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Sleeping Bear Dunes rangers save heart attack victim

On Friday, July 11, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore park rangers rushed to help a visitor who had a heart attack at the fish weir on the Platte River. Thanks to their quick actions and the use of an AED, they saved a life. The rangers arrived in just three minutes and took over CPR from the visitor’s family. They used an AED to deliver two shocks and performed chest compressions for about 10 minutes. The visitor’s pulse returned, and they started breathing on their own. The patient was then taken to Munson Medical Center, where they made a full recovery. The rescue was made possible by donations to the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, who helped buy the AEDs and medical supplies and funded emergency medical training for the park rangers.

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Polish immigrant receives National Park award for saving lives at Platte Point

Park rangers at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore often refer to Lake Michigan as “the boss.” She’s calm and soothing on some days and deceptive and deadly on others. Sometimes private citizens make decisions that save lives. On July 19, 2024, Polish immigrant Marcin Arszylo saved the lives of a family that drifted a mile into Lake Michigan near the mouth of the Platte River. They floated in inflatable tubes but were not wearing life jackets. Arszylo was honored with the Citizen’s Award for Bravery at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore headquarters in Empire on July 18—one day shy of the one-year anniversary of his heroic act.

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Sleeping Bear Surf holds plastics cleanup at Platte River mouth

Join The Cleanup Club and Sleeping Bear Surf on Saturday, April 27, from 10 am-noon for a cleanup at the Platte River mouth in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, as we work together to protect our Great Lakes from plastic pollution in celebration of Earth Month. Click here to RSVP.

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Victorious in National Park lawsuit, Riverside Canoes celebrates 60 years

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Riverside Canoes will not need a commercial use authorization from the National Park Service to continue renting canoes, kayaks and tubes on the Platte River at the southern end of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Nor will the business have to share five percent of its gross sales with the Park. On March 1, federal judge Paul Maloney with the Western District of Michigan ruled in favor of Riverside, which will celebrate 60 years of operating on the Platte when it opens on May 1. The National Park Service has until the end of April to appeal. Riverside previous owners fought a long legal battle with the Park after Sleeping Bear Dunes was created in 1970. In 1992 they signed an agreement that allowed the business to continue operating within the National Lakeshore. It’s unclear why the Park sought to revisit the matter in 2022. Officials with the National Lakeshore declined to comment, citing active litigation. “Riverside is an anomaly. The business existed before the Park was there,” said Riverside co-owner Kyle Orr. “We try to provide family fun for generations. But we also recognize that we are stewards of the river. We are not anti-park. At end of day, I just want to coexist.”

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Joys and perils of open water

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Six days in July, three emergencies on lakes near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, two cases of people not wearing life vests, and one death. These stories yield cautionary tales about enjoying but respecting these waters which are beautiful but can prove perilous, too. Read about the young men rescued in Lake Michigan floating in inner tubes one mile off Platte Point, a death on South Bar Lake in Empire, and a family that survived a boat fire on Big Glen Lake.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes announces Platte River Mouth Restoration and access plan

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore superintendent Scott Tucker recently announced the issuance of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Platte River Mouth Restoration and Access Plan/Environmental Assessment (EA). The National Park Service (NPS) has selected the Preferred Alternative (Alternative 2) presented in the EA.

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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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Animal House on the River

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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore officials worry that the Platte River party scene has reached a pitch where, if left unchecked, could spell disaster: a child cutting their feet on a broken beer bottle; a drunken reveler passing out and drowning in the river, a pedestrian hit by a moving vehicle on Lake Michigan Road, where the speed limit remains 55 miles per hour—even near the mouth of the river where cars line the road for half a mile on hot summer weekends.

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Learning music along the Sleeping Bear Birding Trail

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Taking a stroll down Western Avenue in the village of Glen Arbor, you’ll come to a lawn that is beautifully landscaped in Michigan native plants. This is 6391 Western Avenue, the headquarters of Sleeping Bear Birding Trail (SBBT). What, you wonder, is a birding trail? That’s the most frequently asked question by both tourists and locals coming through the door, said operations director Mick Seymour. “What the heck is a birding trail?”

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Experience the night sky at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

As darkness falls on Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the glorious night sky becomes visible. You can enjoy special night sky experiences at the National Lakeshore this year through a series of monthly astronomy programs from now through October. Join Park Rangers and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) for guided explorations of the night sky and even a few daytime events as well. The next Star Party is Friday, May 9, 9-11 p.m., at Platte River Point.

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