Tired of reading? Why not watch some short video clips that describe Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes? This video playlist was developed by Libby Graves, our summer intern for social media. In a couple of minutes, you get an overview of some of our major projects and learn ways you can become an active member.
The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore received two grants in support of the 2017 Snowshoe Hike Program for area 4th graders! One grant from The North Face Explore Fund is to provide transportation costs, snowshoe repair, and classroom materials. The other grant from the National Park Foundation is part of the Open Outdoors for Kids program provides Park Ranger staff and classroom materials and transportation costs for the school groups.
This winter 1,180 elementary students from 24 schools attended the Snowshoe Experience at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!
Click here to learn more.
A new video highlighting the beauty and diversity of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was produced by MyNorthMedia in Traverse City, publisher of Traverse Magazine. This project was managed by the Park’s Interpretive division and funded by Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Watch the video and share it with your friends!
Yes, it’s true! YOGA ON THE BEACH IS BACK FOR 2016
Yoga, fresh air, beautiful sunset, and the sound of gentle waves lapping at the beach! That’s what you will get if you come to this Yoga on the Beach event! The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes is partnering with Yoga on the Beach to conduct yoga sessions this summer starting on the Summer Solstice June 20 and then every Wednesday until August 17. Click here to see the Yoga on the Beach Facebook page.
Sessions will be held at Bohemian Road (CR-669) beach at 7:30 – 8:30 PM on the following dates:
A suggested donation of $10 will go to Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes to support projects in the Park.
Rain Location:
Camille’s Body Shop
821 E Valley Rd
Maple City, MI 49664
231-228-7265
www.camillesbodyshop.info
The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes manages and operates the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. In 2015, it cost over $13,000 to maintain the trail. This year, we are looking for people who love and use the trail to pitch in and help us cover the cost. We are asking for a $2.00 donation for paper trail maps. You can download a trail map and print it for free, or you can use our online interactive map for free. Businesses who support the trail can be on the interactive map. Click here for details.
Bike Rack and the Blacksmiths who made it.
In addition, we’ve been asked to put benches, bike racks, and picnic tables at various places along the trail. So we are offering donors the opportunity to make substantial donations to the trail and in return, we will dedicate one of these to you or whoever you designate.
We’ve also found that people love to have part of the trail in their home. One way is to make a donation and receive a mile-marker sign that was used on the SBHT. These small signs (3.25″ square) were replaced with the yellow emergency mile-marker signs in 2015.
Click here to see details on these and other ways you can support the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.
The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail has been cleared of winter debris (branches, twigs, sand, gravel), and the Trail Crew has already started their weekly schedule to keep the trail clean and safe for riding and walking this spring. Now all we need is warmer weather!
Heritage Trail near Charles Olson Farm
The next section of trail north of Glen Arbor (from Port Oneida Road to Bohemian Road) will be completed by the end of May. There will be a great new boardwalk over the edge of Narada Lake, and the trail will go right past the historic North Unity School. What a great addition to the trail! The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the Kelderhouse Farm on Friday, June 3. More details will be coming as we get closer to that date.
Click here to see detailed maps and information about the trail.
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes is paying for bus transportation costs for school groups to attend Ranger-led snowshoe hikes in the forests of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Students are learning about snowshoes and search for animal tracks in the fresh snow as they explore the winter wonderland of our Park! The Friends received a grant of $4,500 from the National Park Foundation – and with your help, has raised an additional $1,000 through a fundraising challenge sponsored by the Outdoor Industry Associaiton to pay for the transportation costs of over 1,000 students from 19 different school groups.
School Group Snowshoe Hike
Pre- and Post-visit activities have been developed to help build background knowledge and create excitement for the hike, extend learning, and give students the opportunity to be creative and connect learning to the real world. The lesson during the hike will allow students to explore concepts in winter ecology and snow science in a hands-on, experimental format.
The programs began at the end of January and run through early March.
In March of 2015, Consumers Energy Foundation provided Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes a $4,000 grant to purchase new Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to replace aging units that were unreliable and couldn’t be repaired. Through year-end donations from our members, we were able to purchase additional AEDs and supplies. The Park now has 8 units in high visitor use areas and in ranger patrol cars.
Philips Automated External Defibrillator
What’s an AED? You might not be thinking of an AED next time you run up the Dune Climb or walk a beach, but you will be happy to know that there are trained people with the right equipment nearby if you need one!
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm. AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). SCA is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.
Ranger Joe Lachowski holds one of the new AEDs
SCA usually causes death if it’s not treated within minutes. In fact, each minute of SCA leads to a 10 percent reduction in survival. Using an AED on a person who is having SCA may save the person’s life.
We had a situation at the Dune Climb last June, where a visitor had a SCA after climbing up the Dunes. Emergency personnel reacted quickly, applied an AED and stabilized him before transporting him to the hospital where he recovered. Fast action and availability of an AED saved his life.
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes is raising funds to pay transportation costs for school groups to attend Ranger-led snowshoe hikes in the forests and dunes along Lake Michigan. Students will learn about snowshoes and will search for animal tracks in the fresh snow as they explore the winter wonderland of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Pre- and Post-visit activities have been developed to help build background knowledge and create excitement for the hike, extend learning, and give students the opportunity to be creative and connect learning to the real world. The lesson during the hike will allow students to explore concepts in winter ecology and snow science in a hands-on, experimental format.
We are participating in an online fundraising effort led by the Outdoor Industry Association to raise money to pay for transportation for school groups all over the US to experience a national park near them. We need your help to raise $1,000 to meet our goal. If you can help by making a donation, go to the fundraising web site and make a donation!
The Cherry Republic Holiday Trail Challenge was held from December 10 – 13. It was an friendly competition between three Mt. Bike trail projects to raise funds over this short time period. Thanks to your generous donations, WE WON! As a result, we will receive an additional $5,000 from Cherry Republic for the planning phase of the proposed Echo Valley Mt. Bike Trail.
During this campaign, we raised $11,125 + $5,000 from CR. We currently have $21,125 set aside for the planning phase of the new trail. That is enough to get started as soon as the management team at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is ready to start working on this. We hope that will be in the spring of 2016.
Click here to learn more about the proposed trail.
