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National Park visitation sets nationwide record as economic engine

The Department of the Interior announced that visitor spending in communities near national parks in 2022 resulted in a record high $50.3 billion benefit to the nation’s economy and supported 378,400 jobs. The report showed that the approximately 1.5 million visitors to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore last year spent an estimated $182 million in local gateway communities. These expenditures supported a total of 2,390 jobs, $72.5 million in labor income, $130 million in value added, and $234 million in economic output.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes to restore accessibility and resume basic visitor services

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore announced on Saturday, Jan. 12, that areas of the park will once again be accessible to visitors in the coming days, despite the continued federal government shutdown. The Park will use revenues generated by recreation fees. However, the Empire visitor center, ranger talks and programs will remain unavailable until the government re-opens.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes open to public during government shutdown

At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, park trails and open-air facilities, such as the Dune Climb, will remain accessible to visitors during the federal government shutdown, but emergency and rescue services will be limited.

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Iconic North Bar Lake home within National Lakeshore to be demolished

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The beach house overlooking North Bar Lake’s channel to Lake Michigan will be demolished in 2018, says Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore deputy superintendent Tom Ulrich. The home has gone from beautiful to derelict in the two years since its original owner, Edward P. Cole, died. Why will it be torn down and not used for some other purpose? And why was Cole able to stay in his home all this time, when many other land owners literally cried at having to give theirs up when the Park was formed. Here’s the story of what happened and why it’s coming down.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes to celebrate MLK Day with free entry

In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Superintendent Scott Tucker is pleased to announce that the entrance fee to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will be waived on Monday, Jan. 15.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes to increase entrance, camping fees

After careful consideration, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will increase entrance and camping fees beginning Jan. 1. Here is a listing of fees with changes.

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Celebrate fall and plan for winter at Sleeping Bear Dunes

Join park rangers in celebrating fall and plan for winter at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The colors are starting to change, the crispness is in the air, and the heat of summer has gone; a perfect time to celebrate the season with a few special events in October at the National Lakeshore.

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With drowning deaths on the rise, Park increases water safety awareness

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Last June 22, before Scott Tucker had finished his first week as the new superintendent at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a vacationer drowned while snorkeling in Loon Lake near the Platte River. Two weeks later, an 81-year-old man from southeast Michigan perished in Big Glen Lake when his boat drifted away while he was swimming. And on Sept. 5, a 21-year-old died when his kayak capsized near Platte Bay in Lake Michigan waters. Three drowning deaths in or near our National Lakeshore.

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Live the early 1900s during Glen Haven Days

Join park rangers and skilled volunteers for Maritime Living History 101 throughout Glen Haven and the Maritime Museum on Saturday, May 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. All programs are free with a valid park pass.

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“Find Your Park” After Dark: Summer Star Parties at Sleeping Bear Dunes

In 2017, the National Lakeshore will be hosting a series of monthly astronomy programs that run from April through October. Park rangers and members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will help you unravel some of the mysteries of the night sky as well as discover more about the daytime sky.

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