In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Superintendent Dusty Shultz is pleased to announce that the entrance fee to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) will be waived during the upcoming holiday weekend, beginning Saturday, January 14 and continuing through Monday, January 16.

The National Lakeshore, along with the other 397 units of the national park system, will waive the entrance fees as part of a nationwide initiative to encourage everyone to visit and experience the many wonders of their national parks acrossAmerica.  The other fee-free days this year include:  April 21-29 (National Park Week), June 9 (Get Outdoors Day), September 29 (National Public Lands Day), and November 10-12 (Veterans Day Weekend).

Winter is a great time to explore the National Lakeshore.  Visit the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire (open 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily) to learn about all the park has to offer in winter.  Bring your inner tube or saucer and enjoy the designated sliding hill at the Dune Climb, or cross-country ski/snowshoe one of the many trails in the park.  Also, don’t forget to join us for a Park Ranger-led snowshoe hike every Saturday. Hikes begin at 1:00 p.m. at the Visitor Center. Reservations are encouraged.  Park Ranger-led snowshoe hikes are limited to 30 participants.  Please call 231-326-5135, ext. 328, for details and to make reservations.

For more in-depth information, please call the National Lakeshore at 231-326-5134 or visit their website at www.nps.gov/slbe.

Official Press Release of the Leelanau Peninsula Vintner’s Association

December 22, 2011

December is the time for the Ice Wine Harvest in Northern Michigan. Ice wine is a rare and wonderful dessert wine unique to cool climate wine regions like Leelanau.

‘When you want something truly amazing, ice wine is the nectar of the gods.”
~winemaker Alan Eaker of Longview Winery

The Leelanau Peninsula in Northern Michigan is an ideal location to grow and harvest grapes for ice wines. Located right on the 45th Parallel, Leelanau is on the same latitude as some of the best wine growing regions in the world including the Rhone Valley in France, the Piedemont in Italy, and the Williamette Valley in Oregon.

“Many of the ice wines made in Northern Michigan consistently rival those from the great ice wine producing regions around the world. -Lee Lutes, winemaker at Black Star Farms. ”Our region is extremely well suited for the production of ice wine because of our unique climate.

The shape and location of the Leelanau Peninsula is also important in producing ice wines. The long, somewhat narrow shape provides a superior micro-climate. Leelanau is surrounded by Lake Michigan on three sides, and is perfectly buffered from harsh weather which allows for a gradual freeze.

Ice wine or ‘eiswein’, from its German origins, is a rare and wonderful dessert wine that requires special care and skill. Limited quantities of healthy grapes are left on the vine until conditions are right for an ice wine harvest. This can occur anytime from November to the first of the year. The labor-intensive harvest requires picking grapes that have frozen on the vine by hand, often before the sun has risen. Quantities harvested are small, and the grapes must also be pressed while frozen, providing a concentrated grape juice that gives ice wine a deep sweetness that is balanced by high acidity.

Due to the labor intensive harvest and small quantities of suitable grapes, ice wines are generally rare and expensive. Here are some of our Leelanau Peninsula Ice Wines, which we hope you will get a chance to sample:

Black Star Farms: A Capella Riesling Ice Wine
Price: $92.50

Verterra: Vignoles Ice Wine, NorthPole
Price: $40 (375ml)

Good Neighbor Organics: Organic ice wine
Price: $30

45 North: Icebox Gewurtztraminer
Price: $55

Longview – Winter Ice
Price: $60

Bel Lago: Pinot Grigio Ice Wine 2011
release date: Spring 2012
Price: $60

Watch Black Star Farms as they harvest grapes in the YouTube video 2007 Ice Wine Harvest.

The Leelanau Peninsula Vintner’s Association was formed in 2000 with a goal to help spread the word about all the wonderful things the Leelanau Peninsula has to offer including a growing number of award-winning wineries, excellent restaurants and a rich agricultural history. Today, it is the largest and strongest of the four organized wine trails in Michigan which promote the state’s nearly $790 million grape/wine industry.

Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association
http://lpwines.com/press/
231-421-1172

Explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) on snowshoes this winter! Join Park Rangers for a guided snowshoe hike this holiday season and every Saturday throughout the winter.  The first hike of the season will be on Thursday, December 29 at 1:00 p.m.  Thereafter, regularly scheduled Saturday snowshoe hikes will start up again on Saturday, January 7 at 1:00 p.m.  Meet at the National Lakeshore Visitor Center in Empire.  If you do not have your own, snowshoes will be loaned out at no charge.

