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.
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.
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!
Marriage Proposal Carved in the Dune Climb (photo by Sandy Councell)
Last Saturday morning a young man wrote something in the sand at the dune climb. His buddy directed from the picnic area. We laughed, “He’s writing, ‘Marry me.’” Soon we realized he wasn’t spelling “Marry”, so across the dunes to Lake Michigan we trekked. Two hours later when we returned, the young man was patiently sitting in the sand above his message.
“Min will you marry me?” Within minutes, Min and her friends arrived. She laughed, “I couldn’t figure out why we had to come all the way to Empire for cheese.” Min made her way up the dune. In a few minutes he yelled, “She said ‘Yes!’”
I can’t imagine a better place to experience life that on the dunes. Sleeping Bear Dunes is so much more than simply a pile of san moved by the wind.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Blog by Mark S. Carlson of Great Lakes Photo Tours
Photos by 2011 Autumn Dunes Eco-Photo Tour participants
The recent Great Lakes ‘Autumn Dunes’ Eco/Photo Tour weekend turned out to be a race against the weather that resulted in some fantastic photo finishes. Every year Mother Nature surprises our vision seekers with an array of meteorological challenges, Autumn 2011 was no exception and they loved it! After a few unexpected cancellations, our compact group of six participants quickly gelled into a family of visual artists with a single-minded focus, to capture in pixels, the magic and majesty of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Great Lakes Photo Tour 2011 (photo by Janelle Will)
Our first day began with clouds and scattered showers. No problem – we just focused our attention on intimate landscapes. Leaf-covered trails winding through the hardwood forests, wet and shiny maple leaves, the classic architecture of old farmsteads, all became one-of-a-kind subject matter complemented by the weather.
Wet Maple Leaves (photo by Janelle Will)
As the showers dissipated, we moved to the Lake Michigan shoreline where forceful winds delivered white waves and gray clouds into everyone’s viewfinder. Evocative images, full of Nature’s mood and temperament, recorded all the thrills. On the horizon, a promising blue sky was rapidly approaching.
Sky n' dunes (photo by Patrice Zinck)
From the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive our 360 degree views were full of open ‘dunescapes’ with puffy white clouds in blue sky. The D.H. Barns provided a focal point in the rolling landscape with Sleeping Bear Bay as the perfect backdrop. The Lake Michigan overlook deck became the best vantage point in which to admire the vastness of a picturesque paradise. From 360 degree views to a 180 degree difference in the weather, our October vision quest just kept getting better and better.
Boardwalk Over Dune (photo by Kristen Kernstock)
We finished our eventful day photographing every budding nature photographer’s favorite subject, especially in the Sleeping Bear Dunes, a Great Lake’s sunset. Wave-washed sticks, stones and feathers became artistic paintings in the sand while basked in the warm glow of late light with deepening shadows. A few clouds on the horizon created just the right accent to another mesmerizing sunset completing our picture-perfect day.
Stone on Beach at Sunset (photo by Michelle Potter)
The following morning, we trained our cameras on the D.H. Day barns bathed in first light. Cedar-shake shingles atop sculpted rooftops offered the finishing touches to another rewarding experience with a Great Lakes Photo Tour appreciating the “Most Beautiful place in America“, The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We hope you’ll join us next time.
Autumn Dunes Photo Tour 2011 Participants (photo by Janelle Will)
Great Lakes Photo Tours are held each spring and fall in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with lodging provided by The Homestead. For more information on the next photo tour, visit Great Lakes Photo Tours or call Mark S. Carlson at 517.230.1655.
Read some thank-you notes and see more pictures from 2011 Fall Dunes Eco-Photo Tour participants.
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)
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