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Government reopens: hot coffee brewing at Sleeping Bear Dunes visitor center

The federal government has reopened after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history—nearly one and a half months. At the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore headquarters in Empire, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes executive director Laura Ann Johnson discovered a full parking lot this morning and hot coffee brewing inside the visitor center. “It felt so good to walk into a bustling office full of park employees again,” Johnson wrote in an email. “We are deeply grateful that the government has reopened, and we know there is much work ahead.”

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Meet Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes’ new director Laura Ann Johnson

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes — a nonprofit partner organization to the National Lakeshore, which helps maintain the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail — invites the public to meet and welcome the organization’s new executive director, Laura Ann Johnson, at an event on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 4-6 pm at the Cherry Republic Public House. Help celebrate new horizons for Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes and enjoy some fellowship in the middle of this great winter. Light food and beverages will be provided by Cherry Republic.

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Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes name Laura Ann Johnson first executive director

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The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes has hired Laura Ann Johnson as its first executive director. Johnson, a long-time board member and volunteer with the Friends, will be responsible for leading the organization into a new era of growth while continuing its mission of protecting resources and heightening visitor experiences in partnership with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. In addition, longtime Friends of Sleeping Bear volunteer Kerry Kelly was honored by TART Trails with the Jim Mudgett Trail Pioneer Award.

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