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July 8, 2002Loss of access tops park plan concerns- Sleeping Bear 20-year plan would limit access to some areas and some people, groups sayBy STACEY SMITHRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - The "preliminary preferred alternative" for the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore's 20-year general plan has drawn criticism from local and statewide groups. Concerns about the plan range from a loss of public access to acquiring county-owned roads to harming the fishing industry to killing deer on North Manitou Island. One member of the group Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear said he believes there are good points to the plan, but other parts could severally limit public access, making it difficult to teach the history of the park and the islands included in the park area. Michael Matts is the project coordinator for Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, a group dedicated to preserving and protecting the historic aspects of the park, including the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, the farm loop on South Manitou Island and the cottages on North Manitou Island. Matts said he appreciates the plan's focus on preservation and low to moderate use in sensitive areas. Limited public access, though, on both Manitou islands concerns Matts. It will be difficult to explain the historic and cultural significance of the South Manitou farm loop and North Manitou cottages if the areas are off limits to certain portions of the population, he said. With roads closed to become wilderness trails and a lack of vehicle transportation on the islands, the elderly and handicapped will not be able to tour the islands, Matts said. "The question becomes, 'How do you tell that story with limited access?'¡" Matts said. Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear has not drafted an official position on the plan, Matts said. Both islands were settled in the 1840s by the U.S. Lighthouse Service and European settlers. The islands became an important stopping point for ships on Lake Michigan, and South Manitou was the only natural harbor for 220 miles along the Lake Michigan shore. Today, North Manitou is accessible for overnight trips and hiking, but much of the island is wilderness. Under the new plan, ferry service would be increased to allow for day trips, but much of the island would be zoned primitive and the number of visitors to those areas may be restricted, according to the plan. The deer herd on the island - which the Park Service says isn't native - would also be eliminated. Day trips would still be allowed to South Manitou, but the Park Service said it may limit the number of island visitors there, too. The Service would also attempt to acquire and close eight miles of county-owned road on the island. The plan to eliminate the deer herd on North Manitou is what has Sam Washington of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs in Lansing concerned. Washington said he isn't convinced the deer aren't native to the island, since there have been cases where deer have crossed ice-covered bodies of water to get to other land. Washington said he is working to get other MUCC members to oppose the elimination of the deer herd. For the Leelanau County Road Commission, a major concern is the Park Service plan to acquire roads in the county. The plan calls for the Park Service to take control of about 30 miles of county-owned roads in Leelanau and on the two islands "when they become available." Road commission vice chair Lee Bowen, said many of those roads provide access to areas of the park and access for emergency services vehicles. Elimination of roads on South Manitou would limit access on the island for the elderly and handicapped individuals who want to view the giant cedar trees there, Bowen said. Bowen said the road commission will hold public hearings and seek comments from residents before making any decisions to relinquish county roads. The plan also has come under fire from Benzie County fishermen concerned about harm to the fishing industry and the overall economy of Benzie County if, as the plan calls for, the Department of Natural Resources stops planting coho salmon in the Platte River. Chuck Pecor, manager of the Platte River Fish Hatchery, said the DNR does not plan to stop planting coho. Still, the preferred alternative plan says the Park Service wants to "work with the DNR to return the lower Platte River system to a native fishery." Coho planting in the Platte started in the mid-1960s, Pecor said. The Benzie Fishery Coalition is concerned with more than the coho planting, said fishery president Ed McIntosh. "Words like 'low access' and 'highly restricted' indicate that the general public will be banned from most areas. The plan clearly discriminates against senior and disabled citizens who would not have the physical ability to hike or backpack along the trails expected to replace vehicular roads and trails now in place," he said. Three open houses are planned this week for the public to view and comment on the plan: - 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Sleeping Bear Dunes visitor center in Empire; - 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Traverse Area District Library; - 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Sail Inn Restaurant in Benzonia. Stacey Smith is the reporter for Leelanau, Manistee and Benzie counties. She can be reached at (231) 933-1408, or at ssmith@record-eagle.com |
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