 | Leelanau.com Blog
|
Hot topics from the Leelanau Blog: Sleeping Bear Dunes on Good Morning America,
Mario Batali loves Leelanau, Leelanau Wine, Northern Lights | Sugar Loaf | Leelanau Cherries, Sleeping Bear Dunes
Rudy Malmquist was up in Leelanau last weekend on the Empire Bluffs.
This winter is amazing - if you snowshoe, ski or otherwise like to get out in the winter, conditions are amazing!
Jump into his slideshow for more, and also get more Empire Bluffs on Leelanau.com!
Photo: The Bluffs by Rudy Malmquist
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore invites you to burn calories and have fun snowshoeing in the Lakeshore (National Lakeshore). A Park Ranger will lead snowshoe hikes through a winter wonderland of forests, fields, beaches and historic sites in the National Lakeshore every Saturday this winter.
The first hike is on Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 1:00 PM. Be prepared and plan to be outside until about 3:00 p.m. Dress in layers and wear waterproof boots to be most comfortable. Like all hikes, you start at the National Lakeshore Visitor Center in Empire. If you don't have your own snowshoes, they will be loaned out at no charge and basic snowshoeing instructions will be provided. If there's not enough snow for snowshoeing, Park Rangers will still lead interpretive hikes each Saturday throughout the winter.
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 highly recommended. Park Ranger-led snowshoe hikes are limited to 30 participants. For more information and to make reservations, please call the National Lakeshore at 231-326-5134, extension 328. You may also visit their website at www.nps.gov/slbe. Also, check out their Facebook page and Twitter site.
In Busiest ... summer ... ever in the the Glen Arbor Sun editor Jacob Wheeler writes the Good Morning America selection of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as the Most Beautiful Place in America put Glen Arbor tourism on steroids with record profits but also some less than desireable side effects
Sometime this month, the 1,364,835th visitor to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 2012 will arrive at the Dune Climb, hike to Pyramid Point, or perhaps bike the Heritage Trail and enjoy its stunning autumnal beauty. In doing so, that visitor will officially make this the busiest year ever for the Glen Arbor region, the most profitable for local businesses, and perhaps the most hectic one too.
...as of Sept. 1, visitors to the National Lakeshore were up 21.7 percent over the same eight-month period in 2011, putting the Park just 66,764 visitors shy of the annual record, which was set in 1999. “It’s extremely likely we’ll exceed our record by the end of September,” deputy superintendent of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Tom Ulrich told the Leelanau Enterprise. “Even if we were to have our lowest September attendance ever (70,000 in 2003), we’d still have a new record.”
But record profits weren’t the only change in the north country. Some business owners noticed distinct types of tourists to which they were not accustomed, and not always attracted — visitors who were driven to come here perhaps by the successful Pure Michigan campaign, or more likely by the Good Morning America honor, and the northern Michigan social media campaign that secured that victory.
“My concern is that at least some of them were expecting something different from Glen Arbor than what we actually offer,” said Widmayer. “Some people who came probably got a signal from Good Morning America that this place was really beautiful but they didn’t take their expectations into account. We describe Glen Arbor as a flip-flop-wearing, beach town, whereas they were looking for something more upscale, where they only have to wander short distances.”
Read on for much more about the impact on and observations by local businesses and also share your comments over at the Sun or on our Facebook!
Photo credit: Untitled by granisz
The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail officially opens with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Dune Climb on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. The ribbon cutting celebrates the completion of nearly five miles of trail between Glen Arbor and the Dune Climb. When fully completed, the 27-mile trail will run from the southern edge of Leelanau County through the National Lakeshore, Empire, and Glen Arbor, to Good Harbor Bay. They selected this segment as the first to connect the Dune Climb and dunes trails, historic attractions in Glen Haven, the group & D. H. Day campgrounds and the village of Glen Arbor. Construction of the remaining segments will continue as funds are raised.
Julie Clark is the Executive Director of Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc. and says, “This spring we surpassed a million dollars in private funding, much of that generated by the local community. We’ve got some big milestones ahead of us this summer to keep trail construction rolling next year, but I think we can now see and experience the trail and benefits it can bring, and they’ll want to help keep the project going.”
