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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has officially issued a 40-year lease to Balancing Environment and Rehabilitation (BEAR) for the historic Sleeping Bear Inn and Garage in Glen Haven. The lease allows the Inn to be rehabilitated and opened as a premier bed and breakfast lodge. A public open house of the buildings will take place on Friday, April 8, at 1 p.m., following a short ceremony. The open house will provide the public the opportunity to see the buildings as they are before their rehabilitation.

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes is always looking for new volunteers. If you enjoy being outdoors and being part of a group of dedicated park volunteers, this is the place for you. Some volunteer positions like Adopt-A-Beach, Adopt-A-Trail and Adopt-A-River can be completed on your own or with family and friends, when you are here and when you have time. Other positions provide the opportunity to meet and learn from park professionals and trained volunteers in a group setting.

Through a delightful collection of photographs, the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes’ new book Picture-Perfect Sleeping Bear: A History in Photos from National Lakeshore Visitors showcases the beauty of Sleeping Bear Dunes, which has enchanted people for centuries. Hundreds of pictures and personal stories submitted by visitors and residents of the area tell the story. It shows the area as it was when settlers came here to lumber and farm. And, it explores how Sleeping Bear Dunes has been preserved, protected, and enjoyed since the National Lakeshore was established 50 years ago. Join the Friends book team and many of the photo and story submitters at the book launch party at Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor on July 11, from 2-4 pm. Refreshments will be provided by Cherry Republic.

Are you home with children/students during the pandemic lockdown and wondering how to have a positive, educational experience that is fun for the whole family? The Life of the Sleeping Bear provides hours of entertaining and educational reading. Filled with iconic photos, little-known facts, and stories, it is both delightful and engaging. Its artistry makes it a wonderful book for casual enjoyment, as well as for more educational purposes.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and surrounding communities are suffering growing pains as we’ve become a prime destination for tourists from all over the world. Conscious of these growing pains, a new group called the Sleeping Bear Gateways Council is stepping forward to facilitate dialogue between the National Lakeshore, local business leaders and civic leaders.

Nature enthusiasts who live with disabilities are often limited in their ability to hike more rustic trails in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes (official nonprofit partner of the National Lakeshore) wishes to provide an opportunity for more visitors to experience the Park’s natural beauty through the use of a personal mobility device.

Beginning on the Summer Solstice, Yoga on the Beach and the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes are partnering up to offer these outdoor, donation-based yoga classes to the community.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore enjoys a healthy relationship with a nonprofit group of local volunteers, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, which has pitched in to keep trails and parking lots plowed, collect trash and keep toilets clean and accessible during the federal government shutdown.

Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will host a training meeting on Saturday, May 19, at 1 p.m. for Adopt-A-Beach, BARK Ranger, Adopt-A-River, and Adopt-A-Trail volunteers.

The area in Northern Michigan which is now the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was first inhabited by Native Americans, who lived in small settlements around rivers and lakes. But the village known today as Glen Haven was not a major site of Indian settlement. It didn’t even attract much attention from European settlers until 1857, nearly a decade after the Leelanau mainland had begun to be inhabited. By that time, the opening of the Erie Canal had greatly increased steamship traffic on the Great Lakes, with vessels carrying freight and passengers from Buffalo to Chicago. The need for wooding stations to fuel the ships that passed through the shipping lane reached an all time high, and in 1857, C.C. McCarty, the brother-in-law of Glen Arbor pioneer John E. Fisher, recognized the potential of the Sleeping Bear Bay area to become a major refueling station and a thriving settlement.