Sleeping Bear Dunes and other federal employees opened their work emails last week to find threatening form letters from our own government. From a new regime hell-bent on shrinking and neutering our United States government and the crucial services it provides to our citizens and people around the world. Addressed to nearly every public servant, the generic letters question their worth, belittle their service, and encourage all to resign. A simple one word reply to the email is all that’s needed to end a lifetime of service. It is wrong to treat people as replaceable and unwanted tools, but that is the clear sentiment behind the current flurry of messages. Seasonal worker programs like the one that shaped my life are at stake. The federal workforce deserves to know they are appreciated and assured that their work is important.
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Our coverage in 2024 featured crimes, celebrities, cool new businesses, and an homage to the now removed Crystal River culverts. Our top 10 most-read stories included: a manhunt in the National Lakeshore; the search for a black bear that broke into Grocers Daughter Chocolate and devoured a 50-pound bag of sugar; Jerry Seinfeld’s movie “Unfrosted” about Pop-Tart man Bill Post, and the Twin Flames Universe cult’s secretive wedding in Traverse City. Thanks for your readership. We look forward to sharing more stories of Leelanau County events, characters, businesses, and the arts in 2025. Here’s the list of our Top 10 stories by online views in 2024.
The Glen Lake Association (GLA), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and protecting the water quality and natural resources in the Glen Lake and Crystal River Watershed, has announced its search for an executive director. Since 1945, GLA has aimed to be the recognized leader in evidence-based strategies for protecting the watershed while advancing environmental education, sustainable policies, and quality of life. This brand-new position reflects the organization’s commitment to building upon its strong foundation to ensure future growth and success. “This is an exciting time for the Glen Lake Association,” said Stan Kryder, GLA Board President. “The new executive director will play a vital role in shaping the future of the GLA and preserving the long-term health of the watershed.”
The Instagram personality FreckledCarrot took this photo on June 26 of her dogs posing in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore overlooking the Glen Lakes.
One Friday afternoon last July, Tim Mulherin’s wife, Janet, suggested they go down to Good Harbor Bay Beach CR 651 (Good Harbor Trail) for a few blissful hours of relaxation. That favorite Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore location is conveniently located about two miles from our home in Cedar. Janet had the right idea: It was a glorious northern Michigan summer day, the kind that makes you want to drop what you’re doing and report to the nearest Lake Michigan beach. “Sounds good,” Tim said, “with one exception: It’s July and the beach will be packed.” Mulherin, a self-described curmudgeon, writes here about accepting “packed beaches” at the height of summer.
Spend a summer evening in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore swinging to the ever-popular tunes of the big band era at one of the national park’s historic farms. A “Big Band by the Barn” fundraiser will be held Thursday, Aug. 15 from 5-9:30 pm and promises to be a unique event at the Port Oneida Heritage Center/Olsen Farm located 4 miles north of Glen Arbor. The celebration supports National Park partner, Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, marking their 25th year in service to Sleeping Bear Dunes, helping to preserve the 19th century historic properties and stories within the Lakeshore that at one time were at risk of being lost.
As we peer out the original windows of the restored Sleeping Bear Inn and into Lake Michigan’s rolling blue waves, we imagine a Michigan Transit Co. steamship arriving at the 650-foot dock in Glen Haven, just as it would have in the 1920s, carrying lumbermen, tourists, and fortune seekers who had departed Chicago the previous evening. The visitors disembark, plant their feet on land and gaze with wonder at the shoreline and the Manitou Islands floating in the distance. The Sleeping Bear Inn, the crowned jewel of Glen Haven, reopens to guests later this summer, more than 50 years after it closed when this National Lakeshore was created in 1972. The Inn, which was built in 1866 and served guests through the Michigan lumber boom, the roaring ’20s, and the era of dune buggies, is the oldest hotel in the National Park Service
Mark your calendars. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is thrilled to announce the return of the popular Star Party and Solar Viewing events. Join park rangers and astronomers from the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at the Dune Climb parking lot Saturday, July 13, from 9-11 pm. Rangers will provide information on preserving dark skies, and GTAS will have telescopes set up for visitors to enjoy.
The North Manitou Island deer hunt in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is held each year to manage the introduced/non-native deer population to allow for the recovery of the forests. This year, the National Park Service is only accepting 200 applications in 2024. The application period will open on Monday, June 3, and close Monday, Sept. 30, or when 200 applications are received.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is inviting the public to comment on a project to improve safe and reliable boat access to the Manitou Islands. The approximately $32 million project, funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund, will address the impact of natural processes, such as littoral drift (shifting sands) and high-water levels, on the islands’ docks. The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Manitou Islands dock project will be open for a 30-day public comment period until May 15.