Inside the Visitor Center, Park Rangers will first provide basic snowshoeing instructions and then everyone will travel by car to the trailhead or area of the National Lakeshore pre-selected for that day. Once there, the Park Ranger will help participants learn about the park’s unique features and winter’s effect on them by exploring and discovering clues on site.  Be prepared and plan to be outside until about 3:00 p.m.  Dress in layers and wear waterproof boots to be most comfortable.

Not only is snowshoeing easy, fun, and good exercise, it is also an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages.  The Park Ranger-led hikes are mildly strenuous, yet they proceed at a leisurely pace for only one and a half miles at the most. 

 Since the National Park Service has a supply of snowshoes for use within the National Lakeshore, participants need only purchase the park entrance pass or have an annual pass to join in the fun.  Reservations are required.  Park Ranger-led snowshoe hikes are limited to 30 participants.

For more information, please call the National Lakeshore at 231-326-5134, extension 328, for details and to make reservations or visit the website at www.nps.gov/slbe.  Also, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl.

About the National Park Service:  More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 397 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.  Learn more at www.nps.gov.

This is an official press release from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Empire. Release date: December 9, 2011. Contact: Lisa Griebel, 231-326-5134, ext. 301, lisa_griebel@nps.gov.

Official Press Release of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

December 9, 2011

Empire, MI - Please join Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Saturday, December 17 at 1:00 p.m. for a shipwreck program presented by diver/historian Ross Richardson. Discover the legends and history of Sleeping Bear Point and learn about the shipwrecks that lie under her waters.  This program will last approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.  Meet in the Visitor Center Auditorium in Empire.

Ross Richardson Measures Shipwreck

The shipwrecks of the Manitou Passage have attracted underwater explorers for decades.  Today, the underwater photography of these explorers allows landsmen to visit the shipwrecks from the comfort of a warm, dry chair.  JoinParkRangers as diver/historian Ross Richardson helps us explore some of the shipwrecks of Sleeping Bear Point and unravel some of the mysteries they hold.  He has spent the last decade searching for, and documenting, shipwrecks off the coast of west Michigan.  Richardsonis credited with discovering the location of the legendary steamer Westmoreland, which sank south of Sleeping Bear Point in 1854.

Offshore of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore lies the Manitou Passage.  Although this 36-mile long waterway offers some protection from the open waters ofLake Michigan, even the waters of the passage can be treacherous.  Many ships seeking shelter sank in this passage, hitting shoals and sandbars and running aground before being destroyed by the waves ofLake Michigan.  There are 16 known shipwrecks in the passage and around the Manitou Islands, but there may be as many as 45 wrecks still undiscovered on the bottom.  Many wrecks are well-preserved and offer clues on how they surrendered to the strength of the big lake in the days before advanced navigation when ships relied on basic tools like a compass, clock, and chart.  Please join us for this glimpse into the pre-railroad era when shipping on the Great Lakes provided the means for westward expansion to the upperMidwest.  There is still much to discover!

Contact:  Lisa Griebel, 231-326-5134, ext. 301, lisa_griebel@nps.gov

For more information, please call the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at 231-326-5134 or visit their website at www.nps.gov/slbe.  Also, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl.

www.nps.gov/slbe/

About the National Park Service:  More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 396 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.  Learn more at www.nps.gov.

By Sandy Councell

Every month for the last year I hiked the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Dune Trail. Each trip offered something new…colorful lily blooms…washed-up shipwreck…now-swept landscape…sunrise views…mid-day heat… moonlight shadows…children’s life lessons…pure solitude…physical challenges…even marriage proposals!

Sandy Councell is a Traverse City resident. Two and a half years ago she decided to get fit and loose 70 punds by working out, climbing Pikes Peak twice and hiking the Dune Trail regularly.

Sandy Councell

In our October blog, Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitor Numbers May Not Break Records, National Park officials were predicting that the summer of 2011 would only be the second-busiest summer on record. This week the LeelanauNews.com reported that October 2011 was a record breaker.

DH Day Barns First Autumn Light (Photo by Mark S. Carlson)

Over one thousand visitors came to the park in October, which is a 19 percent increase over 2010 visitor numbers, according to the National Park Service. The jump in October visitors was not enough to break the record for the entire year; 2011 still looks like it will be only the second highest year-to-date total in the park’s 41 year history. It is still too early to tell whether November and December will have an effect on the year as a whole.

