Volunteers Needed for Trail Cleanup

Posted on | by sbtrail

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail – Clean-up

Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes continue to work with the National Park Service Tree Crew to widen the shoulders of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail between Glen Arbor and DH Day Campground. This was the segment of trail hit hardest by the August 2nd storm. While the trail has been cleared to make it safe for bike riding in just a few days after the storm, trail shoulders need to be cleaned up to allow space for the groomer for cross-country skiing. The groomer requires more space on both sides of the pavement.

Volunteers are needed to help pull branches and throw them back into the woods. With enough help  a chipper can be operated, which would be the preferred method of disposing of this wall of tree branches and limbs that line the trail…

Volunteers will be working on Thursdays Oct 8th, 15th & 22nd. Volunteers and Park Tree Crew will meet at 9:00 AM at the DH Day Campground Office and will work until about 3:00 PM each Thursday. If you can only come for part of the day, please come. If you can help, please email Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Trail & Beach Assessments – Volunteers Needed

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was awarded a Centennial Challenge Grant, celebrating 100 years of the National Parks. Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes are providing the matching funds required for this grant. The Grant is to assess 5 trails and 5 water areas in the Park with the intent of improving accessibility. Though just awarded, the grant deadline for completion is November 2015. Cindy Burkhour of Access to Recreation was awarded the contract for trail and beach assessment.
As part of the grant, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes will help by providing volunteers to assist Cindy with the assessments. The volunteers will record data, measure trail width and note trail obstructions. Cindy will train volunteers as they work.
The next Assessment days will be Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11. Two volunteers are needed to work with Cindy each of these days from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Individuals do not have to commit to both days. However it is asked that individuals commit to a whole day.
Please bring a lunch and water. You will eat on the trail. Assessment will be done rain or shine – please dress appropriately for conditions. If you can help, please e-mail Jeanne Esch or Kathy Tuckerman.

Help Needed – Dune Climb Trailhead Work Bee

Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes have been working with the Park’s Natural Resources Division to select native plants to landscape the area around the Dune Climb Trailhead for the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. Dune grass and bearberry and a few types of trees were selected. The trees and dune grass were planted last fall but weeds and some invasive plants have taken over some of the dune grass areas.

Mary Ann and Dave Borton have been leading the effort to remove the invasive plants and weeds to give the dune grass a chance to establish itself.

They need your help! We will be working at the Dune Climb Trailhead  Wednesday, October 14 at 9:00 AM until noon. You can come for whatever amount of time you have. Bring gloves, a bucket or basket, weeding tools, etc.

Please come out and help get this part of the trail cleaned up. The work they did the last couple of weeks really looks good, but there is a lot more to be done and we could really use your help. Contact Mary Ann by phone at 708-220-1231 or by e-mail at m.a.bort@hotmail.com

For more details on these and other volunteer efforts visit the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes website.