President Obama signs Sleeping Bear Dunes wilderness legislation into law

[Redfairen]

Source: MLive

Nearly half of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is preserved as wilderness under a law signed by President Barack Obama.

Obama on Thursday signed the bill sponsored by Democratic Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan to designate about 32,557 acres of the 71,199-acre lakeshore as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The measure is the result of more than a dozen years of planning and discussions to update the park's general management plan. It's the first wilderness protection bill to pass both chambers since 2009.

"Today is a huge win for Sleeping Bear Dunes, our economy, and for the citizens of Northern Michigan," Rep. Dan Benishek, a Republican who represents the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan, said in a statement.



Read more: http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/03/obama_signs_sleeping_bear_dune.html

[bigwillq]

1. Cool.

K and R

[Faygo Kid]

2. Great news. Moving to the area this summer.

Finally. No place finer than northwest lower Michigan.

Although I hope next winter isn't a record setter like this one. That's the tradeoff.

[Cha]

10. WOW and WOW.. so happy for you, FK!

[amandabeech]

18. Good for you! Enjoy!

My family's from about 60 miles south of there. Just make sure you have a wood-burning stove and plenty of canned and dried food so you'll be okay for a bit if the electricity blinks off in the winter. It seldom does, but you have to be prepared to rough-it a bit until the plows come through.

Late spring is beautiful, too, with all the tart cherries and apples in bloom. I've always thought that the Michigan state flower should be the tart cherry blossom instead of the apple. Michigan is the top red tart cherry producer and the trees in bloom look like popcorn balls--info for those who aren't familiar.

You've made a good choice, Faygo.

[FrodosPet]

24. An easy way to tell who is pure Southeast Michigander, and who has lived outstate

If anyone thinks the snow in Metro Detroit was bad this year, they've never spent a winter in Traverse City! What we had here is what they call a light dusting up there.

[Faygo Kid]

28. Thanks, all. Actually spent winter 98-99 up there.

It was no problem. Then again, it wasn't a winter like this one. None ever were, I believe. So I'm thinking this was a once in a lifetime tough one. I think. I hope.

They know how to handle winter up there. And the springs, summers and falls - to quote George Takei, Oh Myyyyy. . . .

[George II]

3. Very good news....

....this NY boy visited the Sleeping Bear Dunes more than 30 years ago - what an amazing place that is, beautiful. It's so big that you can see if on satellite photographs on the western coast of Michigan (east coast of Lake Michigan)

[Scuba]

4. Thank you President Obama!

[AngryAmish]

5. Just down the road from Crystal Downs!

[progressoid]

6. Excellent.

[muntrv]

7. Nice. Went to boarding school near there.

[Botany]

8. And this will pay millions of $s to the local economy

New Year's eve 2011 my son and I were on Sleeping Bear Dunes ... it was
like magic.

[Cha]

11. That's a beautiful shot, Botany!

[Botany]

14. I pulled it from the internet but ...

.... We did not telemark ski the dunes when we were there but when my son and I
hiked up the dune the sounds of silence and the absentee of humans was stunning.

Thoreau, "In wildness is the salvation of the world."

[Cha]

15. Does not

matter if you took it or not.

I can relate to.. "when my son and I hiked up the dune the sounds of silence and the absentee of humans was stunning."

Thoreau, "In wildness is the salvation of the world." Epically true.

[Lucky Luciano]

9. I discovered Sleeping Bear Dunes by accident.

I had this summer math research project for undergrads at Hope College. I randomly drove up to the area and was overwhelmed by the place! I had no idea what an amazing place it was - and I was further amazed that I had never heard of it and that nobody I know ever goes there - only Michiganders know about it - maybe Chicago people too.

[Cha]

12. Thanks Redfairen and Thanks Obama!

[Zorra]

13. Thank you, President Obama!

There's no down side to preserving our beautiful natural lands.

[ybbor]

16. Such great news!

I vacationed there growing up, lived there for one of the Greatest summers of my life in my early 20's and continue to vacation there with my family to this day. I have so many great memories of this area, especially Pyramid Point a few miles north of the more popular dune climb area. Selfishly, I was hoping to keep it a secret from the rest of ya'll.