Park officials say that wonderful fall weather and an extended and brilliant color season were the reason for the increased numbers. It is also unclear whether the special recognition Sleeping Bear Dunes received from ABC’s Good Morning America’s, “Most Beautiful Place in America” award had any effect.

Local business in Glen Arbor and Empire also reported record numbers of people in the area. Read the full LeelanauNews.com article, Fans Flock to Lakeshore.

Blog by Ileana Habsburg-Snyder

Imagine walking along the shore of Lake Michigan; the warm khaki sand between your toes, a scattering of small rocks and shells decorating the shoreline. A grey barge glides through the deep blue water. The only noises heard are the caw of a seagull off in the distance, the crash of the waves on beach and the hum of an orange coast guard helicopter as it patrols the waters.  

Media Event Announcing Nautica's 2011 Men's Fashion Collection

Those were the tones and colors that inspired the Nautica fashion designers to create the Fall 2011 Men’s Collection. The clothing line not only uses the hues and textures of the dunes and Lake Michigan, but also incorporates the maritime colors of deep orange of the National Coast Guard and the shades of grey seen on the large freighters that pass throught he waters from spring through late fall.    

The line includes jackets, sweatshirts, cargo shorts, wool suits, glen plaid jackets and herringbone tweed ties. So as the beaches become covered with snow and lakes freeze over, one can still stay warm and seek a little inspiration from Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Blog by Gina Gauthier

Official Press Release from Carl Levin, US Senator

Thursday, November 10, 2011

WASHINGTON – Legislation by Sen. Carl Levin to permanently protect more than 32,000 acres of Michigan lakeshore won approval Thursday from a key Senate committee.

Senator Carl Levin at Heritage Trail Groundbreaking (Aug 11)

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources approved the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act (S.140,) a bill authored by Levin, D-Mich., and cosponsored by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.  The legislation would permanently protect 32,557 acres of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore by designating it as wilderness, while providing important access to the lakeshore’s recreational opportunities and cultural resources.

“The ancient sand dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, products of wind, wave, and ice action over thousands of years, are truly one of nature’s great masterworks,” Levin said.  “The lakeshore celebrates these natural wonders and interprets the fascinating history of Native Americans, early pioneers, farmsteads, and maritime activities that created the Michigan of today.  This bill would preserve these natural treasures for current and future generations, and enable thousands more to enjoy the scenic beauty and appreciate the generations of Michiganders who came before.”

The bill has bipartisan, bicameral, and local support.  A companion bill in the House (H.R. 977) has nine bipartisan cosponsors.

Visit Senator Carl Levin’s press releases at his website at http://www.levin.senate.gov/.

Senator Carl Levin at Dune Climb, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Aug 11)

Senator Carl Levin Snowshoeing in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Most think of witches in the month of October, but on the shores of Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes, it is November that brings the frightful witch, or worse yet, several witches. A November Witch is a storm typical for the late fall where gale-force winds and pounding rain often mixed with snow and ice that rush across the Great Lakes like a screeching witch.

November Witches are only known to the Great Lakes where weather systems are like nowhere else in the world. The waters of Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes are still very warm in the late fall. When Canadian arctic air dips down to meet the warn air over the Great Lakes, a violent collision occurs. The cold air crashes with the warm air to produce nasty and severe storms that can bring sustained winds of 50 to 65 miles per hour with gusts up to 100 miles per hour and waves of 20 to 35 feet. The only storm more powerful than a November Witch is a tropical hurricane.

The most recent November Witch came on October 26, 2010 when she broke low pressure records over the Midwest and continental US. Meteorologists called it the biggest non-tropical cyclone (i.e., hurricane) ever recorded. There were no casualties.

Citizens of the Great Lake states refer to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975 as the most infamous November Witch. The screaming witch produced 60 mph winds with gusts to 100 mph and waves of 35 feet. Twenty-nine crew members died when the ship sunk in Lake Superior.

Watch a very moving video on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The 1975 November Witch that caused the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald was not the worst storm on record. The Witch of November 10, 1940, called the Armistice Day Storm brought snow and blizzard conditions. Five ships went down and 66 people died.

The November Witch of 1913 raged for many days, from November 7th to 10th. It was called the White Hurricane because snow produced blizzard conditions. Nineteen ships were destroyed, 19 ships were stranded and 250 people lost their lives.

Watch a video on the 1913 White Hurricane.

Watch a video interview with Edward Kanaby, a survivor of the 1913 storm.

Will there be a November Witch in 2011?

Blog by Ileana Habsburg-Snyder