” and would allow visitors to enjoy “primitive recreation on foot or in non-motorized watercraft.”

In the latest newsletter, color maps outline the boundaries of each of the “management zones” for each of the preliminary alternative plans.

“Our goal,” said park superintendent Dusty Shultz, “remains to build a Preferred Alternative that will provide a variety of recreational opportunities while continuing to preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.”