The National Park Service will name the next superintendent to run Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore by the end of May — if not sooner — Park spokesperson Christine Powell told the Glen Arbor Sun today. Powell works out of the National Park’s Midwest Regional office in Omaha, Neb.
Acting superintendent (and previously the deputy superintendent) Tom Ulrich has reportedly made it to the final round of interviews for the position of superintendent of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The identities and number of his competitors is not publicly known. Citizens of the Sleeping Bear region are encouraged to share their thoughts about the next superintendent with National Park Midwest Regional director Cameron Sholly.
“Find Your Park” is the message being sent to the world by the National Park Service in anticipation of its 100th Anniversary in 2016. In 2015, a record 1,535,633 people “found their park” at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This just exceeded the 1,531,560 park visitors received in 2012 following ABC’s Good Morning America declaring the park the “Most Beautiful Place in America.”
2015 was the year of the storm. The “wind shear” on Sunday, August 2, packed 100-mile-per-hour gusts, toppled thousands of trees in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and around the Glen Lakes, rendered Glen Arbor impassible for days, caused millions of dollars in damages and cast a national spotlight on our rural town.
For the second year in a row, Frank Siepker, Jr., launched a Christmas Tree Boat approximately 550 feet from the family property on the south shore of Big Glen Lake, near the Narrows. The Douglas Fir tree sits on a raft which is held in place by an anchor. Siepker uses a solar battery and timer to light the tree every evening between 5:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore reported in a press release today that it will officially reopen portions of the Alligator Hill Trail on Thursday, Nov. 19. The trail has been impassable since a severe storm blew down thousands of trees on Aug. 2. National Park Service crews and National Lakeshore volunteers have completed work on the Easy Loop, Advanced Loop, Islands Lookout, and Big Glen Lookout. More than 2,800 trees have been cleared on six miles of trail. Clearing of approximately 1,000 more trees from the two-mile Intermediate Loop and trail access from Forest Haven Drive will take place in the spring of 2016.
This week, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore workers began clearing the Alligator Hill Trail of downed trees, following the Aug. 2 storm that decimated local forests. Alligator Hill is located just west of downtown Glen Arbor, north of Little Glen Lake, and offers stunning views of Sleeping Bear Bay.
Deputy Superintendent Tom Ulrich reports that Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is pursuing funds from its regional office of the National Park Service to re-hire seasonal workers and clear the Alligator Hill trail by cross-country ski season.
Sun co-editor Mike Buhler took these photos of the destruction to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Glen Arbor area following the Aug. 2 megastorm.
Many Leelanau homeowners are hoping the governor’s state of disaster proclamation following the Aug. 2 megastorm will help fund their debris cleanup. Unfortunately, they may find those hopes dashed, especially if they expect financial help any time soon.