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
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.
The Burnett Brew Blog posted a link on our Facebook wall of this delightful blog of their visit to Suttons Bay Hops farm in Suttons Bay, Michigan, Fishtown in Leland, and Pyramid Point in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. With microbrewing, and now hops farming, as a new and growing industry in Northern Michigan and to Leelanau County, we asked the Burnett Brew Blog permission to reprint their story. Here it is. Enjoy!
picture taken off of suttons bay hops facebook page
This past october we had the pleasure of visiting Suttons Bay Hops up Leelanua Peninsula in, you guessed it, Suttons Bay. We love Suttons Bay! It is also home of one of our most favorite michigan wineries, Black Star Farms. So anyway, this was our first time visiting a hops farm. We had recently heard of this Suttons Bay Hops and immediately contacted them to see if we could come take a tour of the farm.
picture taken off of suttons bay hops facebook page
the burnetts!
My brother, and local (as he likes to say), joined us for the venture.
Doug Periard, high school teacher, driver training instructor, football coach, athletic director, farmer and now local celebrity, and his wife, Annemarie, began this family farm on their beautiful historical acreage in the fall of 2009. It was basically like this, one day they thought about becoming hops farmers…so they did! and now, they have 2 beautiful acres of very successful growing hops.
touring with doug!
It grew so fast these past couple of seasons. Doug was explaining to us how it grows like weeds. Hops is even hard to kill…so it spreads like wild fire.
To start the lines, they needed 43,000 feet of airline cable, coconut husk rope (which makes it a green way of farming!) with 7 vines on each and 135 poles. These poles, were put up in three days with lots of help from friends and family. And of course about $14,000 per acre was needed for irrigation. Quite an expensive start, but by the way we’re all seeing the michigan microbrewery world growing…it sounds like this was a great investment!
In the first year of farming, the Periards harvested 900 pounds of hops. Quite a bit, especially being the first season. It is one of the highest yielding hops farm in Michigan. If you’ve had Right Brain Brewery beer…chances are…you’ve enjoyed Suttons Bay Hops! Rbb is where most of these hops have ended up. Of course has seasons go on, more and more breweries will be using Suttons Bay Hops.
burnett brew blog doin’ some research
It was fun learning all about the farm. Doug also shared more michigan hops facts with us. There are 36 varieties of hops. And check this out…there are roughly 50 acres of hops in michigan. And two of some of the most beautiful acres happen to be right there in Suttons Bay!
After roaming the aisles of hops, Doug took us on a tour of his beautiful and historic farm.
Picturesque old barns, chickens and a goat…loved it!
And with all the talk about great Michigan beers…how ironic (or iconic as Michael would think)…Doug, the Michigan hop farmer’s favorite beer is…none other than Pabst Blue Ribbon. Michael’s fav as well and to his defense “no one else has won the blue ribbon for their beer!!” yeah, Michael…but that was back in 1893!!
love that we found this in doug’s barn!! to funny!
Us Burnetts will support our local farmers and stick to our Michigan beer with these awesome Michigan hops! that’s for sure! ;)
After the farm, we decided to keep driving north up M-22.
We stopped in Fishtown for a bit…
the dam with the jumping salmon
sporck tileart
my favorite michigan artist’s shop in fish town!
And then we hiked up the trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes to look out Pyramid Point. So beautiful.
Have we ever mentioned how much we love our mitten?
And Doug…thank you so much for the tour!! We really appreciated you taking time out of your busy schedule for Burnett Brew Blog!! can’t wait to come visit again!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Great Lakes are no strangers to shipwrecks, with numbers reaching into the thousands, the lakes harbor hundreds of years of history that one Benzie County man hopes to share.
Westmoreland Drawing (Courtesy of MichiganMysteries.com)
In July of 2010, Ross Richardson, a diver and local historian, was credited with finding the Westmoreland. It was and still is “one of the most sought after ships in the Great Lakes” (Richardson has kept the location of the vessel hidden in order to preserve the artifacts found aboard the steamer that sank in December of 1865). However, Richardson recently announced that he has discovered three more undocumented ships in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore waters.
Richardson stated that “Only one, the schooner ‘James McBride,’ is a previously documented shipwreck, according to [his] research.” The other two unknown vessels are reported to be over 100 feet long and are estimated to date back to 1860. Richardson reports that one of the ships contains numerous artifacts.
Richardson's Shipwreck Dive (Photo by Chris Doyal via MLive.com)
Richardson and a team of officials are working together to learn more about these ships in order to preserve and promote awareness of these ships. Richardson is also working with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore officials to create an smart phones app that will allow anyone from a novice diver to an underwater archeologist to easily find known shipwrecks in the area.
Watch Richardson’s video of his shipwreck dive to the historic grave.