The trail was included in the National Lakeshore's most recent General Management Plan and then was analyzed and approved more specifically in an Environmental Assessment. National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Schultz says, “The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is the single most exciting project to come out of our recently completed General Management Plan. The trail will provide a wonderful way to explore and learn about the park, as well as become a meaningful alternative for visitors to travel between park sites and local businesses - without having to use their cars!”
Funding for trail construction is secured from the Dune Climb to Empire and Glen Arbor to Port Oneida. To move forward with construction, nearly $500,000 in matching funds are needed. To learn more about the project and how you can be a part of the effort, visit www.sleepingbeartrail.org or call Pam Darling, Development Director, TART Trails, 231-941-4300.
Jacob Wheeler of the Glen Arbor Sun writes that to the most beautiful place in America, second healthiest place nationwide, Leelanau County is on the verge of becoming a prime bicycle destination too! He took a ride down the nearly-completed first phase from the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb to downtown Glen Arbor on the brand new Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The trail officially opens on June 20, 2012 and could one day stretch 27 miles, from the Leelanau-Benzie County line to Good Harbor.
Jacob writes that with all these bikers coming to town, they’ll need a place to rent bikes & fix the inevitable flat tires wheels and fix the inevitable flat tires and rusty chains. Read more about the new businesses in Glen Arbor here, and check out this narrated video of a bike ride Saturday along the trail.
Also, the photo to the right is by Tom D'Ambrosio - see his great photos from the trail right here!!
Spring is the perfect time for wild edibles, and it’s all about getting outside and getting creative (and local) with your meals. We decided to research foods we can forage in our own neck of the woods. Go forage and if you have suggestions for ones we missed, post them in the comments!
Dandelions - This flowering weed runs rampant throughout the country, and its seeds, crowns, roots, leaves and flower petals are all edible.
Mushrooms - Before you begin gathering wild mushrooms, identify any poisonous species that grow in your area. Although many are edible, it’s better to play it safe. Also, never eat them raw and stay away from those that have been damaged by insects. A favorite mushroom in Leelanau is the morel. While black morels are mostly gone by now, you kind find whites aplenty - check old apple orchards & lawns!
Watercress - This pungent perennial potherb typically grows near bodies of water, so make sure the water source is clean before consuming it. Since watercress can be eaten raw, all you have to do is cut the stem off and rinse it with cold water.
Common Chickweed - Widespread throughout the country, this annual plant yields a distinct star-shaped flower. Its leaves and stems are edible and can be eaten raw. Typically dismissed as a pesky weed, common chickweed is a rich source of potassium and calcium.
Clover - This cosmopolitan genus is easy to find in the wilderness. Its seeds are edible, and its dried flower heads can be used to brew tea. You can eat its leaves raw, just immerse them in salt water first to help with digestion.
Burdock - These biennial thistles thrive in open meadows and gardens, but they are not useless weeds. You can peel the leaf stalks and eat them raw, and their taproot is edible as well. Be careful not to mistake this plant for the belladonna (deadly nightshade), which is poisonous.
Milkweed - Milkweed is edible but can potentially contain cardiac glycosides, which are toxic. So, it’s critical that you prepare this wild plant with care before consuming it. Steep the whole plant in water and rub the wool off young shoots. You can then boil them. The seed pods are edible, too.
Cattails - These tall monocots flourish in or near bodies of water. Peel away the outer layer of the shoots to reveal a white core, use clean water to rinse them off and eat these tender shoots raw or cooked. High in starch, their roots are also edible.
Lamb’s Quarters - Many people mistake this fast-growing annual plant for a worthless weed, but lamb’s quarters are actually edible and quite nutritious. The seeds are a healthy snack and the leaves and stems taste similar to spinach when cooked.
Leeks - Resembling onions in appearance and smell, wild leeks commonly emerge during springtime deep in the forests. Both their leaves and bulbs are edible and can be eaten raw, steamed, fried or baked.
Wild Carrot - Though tougher and woodier than those you buy at the grocery store, the wild carrot grows in dry fields, and its roots are edible. Just be careful not to mistake it with similar poisonous species like water hemlock and fool’s parsley.
