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Planning for the future is an important responsibility, and park management takes it very seriously. The legal mandates, health of the habitats within the park, preservation of the cultural and historical heritage, and public input all are considered in planning for each new project. Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) The National Park Service relies heavily on your input to help guide the stewardship of America's great natural and cultural resources. Our new, web-based software-Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC)-provides a way to review and comment on many plans and projects throughout the national park system. PEPC also helps facilitate communication among National Park Service employees, creating greater efficiencies. The web-based platform allows parks nationwide to easily share information on projects even when they are time zones apart. The software also helps project leaders better manage and track projects. You don't need to live close to a park to get involved with its planning activities. If you are a park neighbor, visitor or a distant admirer, PEPC makes it easy to comment on proposed or current projects by allowing you to post your comments on projects throughout the national park system. Foundation DocumentEvery unit, also commonly referred to as “parks”, of the National Park System has a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. Foundation documents are at the core of each park's planning portfolio. Each foundation document aims to answer several key questions, including:
General Management PlanThe Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore General Management Plan provides comprehensive guidance for perpetuating natural systems, preserving cultural resources, and providing opportunities for quality visitor experiences at the Lakeshore. The purpose of the plan is to decide how the National Park Service can best fulfill the Lakeshore’s purpose, maintain its significance, and protect its resources unimpaired for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Nearly three years in the making, the General Management Plan/Wilderness Study (GMP/WS) planning process began in early 2006 to replace the outdated 1979 GMP. National Park Service staff members conducted an extensive public involvement and outreach program, meeting with over 2,600 people in 97 informational meetings. The GMP/WS was crafted from the public comment received throughout the process and was finalized in 2009. The General Management Plan includes plans related to :
Public and scientific opinion of wildfire and prescribed fire has changed over recent history. At times fire was only though of negatively and we prioritized suppressing all fires, naturally occurring or otherwise. However, today, based on scientific research, the benefits of fire are better understood by natural resource management agencies. At our park, the Wildfire Management team aims to use fire to reduce fuel loads in a controlled way, as well as restore fire-dependent ecosystems thereby allowing visitors to continue to experience ecosystems that represent a bygone, wild component of Michigan’s history. Success StoriesIn May of 2019, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service staff conducted the first ever broadcast prescribed fire over a wide area at Sleeping Bear Dunes. This prescribed fire was carried out in the Platte Plains, an area in the southern part of the park that has fire-adapted species such as Jack Pines. News relating to the wildland fire management program at Sleeping Bear Dunes can be found on the park's news releases page.Current Plans Open to Public CommentThere are no plans open to public comment at this time.Documents Open for Public ReviewOther Plans and ProjectsAn archive of completed projects as well as projects without documents open for comment may be found on the PEPC website. Previous Plans Open to Public CommentPlans or projects and the associated documents posted for public comment are available through the Planning Environment & Public Comment. Project OverviewThe planning process began in early 2006 to replace the outdated 1979 General Management Plan. National Park Service staff members conducted an extensive public involvement and outreach program, meeting with over 2,600 people in 97 informational meetings. The GMP/WS was crafted from the public comments received throughout the process and was finalized in 2009. Project Overview
The National Park Service (NPS) at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) proposed to develop a trail system ("Kettles Trail") on federal lands in the Bow Lakes area of the National Lakeshore. The Bow Lakes area is a detached section of the National Lakeshore, created when a 1982 amendment of the National Lakeshore's enabling legislation authorized a boundary revision that added it to the park. Currently only the southern half of the Bow Lakes area is NPS property and the trail system will be confined to these federal lands lying south of Lanham Road. There are currently no National Lakeshore developments in this area. Project Overview Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) proposes to restore, as much as practicable, the hydrologic connection between the Mill Pond and Little Glen Lake. Circulation between the Mill Pond and Little Glen Lake used to occur via a small stream and wetland complex; however, the stream and wetland were replaced with a culvert when the roadway was built. The remaining wetland to the east side of State Highway M-109 (M‐109) was filled during the 1960s or 1970s. The Mill Pond is now connected to Little Glen Lake under M-109 by 90 feet of 36-inch culvert. This culvert becomes blocked by mud, weeds and debris, and little to no circulation occurs between the Mill Pond and Little Glen Lake. The water that does flow from the Mill Pond under the roadway passes through a 130-foot long channel to reach Little Glen Lake. Project OverviewThe National Park Service (NPS) at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) that provides alternatives for addressing historic landscape management activities in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District (Port Oneida). The Port Oneida Historic Landscape Management Plan/EA proposed desired future resource conditions for the Port Oneida landscape and an array of historic landscape management treatments. Implementation of these historic landscape management treatments would result in meeting the desired future resource conditions for Port Oneida. Since the end of agricultural activity in Port Oneida, historic spatial patterns have incrementally deteriorated. The physical and visual connections between landscape features, agricultural buildings, and community landmarks have diminished, and the number and diversity of historic plant materials has decreased. The overall result, which signified the need for the EA, is diminished integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association in the historic landscape; the qualities that make up historic integrity. The NPS seeks to prevent any further loss of integrity through the development and implementation of the selected alternative. Project OverviewSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) that provides an array of alternatives for addressing issues at Lake Michigan Overlooks 9 and 10 on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a 7.4 mile self-guided auto tour that provides visitors insight into the history of the area, a sample of vegetative communities, and overlooks of Glen Lake, the Sleeping Bear Dunes, North and South Manitou Islands, and Lake Michigan. This highly-visited site attracts over 200,000 people each year to overlooks that afford spectacular views. It is the only location in the National Lakeshore where visitors can access these views by a short walk from their vehicles. The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT) is a hard-surfaced, multi-use trail paralleling M-22 and M-109, planned for 27 miles through the Lakeshore. More than twenty miles have been completed already. It provides a safe, non-motorized, multi-use transportation alternative connecting the Lakeshore’s main visitor destinations with Glen Arbor and Empire. The SBHT gives walkers, runners, wheelchair users, bicyclists, cross-country skiers, baby strollers, and rollerbladers a safe, enjoyable, and car-free way to access and explore the Lakeshore and neighboring communities. The SBHT idea came from the Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route (LSHR) Committee. The State of Michigan designated the LSHR in 2002 to promote measures which preserve and enhance the scenic, historical, and recreational characteristics of Michigan Highways 22, 109, and 204 as they traverse the rural countryside and unique villages of Leelanau County, including Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Types of Management PlansEnvironmental Assessments (EA)The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is landmark environmental protection legislation establishing as a goal for federal decision-making a balance between use and preservation of natural and cultural resources. NEPA requires all federal agencies to: (1) prepare in-depth studies of the impacts of and alternatives to proposed major federal actions; (2) use the information contained in such studies in deciding whether to proceeds with the actions; and (3) diligently attempt to involve the interested and affected public before any decision affecting the environment is made. An Environmental Assessment (EA) is a planning tool that is used to explore alternatives and determine whether those alternatives will have significant impacts. EAs are made available to the public for review and comment. If the EA reveals that the proposed action will have a significant impact, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) must be prepared (see next section). If the EA reveals that there will not be significant impacts, a decision document is prepared and signed (see below). Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)NEPA requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) whenever park management proposes an action whose impacts on the natural and/or human environment may be significant. An EIS will include a range of alternatives that will be evaluated for potential impacts. EISs are made available for public review and comment. Park managers may proceed with a decision document (see below) following the public review process. Record of Decision Documents (ROD)If an EA reveals that there will be no significant impacts, a preferred alternative is selected, and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) will be prepared. A FONSI is an explanation of why the selected action will have no significant effects on the natural or human environment. It is based on the EA and the comments of agencies and the public. The FONSI is signed by the Regional Director of the National Park Service. At the conclusion of an EIS, a Record of Decision (ROD) must be signed. The ROD describes the ultimate choice of an alternative, mitigation measures to reduce impacts, and the decision rationale. The ROD is signed by the Regional Director of the National Park Service. Development Concept Plans (DCP)A Development Concept Plan (DCP) is used for larger development proposals within the park (i.e., a new visitor center), or where planning for the future of the park encompasses a large area. A DCP explores alternatives and lays out a conceptual framework for park managers to follow in the future. DCPs frequently include an EA so that the impacts of the alternative concepts can be evaluated. DCPs are made available for public review and comment. Management PlansGeneral management plans are required for all units of the national park system and are intended to establish the future management direction of a park unit. Management Plans provide guidance to park managers on various topics and are available upon request at the Visitor Center. |
Last updated: October 4, 2024