Environmental Assessment of Kettles Trail
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) Superintendent Dusty Shultz announced today that the National Park Service proposes to develop a trail system (“Kettles Trail”) on federal lands in the Bow Lakes area of the National Lakeshore. To do so, the National Lakeshore will prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) which will describe and analyze alternatives for the Kettles Trail.
The Bow Lakes area is a detached section of the National Lakeshore, created when a 1982 amendment of the National Lakeshore’s enabling legislation authorized a boundary revision that added the area to the park. There are currently no developments in this area.
The project concept is to develop a trail system for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, a small parking area, adequate signing, and interpretive information.
Planning for the Kettles Trail is just beginning and, as part of this planning process, the National Lakeshore welcomes your ideas and input regarding issues or concerns relevant to you. They are especially interested in things you would like them to consider as they plan the project. Please provide your comments electronically through a link on the National Lakeshore’s website at www.nps.gov/slbe/. Comments may also be mailed to the National Lakeshore (Superintendent, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 9922 Front Street, Empire, Michigan, 49630).
The National Lakeshore requests that you provide your comments to them by May 20, 2013. The comments you submit during this “scoping” phase of planning will be evaluated and considered during the development of alternatives and analysis of impacts. The EA is scheduled for release in late summer and will then be made available for further public review. At that time, the National Lakeshore will again solicit public input.