Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s sweeping dunes, endless beaches, sapphire waters, emerald forests, quiet wetlands, and peaceful fields comprise one of America’s most treasured landscapes. We thank the National Park Service for its 37-year stewardship of the Lakeshore, and applaud the careful way the NPS is considering comments from park users as it updates to its General Management Plan.

Editor’s note: The Enterprise has asked organizations and lawmakers to write columns about the General Management Plan process the National Park Service is using to shape the future of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Additional columns will appear this summer.

The initial decision to manage some 30,903 of the Lakeshore’s 71,000 acres as wilderness — thanks to a 1982 Act of Congress requiring NPS to preserve wilderness pending further Congressional direction — established the Lakeshore’s basic character. That is why today there are countless wild places where visitors can hike for hours, hunters can silently wait for deer, anglers can cast lines, and people can camp under the stars, kayak, and experience a deep solitude. The Michigan Land Use Institute urges the Park Service to permanently protect those areas as wilderness through this management plan.

Today, an extensive system of roads and trails allow easy access to the Lakeshore’s stunning natural resources. In fact, Sleeping Bear has an unusually large number of roads; one of them, Pierce Stocking Drive, is a national icon, while another, M-22, offers one of the most spectacular rural routes in the country. So, even though nearly half the Lakeshore is managed as potential wilderness, most of it remains easily accessible by automobile or bicycle — and the Park Service ought to keep it that way.

The Institute endorses the Park Service’s proposal to establish new trails along M-22, M-109, the mainland shoreline, and Bow Lake. This would continue the park’s tradition of promoting access to natural resources by providing a great opportunity for expanded non-motorized recreation. At the same time, it is essential to ensure that access doesn’t translate into degradation through overuse. For example, we do not support motorized trips to the giant cedars on South Manitou Island.

The Institute also believes that preserving historic farmhouses, cabins, and other structures scattered throughout the Lakeshore illustrates our local heritage and history and reminds us of how man can coexist with nature. The park service should prioritize stabilizing these historic structures and work hard to maintain them, instead of allowing them to "return to nature."

The Institute supports managing popular, high-traffic areas to enrich visitors’ experiences through education and interpretation of the natural and cultural resources around them, and foster their commitment to preserving and protecting the park. However, NPS must be careful not to overbuild parking lots and other facilities. For example, we do not support a proposal that would upgrade D.H. Day Campground with facilities that would conflict with the unique, rustic campground atmosphere that makes that campground a special experience for many people.

In short, the Institute urges NPS to preserve the Lakeshore’s natural resources by conserving 33,600 acres of wilderness; concentrating visitor use in selected areas; and making natural and cultural resources a priority. By including these principles, we trust that the next General Management Plan will continue to preserve the character of this majestic national park.

By Hans Voss
Executive Director, Michigan Land Use Institute