Wild Onion - Found on various landscapes, such as rocky slopes, prairies and forests, the wild onion smells and tastes similar to its domestic counterpart. Just peel off the outer layers and boil the bulb in a pot of salt water.
Stinging Nettles - Don't be deterred by the stinging hairs, this plant is considered by some to be a superfood! packed with vitamins and minerals, young shoots won't sting and older spring harvests are easily prepared by steaming to render the sting neutral. Tastes like spinach!
Learn more with the HumaNature School, a wonderful Traverse City based school for all ages!
May 27th - Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants: In this class we will learn to positively identify plants. We will learn to use Newcomb's Wildflower Guide as we come to understand the basics of plant identification. We will gain hands on experience harvesting and preparing select edibles/medicinals and students will walk away with the tools to continue effectively learning about and safely experiencing the bounty nature has to offer. Phone: 231.649.1906 Email: info@humanatureschool.org
Photo credits from our Leelanau flickr page: Bee on a Lion by Larry Page, Wild Leeks at Empire Bluffs by Trish P
Spring is an excellent time for new or frequent visitors to enjoy Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. From signs of spring at the farmsteads of Port Oneida learning about returning migratory birds along Lakeshore's magnificent trails, a Ranger-led hike in the park can be a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Every Saturday afternoon at 1 PM you can meet a Park Ranger at the Philip Hart Visitor Center in Empire. They'll introduce the afternoon's topic and then lead a car caravan a short distance to where the walk will begin. Each week features a different topic and location, and hikes last 1 to 1 1/2 hours and are no longer than 1 1/2 miles. Dress for the weather!
The Saturdays at the Lakeshore program is held every Saturday from now until mid-June when summer programs start. Hikes are free. Participants need only purchase the park entrance pass or have an annual pass displayed in their vehicle to join in the fun. Please call 231-326-5134 extension 328 to make reservations and for details, or visit www.nps.gov/slbe visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl.
U.S. Senator Carl Levin and National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Shultz break ground on the trail last summer.
The Glen Arbor Sun reports that a Glen Arbor couple has offered a challenge match for Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail:
Glen Arbor residents Bill and Vicki Anderson, who were among the first supporters of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT), have issued a challenge pledge with a 2:1 match for all donations to the new trail through the end of March. The campaign still needs to raise $30,000 in order to secure the full Anderson Challenge match of $50,000. Bill Anderson shared with Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails his family’s motivation for posing the challenge match.
“This summer, 10 years of planning and effort will become a reality for the first five-mile link of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail,” he said. “To help sustain the momentum and encourage additional financial support we are offering a match of $50,000 if the $100,000 goal is reached by March 31st.”
The first section of trail connecting Glen Arbor to the Dune Climb will be completed this July. The trail will provide easy, car-free access to amenities and attractions including the DH Day Campground, Glen Haven, Glen Arbor and the Dune Climb.
Read on at the Sun and learn more about the trail and make donations at sleepingbeartrail.org or by calling Pam Darling (231) 941-4300.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has awarded a nearly $500,000 federal Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant to the Leelanau County Road Commission. The money will be used to pave 6.5 miles of the Leelanau Trail from Lakeview Hills Road to Revold Road, and TART Trails will provide a $200,000 match.
"This federal funding helps pay for improvements that make a real difference in economic development and quality of life," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "Transportation enhancements like these make Michigan communities even more attractive to residents, visitors and business investors."
Under federal law, 10 percent of federal surface transportation funds are set aside for TE projects. Administered by MDOT, the grants enable communities to invest in projects such as streetscapes and non-motorized trails. TE funds provide a maximum of 80 percent of the money required for each project, with the remainder coming from state and local government and the private sector.
Thanks IPR News Radio for the tip and please consider donating to the Leelanau Trail Capital Campaign.
Photo credit: Leelanau Trail by mollypitcher
Trish took this shot on Pyramid Point - check it out bigger and view it on her map.
Powered by WordPress :: webdesign by Leelanau.com :: © 1996-2010 Manitou Publishing Co.
