Access Denied? Neighbors are Up in Arms over a Plan to Return the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore to Wilderness

July 10, 2002

The rumors are raging like a forest fire all along the coast of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore: Otter Creek Beach? It will be closed to traffic. Coho salmon in the Platte River? Gone for good. Kids running in the sand on the plateau above the Dune Climb? Forget it.
But park officials respond that those decisions are far from final, and some -- such as the closing of county roads in the park -- may never come to pass.
“We‘re not even close -- these are just some general directions we‘re looking at at this time,“ says Michael Duwe, a planner and conservation specialist at the park who was part of a team that prepared the report that‘s raising a ruckus.
Nonetheless, those are just a few of the issues which have stirred Benzie County to the boiling point over the past two weeks as the news sinks in regarding a plan to return the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore to a wilderness area -- circa 1780.
“You can‘t find anyone who agrees with this plan,“ says Ed McIntosh, president of the Benzie Fishery Coalition. “People here are very disturbed by it.“
McIntosh and many neighbors of the park feel that “Alternative 4,“ the preliminary preferred option of the National Park Service outlined in its Spring newsletter, will place much of the park off limits to visitors and ruin Benzie County‘s economy to boot.
“The plan calls for creating a wilderness area for virtually all of western Benzie County,“ he says. “It would include closing 14 miles of roads and 9 miles of beaches.“

CONFUSION REIGNS
Last week, a pamphleteer strolled Otter Creek Beach, passing out literature blasting the plan, and it was a consuming topic at bars, restaurants and street corners throughout the county.
“There‘s a lot of scuttlebutt -- people are really confused and asking why?“ says Danielle Horvath, a writer who covers Benzie County for the Express. She says confusion is amplified by the fact that many locals feel the park is already in an orderly, well-run state of affairs with few problems regarding crowds, litter or bad behavior. “There‘s a huge opposition here. Huge.“
But parts of the plan have its supporters. Michael Matts, project coordinator for Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, said he was encouraged by the plan‘s intention to preserve a number of historic sites in the park, such as Cottage Row on South Manitou Island.
And of note, there is also an Alternative 1 in the plan which calls for “no action“ to be taken at the park. Although Alternative 4 is the park‘s preference, there‘s still more than a year of debate and fine-tuning before the final plan is published in the fall of 2003. The plan is scheduled to be presented at public meetings being held in Leelanau, Benzie and Grand Traverse counties this week.

ROAD CLOSINGS UNLIKELY
Under Alternative 4, a major goal would be to return much of the park to the pristine wilderness condition that existed prior to the arrival of white settlers. Duwe says that‘s National Park Service policy and that parks routinely review their progress to that goal every 20 years. Parks routinely try to acquire county roads to achieve the wilderness goal.
Under the park‘s preferred option, the only motorized access to Sleeping Bear‘s southern beaches would be via the road at Riverside Canoe livery leading to the mouth of the Platte River; all other county roads to beaches would be purchased, closed and turned into hiking trails. For those trying to access the popular Otter Creek Beach at the end of Esch Road, that would mean a walk of several miles, including a 300-foot hill.
But that long hike may never come to pass, says Duwe, because the Benzie County Road Commission would have to agree to sell the park its roads.
“People ask what the chances are of purchasing the county roads which run through the park, and we say zero-to-100 percent, depending on the number of years you‘re talking about,“ Duwe says. “It could be 100 years from now for all we know.“
Duwe notes that the park system bought the county roads on South Manitou Island years ago, and the plan simply envisions a time when Benzie County may find it desirable to sell its access to beaches such as Otter Creek.
“One thing we‘d like to make clear is that in no alternatives are we proposing to close any beaches,“ he adds.

OUT OF BOUNDS
As is the case with parks in the American West, vast areas of Sleeping Bear would be designated as “ecologically sensitive“ or as “backcountry“ with restrictions on access that Duwe concedes are likely to be controversial.
Then there‘s the fishing issue. A week ago, the Benzie Fishery Coalition held a meeting attended by more than 100 area residents at the Sail Inn in Benzonia to discuss the park‘s plan to return the Platte River to a “native fishery,“ meaning that coho salmon would no longer be stocked in the river. It‘s a devastating prospect for the area which relies heavily on tourist income from sportsmen. The village of Honor hosts an annual Coho Salmon Festival each August to celebrate its role as the birthplace of the coho‘s placement in Michigan in the 1960s.
McIntosh says that fishermen were initially angered that their longstanding attempts to work with the park on a boat ramp for Platte Bay were rebuffed, “but we soon realized that the ramp was a miniscule concern by contrast to the wilderness plan.“
The plan is also seen as a threat to the local economy.
“Most businesses are picking up on the fact that this will have a disastrous effect on the economy of Benzie County and perhaps Leelanau County as well,“ McIntosh says.

UNDER REVIEW
Duwe says there will be a long public comment process with numerous bureaucratic procedures to go through before the final plan is published in 2003. He adds that returning Sleeping Bear to its wilderness roots has been under discussion for the past 20 years with input from local citizens.
But that‘s not how critics see it.
“All people can ask whenever they hear about this plan is ‘why?‘“ McIntosh says. “When the park was established in 1970, it was as a gift by the people of Benzie County and the State of Michigan to create a recreation and conservation area that would be free of condos and development on the bluffs. But that meant a recreation area, not returning the park to a wilderness.“
McIntosh adds that the proposed scenic corridor through the park will only make it harder for tourists and resident alike to access Sleeping Bear. “It‘s a tunnel. You‘ll be able to drive down it and read about the things you can‘t go and look at.“

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SIDEBAR (with box, please):

FLASH POINTS:
Following are some of the more controversial points in the park‘s preferred option:
• Removal of the non-native species deer herd on North Manitou Island, which are destructive of the hardwoods forest there. The move would end hunting on the island. The island‘s airstrip, orchard and fields would be reforested.
• Placing the Sleeping Bear Dunes Plateau above the Dune Climb off limits. The climb itself would remain open.
• Esch Road would be closed and converted to a hiking trail to Otter Creek Beach. Other roads to beaches would also be closed.
• Access to Lake Michigan from the Empire Bluff Trail would be prohibited.
• The Good Harbor Picnic Area and Lake Michigan Road would be closed.
• M-22 and M-109 would be sealed off as a scenic corridor, with side roads sealed off.
• “In popular areas, such as North Bar Lake, steps may need to be taken to avoid overuse, including temporarily closing the area to visitors once a certain use level is met.“ The Dunes surrounding North Bar Lake would be off limits.
• D.H. Day Group Campground and the Carmichael House would be removed.
• Motorized tours would cease on South Fox Island.

NEW SERVICES
Expanded services within the Lakeshore would include the following:
• Increased daily ferry service to North and South Manitou islands.
• Additional interpretive exhibits, exhibits and signage throughout the park.
• Additional trails, backcountry campgrounds, bike paths and access for canoeing and kayaking would be created throughout the park.
• Historical buildings and landscapes will be preserved or rehabilitated.