[eggplant]

17. And if you want to do something really fun (and really pretty dangerous, too)...

http://www.macwoodsdunerides.com/

They aren't really in Sleeping Bear, but they are close.

[amandabeech]

19. I worked there for a summer ages ago.

I'm from that area, and my Mom still lives there.

The people who run it are very nice, but believe me, it only seems dangerous!

It is great fun, though.

You can walk across the dunes, too.

And check out the little fishing harbor town of Pentwater just north of there. DUers might like Mexican food at the Antler Bar or the really good burgers across the street at the Brown Bear. Both have bars on top of the restaurant section. Walk over to Charles Mears State Park and walk onto the pier for the sunsets over Lake Michigan after you've had a brewski or some local House of Flavors ice cream at the little ice cream parlor.

I'm no good at putting photos up here, but here's a link:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0LEVx_wiiJTdBIAladXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0cHNhM2c3BHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDM3MV8x?_adv_prop=image&fr=mcafee&va=Pentwater+michigan

I can't wait for summer!

[eggplant]

21. And for those folks who have never been there...

...I can attest that the west coast of Michigan has the FINEST endless white sand beaches** in all of North America. That, plus the lack of smog kicks the ass of southern California's sunsets. And it's freshwater! Woot!

Tourists just don't understand how big a lake can be. Lake Michigan (not even the biggest of them) is three times the size of Massachusetts.

(Ok, I'm biased -- I grew up there. Sue me.)


**And it's all public land! Everything below the high tide line is public beach, no matter who owns the lakeside property.

[amandabeech]

22. You cannot see across Lake Michigan! It's huge!

Almost all the beaches are fine sand--not gravely like the ones on the Atlantic in Maryland and Delaware. They're more like Gulf beaches with fine sand and gentle (well, mostly) surf.

And there are so many parks right on the Lake--everything from Sleeping Bear to the smallest township park. A lot of the small ones are free, and the myriad state-run parks have very reasonable use fees by the day or season. I recommend Nordland Dunes north of Ludington. There beautiful hiking trails through the dunes and wooden observation decks. The area is unique environmentally, and is cared for by non-profits. Bring your own water or non-alcoholic beverages.

I have some post cards that I show to people here on the east coast. They just can't believe that the beautiful beaches are in the same state as the pictures of the banged-up areas of Detroit.

[eggplant]

25. That was my favorite bit...

...watching tourists stand on the beach in Muskegon and say "I think I can see Milwaukee!" Lady, if you were halfway there, you still couldn't see it. It's beyond the curve of the Earth. Sheesh.

As for parks, Pere Marquette is further south, but is also nice. But don't feel obligated to go to an actual "park" -- there are tons of access points to the shoreline, and once you are at the water's edge, you can walk as far as you like up or down the coast.

If you get a chance to see a sunset over the water, take it. It is amazingly beautiful.

And the sand makes for really great sandcastle building.

[amandabeech]

27. "I think I can see Milwaukee!" That's hysterical.

I've driven past PM beach, but when I'm in Muskegon, it's either to go to a store (maybe the mall or Barnes & Noble) or to go to the airport. I find that the Muskegon airport is so much easier to deal with than Grand Rapids, and I can always get a ride, which I can't do for GR. Why more people don't use MKG when they can is beyond me.

When I was a kid, we'd drive down to see a cousin in Muskegon, and we'd drive down the lake shore road from Whitehall. I loved to climb the dune to that old blockhouse in the Muskegon County Park.

I agree on the sunsets and on the sandcastle building.

It's a great place to retire, and I plan eventually to be in northern Muskegon or southern Oceana. I envie Faygo Kid that he gets to move so soon!

[SunSeeker]

20. K & R

[WatermelonRat]

23. My mom's side of the family lives in that area.

Whenever we visited when I was younger, we would always go to climb the dunes. I could write for hours about all the good times I've had there. It really is a natural treasure for our state.

[onehandle]

26. No oil shale or natural gas there? nt