Trees and Treaties: Exploring Anishinaabek Connection to the Plants and Policies around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
From staff reports
Summer programing officially kicks off Saturday, June 25, with two guided hikes as part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Anishinaabe Lifeways project. Join special guest and Anishinaabe historian, Eric Hemenway, to explore the lakeshore while learning about the Anishinaabek connection to the area.
The environment goes beyond natural resources for the Odawa and Ojibway. At 11 a.m., Hemenway will lead a guided hike discussing how the plants and trees of northern Michigan have provided for the Anishinaabek in every facet of their lives. This hike will depart from the Windy Moraine Trailhead, last approximately 1.5 hours, and cover 1.5 miles of trail, including a few inclines.
At 4 p.m., Hemenway will meet at the end of Norconk Road to lead a hike along the 1.5 mile Treat Farm Trail out to a view of Lake Michigan. The 1800s were a time of drastic and rapid change for the Anishinaabek. In this 1.5 hour guided hike, discover how federal policy, treaties, and population shifts severely altered the lives and futures of native people in Michigan.
All programs are free with a valid park entrance pass. Passes may be purchased at the Phillip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire, Michigan, and cost $25 (per vehicle) for seven days, $45 for an annual Sleeping Bear Dunes pass, or $80 (or less) for the America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands pass series. Click here to learn more.
