Earth Week includes rally in support of National Parks, Leelanau Conservancy events, Seth Bernard concert
Photo of March 1 demonstration by Lauren Hills DeHaan
From staff reports
This week is Earth Week, with Earth Day honored on Tuesday, April 22. It’s also National Park Week.
Events in Leelanau County include a rally on Tuesday at 3 pm in Empire to support Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the National Park Service—which has faced deep spending cuts and a hiring freeze by the Trump administration. (Read more here.)
The demonstration is organized by retired Park wildlife biologist Sue Jennings, who encourages protestors to meet at the Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate parking lot at 3 pm.
“I will say a few remarks, share how you can help, then we will march on the sidewalk through the Village and to the National Lakeshore Philip Hart Visitor Center and back,” said Jennings. “Bring Signs! E.G: Support National Parks, Support Federal Lands, Hands off our Federal Lands, Support Science, Clean Air, Clean Water Protect our Mother Earth.”
The Leelanau Conservancy offers opportunities each day this week, starting tomorrow, to join hikes, volunteer, attend a trivia night, and learn about local efforts to preserve trees. Conservancy events include: a volunteer training clinic and staff hike at Palmer Woods and “Pints North Triva” at Cherry Public House in Glen Arbor with Interlochen Public Radio on Tuesday; a tree planting and clean up at Chippewa Run in Empire and a Tandem Ciders Happy Hour near Suttons Bay on Friday, and a hike at DeYoung Natural Area near Traverse City with the LC Collective on Sunday.
“We need trees, and more than ever, they need us,” the Conservancy stated in a press release. “This Earth Week, we celebrate their ecological importance, beauty, and all they do for living creatures.”
On Thursday, April 24, at 7 pm the Old Art Building in Leland hosts Seth Bernard for an Earth Week-themed concert. Read more about Bernard, an iconic troubadour of the Great Lakes region, as part of our “songs of Leelanau” series.
This week is also National Park Week. Here are a few tips on planning your visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes.
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