Extended Schedule - September Bike Tours at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Date: August 30, 2010
Contact: Lisa Myers, 231-326-5134

Superintendent Dusty Shultz announces the continuation of the 2010 bicycle tour program at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), Interpretive Park Ranger Ryan Locke will lead bicycle tours that focus on how invasive species are affecting our natural and cultural resources here on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Thanks to GLRI funding, the park is able to continue these new programs this fall in the form of a sunset bicycle cruise and a morning ride.

The GLRI is funding many ecological restoration projects around the Great Lakes, including several at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It also has an educational component intended to let people know about the threats posed to the Great Lakes by invasive species. "As the summer season is winding down, the GLRI is continuing to provide park visitors and locals the opportunity to learn about the National Lakeshore with a knowledgeable bike guide," said Superintendent Shultz.

Participants will pedal two different routes; one each on Fridays and Saturdays, with the new schedule beginning on September 3. The rides are considered moderate in difficulty, with brief stretches of uphill, and cover between seven and ten miles, lasting approximately two hours. Topics include:

• Aliens in the Ecosystem! South of Empire, through an agricultural landscape, ghost town, and former logging area. Fridays at 5:00 p.m.
  
  
• Discovering the Changing Landscape: North of Glen Arbor, through the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. Saturdays at 10:00 a.m.

No reservations are needed, and participants need only purchase the park entrance pass to join in the fun ($10.00/vehicle valid for seven days or $20.00/vehicle for an entire year). When planning to attend a program, be prepared for all kinds of weather, dress appropriately, and wear a bike helmet. It is recommended that participants be 10 years of age or older. For more information about the schedule, meeting locations, or other Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore activities, please call the Visitor Center at 231-326-5134, ext. 328.