Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the northeastern coast of Lake Michigan in Michigan protects 35 miles of shoreline, massive perched sand dunes rising up to 450 feet above the lake, pristine inland lakes, dense beech-maple forests, and two offshore wilderness islands — North and South Manitou. The national lakeshore was established in 1970, and in 2011 viewers of ABC's "Good Morning America" voted its beaches the "Most Beautiful Place in America." The park's name derives from a Chippewa (Ojibwe) legend in which a mother bear and her two cubs swam across Lake Michigan to escape a forest fire; the mother bear waited on the bluff for her cubs, who drowned and became the Manitou Islands, while she became the Sleeping Bear Dune. The park's diverse ecosystems support endangered piping plovers and over 100 species of migratory birds.
📚 Learn More at NPSHistory.com →At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the natural world tells its own story. Decades of scientific observation have documented changes to this landscape — changes that are visible to every visitor who walks these trails. The interpretive materials now under review present this documented scientific record.
Why this matters: The environmental changes documented at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are based on decades of scientific observation and measurement. Visitors can see these changes with their own eyes. Removing references to documented science from interpretive materials doesn't reverse the changes — it only leaves visitors without the information they need to understand what they're witnessing.
Text for review: Increasing occurrences of volatile weather, due to climate change, is impacting this beach and others throughout the park.
Long before Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore became a national park, this land was home to Indigenous peoples whose connection to it spans thousands of years. The interpretive materials now being reviewed tell their story — often developed through years of formal tribal consultation, as required by federal law.
Why this matters: The Indigenous history presented at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was developed through formal tribal consultation — a legal requirement under federal law. The language being reviewed was often specifically requested by tribal nations whose ancestors lived on this land for thousands of years. Revising it without renewed consultation would violate both the spirit and the letter of that process.
Text to review: Seeds of invasive plants stick to your shoes. Walking off boardwalks and designated trails spreads invasive species that crowd out native plants.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in MI preserves a piece of American history that the public has trusted the National Park Service to protect and interpret. The interpretive materials at this site have been developed over years by historians, subject-matter experts, and park staff — and are now being reviewed under Secretary's Order 3431.
Why this matters: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is part of a network of over 400 national parks that serve as America's classrooms. The interpretive materials here were developed by subject-matter experts to help visitors understand the full story of this place. When historically accurate content is removed, the public loses access to its own history.
Text to review: Quagga mussels, an invasive species, consume phytoplankton at an alarming rate. Sometimes clear water is not a good sign.
Long before Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore became a national park, this land was home to Indigenous peoples whose connection to it spans thousands of years. The interpretive materials now being reviewed tell their story — often developed through years of formal tribal consultation, as required by federal law.
From the internal review records: “Text to review: During the 1800s, the various communities of Ottawa/ Odawa in Northern Michigan had to make difficult choices in order to stay in their ancestral homelands. Federal Indian removal policies were meant to move them west of the Mississippi River. The growing number of Euro-American settlers wanted their lands. Diseases were devastating all tribal populations. Yet despite these immense...”
Why this matters: The Indigenous history presented at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was developed through formal tribal consultation — a legal requirement under federal law. The language being reviewed was often specifically requested by tribal nations whose ancestors lived on this land for thousands of years. Revising it without renewed consultation would violate both the spirit and the letter of that process.
Text to review: During the 1800s, the various communities of Ottawa/ Odawa in Northern Michigan had to make difficult choices in order to stay in their ancestral homelands. Federal Indian removal policies were meant to move them west of the Mississippi River. The growing number of Euro-American settlers wanted their lands. Diseases were devastating all tribal populations. Yet despite these immense obstacles, the Odawa maintained a place at home here.
Long before Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore became a national park, this land was home to Indigenous peoples whose connection to it spans thousands of years. The interpretive materials now being reviewed tell their story — often developed through years of formal tribal consultation, as required by federal law.
Why this matters: The Indigenous history presented at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was developed through formal tribal consultation — a legal requirement under federal law. The language being reviewed was often specifically requested by tribal nations whose ancestors lived on this land for thousands of years. Revising it without renewed consultation would violate both the spirit and the letter of that process.
In 1836, you’re shown a treaty and coerced to sign away land you’ve occupied for millenia. But unlike other tribes, you are strong enough to resist displacement and remain in northern Michigan today.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in MI preserves a piece of American history that the public has trusted the National Park Service to protect and interpret. The interpretive materials at this site have been developed over years by historians, subject-matter experts, and park staff — and are now being reviewed under Secretary's Order 3431.
From the internal review records: “Text to review: conservation was not always a priority at Sleeping Bear Dunes. After D. H. Day died in 1928, his daughter Marion married his chauffeur, Louis Warnes. The newlyweds took over her father’s store in Glen Haven and began renting horses to visitors who wanted a unique view of the dunes.”
Why this matters: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is part of a network of over 400 national parks that serve as America's classrooms. The interpretive materials here were developed by subject-matter experts to help visitors understand the full story of this place. When historically accurate content is removed, the public loses access to its own history.
Text to review: conservation was not always a priority at Sleeping Bear Dunes. After D. H. Day died in 1928, his daughter Marion married his chauffeur, Louis Warnes. The newlyweds took over her father’s store in Glen Haven and began renting horses to visitors who wanted a unique view of the dunes.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in MI preserves a piece of American history that the public has trusted the National Park Service to protect and interpret. The interpretive materials at this site have been developed over years by historians, subject-matter experts, and park staff — and are now being reviewed under Secretary's Order 3431.
From the internal review records: “Text to review: Warming Waters Warmer lake water means less winter ice, once thick enough for island ressidents to cross to the mailand. Without this ice to stablize the shores, erosion from winter storms increeases and impacts island docks. How will the shorelines change in the nextt 100 years?”
Why this matters: The environmental changes documented at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are based on decades of scientific observation and measurement. Visitors can see these changes with their own eyes. Removing references to documented science from interpretive materials doesn't reverse the changes — it only leaves visitors without the information they need to understand what they're witnessing.
Text to review: Warming Waters Warmer lake water means less winter ice, once thick enough for island ressidents to cross to the mailand. Without this ice to stablize the shores, erosion from winter storms increeases and impacts island docks. How will the shorelines change in the nextt 100 years?
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