Leelanau Conservancy unveils new logo

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The Leelanau Conservancy has unveiled its new logo, which offers a peek through trees and toward a grassy hill with sand dunes, open Lake Michigan, and an island or peninsula in the background. The new logo retains its oval—a nod to the shape of the old logo, which served the Conservancy for 36 years. The old logo featured a ship sailing by sand dune cliffs. “The new refreshed logo feels familiar for our audiences, keeping an alignment with the current logo, but removing elements that do not represent our services,” the Conservancy stated in a press release. “The refresh also captures the scenic character of Leelanau—the ‘peek’ through the trees makes you feel like you are here, in Leelanau.”

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Suttons Bay school celebrates Native American Heritage Month with Spirit Week

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Suttons Bay Public Schools celebrated the rich history, culture, and contributions of Native American communities through a special Spirit Week. This meaningful event, held from Nov. 18-22, featured themed dress-up days and activities aimed at fostering pride, awareness, and unity among students and staff. Students embraced their creativity and cultural appreciation by participating in themed days such as “Rock Your Mocs or Crocs” and “Rock Your Ribbon Skirt or Shirt”. The week provided an opportunity to spotlight and honor the diverse Native American traditions represented within our student body.

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TART Trails unveils new art installation at Fouch Trailhead on Leelanau Trail

TART Trails has unveiled a new art installation at the Fouch Trailhead on the Leelanau Trail called “Wiigwaasi-jiimaan: A Mural for the Fouch Trailhead” by local artist Nik Burkhart. “Wiigwaasi-jiimaan,” the Anishinaabemowin word for birchbark canoe, honors the relationship between water and land, likening it to an embrace that connects communities through nature and history. Burkhart’s mural draws on Anishinaabe canoe craftsmanship, illustrating the remarkable birch, cedar, spruce roots, and pine pitch that historically fashioned these boats and enabled the Anishinaabe people to navigate Northern Michigan’s waterways.

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Video: Timber Bridge replaces Crystal River culverts

The Crystal River culverts under County Road 675 are gone and have been replaced by an 80-foot timber bridge (Click on the story to watch our video). Grand Traverse Engineering & Construction and the Leelanau County Road Commission completed the work earlier this month, and CR-675 is now open to traffic. Work to replace other bridges over the Crystal River will commence in summer 2025.

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Glen Lake Association casts net for first executive director to lead watershed protection

The Glen Lake Association (GLA), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and protecting the water quality and natural resources in the Glen Lake and Crystal River Watershed, has announced its search for an executive director. Since 1945, GLA has aimed to be the recognized leader in evidence-based strategies for protecting the watershed while advancing environmental education, sustainable policies, and quality of life. This brand-new position reflects the organization’s commitment to building upon its strong foundation to ensure future growth and success. “This is an exciting time for the Glen Lake Association,” said Stan Kryder, GLA Board President. “The new executive director will play a vital role in shaping the future of the GLA and preserving the long-term health of the watershed.”

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From super majority to narrow minority

To use a football metaphor, the breakout 60-yard gain was called back for a penalty, killing the team’s momentum and resulting in negative yards. Leelanau Democrats are disappointed after the 6-1 super majority on the County Commission they thought they had—following unofficial, and incomplete, election results posted to the County website in the wee hours of Nov. 6­—changed to just three seats. They’ll be in the political minority once again through the four-year term. Democrats thought they were riding a blue wave on the County Commission, too, until County Clerk Michelle Crocker suddenly alerted candidates, and the media, on Friday afternoon, Nov. 8, that more than 3,000 in-person early votes had not been counted in the unofficial results. They were uploaded to the ElectionSource software on election night, but didn’t save correctly. A hand count of the paper backup ballots revealed the discrepancy. Lois Bahle, who now trails her Republican opponent Will Bunek by seven votes, plans to request a recount once results are certified late this week. “I owe it to my constituents and to myself with only a seven-vote difference,” said Bahle. “The recount process is also a way to show that the system works. We can have faith in it.”

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Sleeping Bear applies brakes on controversial Heritage Trail extension along Little Traverse Lake

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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is putting the brakes on its planned 4.5-mile extension of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, which was to run near Little Traverse Lake and conclude at Good Harbor Trail. National Lakeshore superintendent Scott Tucker announced the news today during a press conference at Park headquarters in Empire. (Click here to watch a livestream of the news conference.) The National Lakeshore is pausing the design of Segment 9 following months of conversations with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, which opposes the route of the extension and which sent a letter of concern on Aug. 26 to Secretary of the Interior Debra Haaland and U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow.

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County Commission flips back to Republicans after election-night vote miscount

Republicans will once again have a majority on the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners (BOC), 4 seats to 3, following official canvassing by the County Clerk’s Office today, which revealed that hundreds of early votes were accidentally not counted during election night, Nov. 5. Unofficial results posted early on Wednesday morning, Nov. 6, erroneously showed that 6 of 7 Democrats had won their races. The Glen Arbor Sun, as well as other news outlets, all reported on Wednesday that the Democrats would enjoy a super majority on the BOC. Instead, they’ll once again be in the minority. According to County Clerk Michelle Crocker, the votes posted on the County website on Wednesday morning did not represent all the ballots cast. They were uploaded but didn’t save correctly, she told the Glen Arbor Sun. A hand count of the paper backup ballots on Friday revealed the discrepancy. The County Clerk’s Office works with the company ElectionSource.

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Coach “joy” pumps up the Park Place

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Just before Democratic Vice Presidential hopeful Tim Walz approached the lectern to address an enthusiastic, packed crowd in the ballroom of Traverse City’s Park Place Hotel on Friday, Nov. 1, he turned around and fist-bumped supporters flanking him on stage with Harris-Walz campaign signs. Grand Traverse County Commissioner Ashlea Walter and her daughter Phoebe were among them. Upbeat and enthusiastic, with John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” playing in the background, Walz arrived early and spent 23 minutes during his pep rally with the Northern Michigan crowd of progressives and Democrats, reminding them that polls in the Nov. 5 presidential election would close in under 100 hours, and encouraging them to vote, and turn out others to vote, for Kamala Harris for President, and push away the vitriol and and dark vision of Republican candidate Donald Trump. Polls show that Michigan, a crucial swing state, is very close.

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District 7 Leelanau County Commission candidates Dowd, Yoder address housing, clean energy, broadband

The Nov. 5 election will determine which party controls the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners (BOC), and which policies and initiatives they pursue next year. The Commission is currently deadlocked between three Democrats and three Republicans, with one seat vacant. In District 7, which serves Kasson and Solon Townships, Democrat Tim Dowd faces Republican Steve Yoder. Yoder unseated longterm incumbent Melinda Lautner in the primary election. The Glen Arbor Sun reached out to all 14 candidates for the BOC and asked about their positions on issues or initiatives that are key to Leelanau County citizens: namely, affordable housing, renewable energy, broadband access and services for both seniors and families with young children. Our questions, and their responses are below. Today we’re featuring Dowd and Yoder, who are vying for the District 7 seat.

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