The National Park Service says it has completed two prescribed at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park and once the area is secure, it will reopen for public access.
The park service conducted burns this week around the Lasso Loop of the Platte Plains Trail and between Peterson and Lasso roads totaling about 1,184 acres, including the 671-acre Lasso Loop fire and the 513-acre Peterson fire.
Operations were conducted over Sunday, May 10, and Monday, May 11, Facebook posts from the National Park show.
“Firefighters have concluded firing operations on the Peterson Prescribed Fire,” the NPS said in a Facebook post. “Visitors may occasionally see smoke within the secured fire line in the coming days. Please don’t report those sightings.”
Firefighters from the park service, the Michigan DNR and the Bureau of Land Management took part in the effort.
Visitors to the national park will occasionally see smoke within the secured fire line in the coming days, officials say, and the area will show evidence of burning until new growth sprouts.
The fires will assist in restoring forest habitat for species such as red pine while reducing smaller white pines, and improving habitat for Kirtland’s warblers while also reducing the threat of wildfires in the Platte Plains area of the national lakeshore.
“Prescribed fire in this area is used to maintain healthy ecosystems, replenish fire dependent ecosystems, reduce available fuels in areas, control encroaching vegetation, and assist with the management of invasive species,” a news release from Tuesday, May 5 reads.
Updates regarding burning activities will be posted as “alerts” on the park website.
What is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore?
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a popular tourist destination, and one of two national lakeshores in Michigan.
The lakeshore features 35 miles of beach on Lake Michigan, with seven swim areas, sand dunes up to 450 feet tall, trails, historic villages and museums, inland islands, camping, forests, rivers, inland lakes and a lighthouse, according to the National Park Service.
Where is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore?
The lakeshore lies along 35 miles of Lake Michigan’s eastern shoreline in west Michigan northwest of Traverse City. Nearby are the villages of Glen Arbor and Empire. The lakeshore is about 39 miles from Traverse City. M-22 runs north and south along the lakeshore.
How much does a visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes cost?
Entrance passes to the lakeshore include a $25 standard pass, with varying prices for larger vehicles; $45 annual pass and America the Beautiful pass at varying prices. There are also seven-day digital passes.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Park service burns 1,100 acres at Sleeping Bear Dunes. Why they did it
Reporting by Jalen Williams and Jenna Prestininzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
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