It is incredibly sad; the ecosystem of Sleeping Bear is fragile; the dunes easily exhibit the impacts of increased usage by humans. When I was on the Dune trail on Sleeping Bear point this spring, I noted the erosion is progressing from both natural and human impacts and walking off the side of the trail to avoid the more rigorous walk through looser sand–not to mention the lure of hiking off the trail increasing the impacts. With increased numbers of people, why is the park’s emphasis not on protecting nature instead of promoting more access at any cost?
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