Learn more about Richardson’s passion for Great Lakes shipwrecks on his website, Michigan Mysteries.
Article “Spirit Song of a Michigan Ghost Forest” (8/31/11). Reprinted by permission from Earth’s Almanac. All photos are by Jonathan Schechter.
Walk silently through the haunting landscape of the ghost forest of Sleeping Bear Point Trail and wind spirits whisper to you and chatter among the skeletons of long dead cedars.
If you do not hear them you are not listening. I am sure the Anishinaabek knew the song in their day on Sleeping Bear.
The ghost forest is stark evidence of shifting sand dunes and endless winds that writes new pages daily in the story of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, an ever-changing masterpiece created by the last glacial retreat and now protected by our National Park Service.
Sand and wind in concert is powerful.
Although each grain of sand is just the tiniest of specks, in 1931 the U.S. Coast Guard buildings now in the town of Glen Haven had to be moved from Sleeping Bear Point before the migrating dunes buried them.
The story of sand dunes and ghost forests is without end, but to feel the earth moving forces of ice, wind and water that sing nature’s song you must walk the sands.
And I will walk there again in a land that is full of mystery and wonder, and home to black bears, bobcats and perhaps a few cougars.
NOTE: Final photo by Shaina O’Dwyer, Environmental Management System Management Representative of the Grand Traverse Resort And Spa.
During this most recent exploration of Sleeping Bear I was a participant in an environmental writers ecology tour sponsored by the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa www.grandtraverseresort.com with assistance and logistical support from the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Traverse Citywww.visittraversecity.comand the staff of the National Park Service at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshorewww.nps.gov/slbe.
You can find Jonathan Schechter on his blog at Earth’s Almanac, a blog of The Oakland Press.
According to AccuWeather.com long-range weather experts, the Midwest and Great Lakes regions will be “dealt the worst of winter this year.” 2011-2012 will be the fifth winter in a row with snowfall well above normal and temperatures well below average for Chicago, our neighbor to the south. Paul Pastelok, a long-range weather forecaster with AccuWeather.com said this winter will be similar to last year, in terms on both snow and cold. Last year there was one big storm that brought a lot of snowfall, but this year there will be several large storms.
The long-range weather forecasting team predicts our neighbors to the west in Minneapolis will have “especially awful” cold. Since we are a neighboring state, we are likely to get some of the cold as well.
AccuWeather Lake Effect Snow Predictions 2012
La Niña is to blame for what is to come. La Niña’s occur when sea surface temperatures across the pacific are below normal. La Niña’s tend to bring winter storms early in the season, usually in December. There will be a long, frigid January and February. Even winter weather lovers have had enough of cold and snow by early spring, but the La Niña may keep the cold weather in the area well into spring.
Farmers Almanac Winter 2012 Predictions
The Farmers Almanac also predicts “average temps, very white, wet” winter for the Great Lakes. A very active storm track will bring heavier-than-normal precipitation (that means snow) to the area.
The Old Farmers Almanacreports that the Upper Midwest, including Traverse City, will have colder than normal temperatures with the heaviest snowfall in early and mid-December, early to mid-February and again in mid-March. They predict the first snowfall to occur the first week of November with rain and snow mix in mid-November and finally turning to snow in late November.
For those of you who can understand a ”prognostic discussion for long-lead seasonal outlooks,” it may be worth a read on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Predictions webpage. They update there predictions frequently.
Blog by Ileana Habsburg-Snyder (I love snowy winters, but without ice storms)
The National Park numbers are in for the summer season, but 2011 did not break the record for the most visitors. Park officials say that 2011 may be the second-busiest on record, as reported in the LeelanauNews.com article “Bullish Numbers at Bear Park.”
According to the article, the numbers are still coming in and Sleeping Bear Dunes has not reached “second-busiest year” status yet, but it is close. The year-to-date visitor count is 1,217,715 through the end of September, which is up 4.3 percent over 2010. The count is not close to the 1999 record of 1,364,834 visitors. The second-busiest year on record was 1988 when 1,317,530 came to visit the majestic dunes. There is a chance for beating the 1988 record this year.
Even with overall visitor numbers not breaking records, Deputy Superintendent Tom Ulrich says the number of visitors at the visitors center in Empire were up 61 percent from 2010. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and the Dune Climb also saw increases over last year of 67.5 percent.
Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau reports the number of website visitors is also up from 2010. Early in the year the number of website visitors was only slightly higher in 2011, but then the numbers of visitors jumped 19% for May, June and July. The big spike came in August when there was an over 300% increase. September 2011 numbers are up 175% over 2010.
Leelanau County merchants are reporting a good fall season as well. Sally Guzowkoski, the president of the Leelanau Chamber of Commerce, says that traffic is up all over Leelanau County during the midweek as well as on the weekends. She is surpassed by the number of people coming in to the office midweek.
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