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July 10, 2002Dunes hearing attracts protestersBy TOM CARRRecord-Eagle staff writer EMPIRE - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is wild enough, people told National Park Service officials here Tuesday. About 200 people crammed into a room of the Sleeping Bear Dunes visitor center to ask questions and voice concerns about the possibility of closing roads to beaches, removing deer from North Manitou Island, making parts of the park harder to reach for those who are old or have handicaps and taking the coho salmon out of the Platte River. "Who does the park belong to?" asked Carolyn Roth of Honor at the first of three forums this week regarding the proposed plan. "I feel it's all of ours." The proposed measures are part of the initial draft of the service's proposed 20-year plan for the lakeshore. Park service officials tried to assure people they will take their concerns into account before devising a final plan. A final draft may be completed by winter, allowing for more public comment after its release, officials said. "We're going to spend a lot of time on this plan, trying to please as many people as we possibly can," said Marilyn Hof, chief planner for the park service's Denver Service Center. The people who attended the meeting found a lot to oppose in the first draft. Brian Albarado of Suttons Bay said he didn't want to see the deer herd taken off of North Manitou Island. "Hunters have done an excellent job of keeping the deer numbers down on the island," he said. "Why not keep the deer?" Several people were concerned about the proposed closing of certain roads, including Esch Road, which leads to Otter Creek Beach. "Is it the intent of this plan that I have to carry my grandchild three miles in to see a sunset and then carry him three miles back in the dark?" Ken Santer of Honor said. Colin Bohash had concerns on how that would affect Platte Township's fire department. The department takes water out of the lake off of Esch Road to fight fires, he said. He was also concerned that people with handicaps wouldn't be able to get to the beach if Esch were closed. Ronald Parker of Interlochen simply doesn't know how the park service can enforce any new laws. "You're not doing a good job of enforcing the ones you've got now," he said. "What makes you think you can make more rules?" Others said the plan to take coho salmon out of the Platte is opposed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and that it would hurt the local economy. Hof said the park service needs to "float the ideas" to the DNR before finalizing the plan. Michael Duwe, an environmental specialist for the park service, also said access to the beaches would not be eliminated under the plan, but that it would become more difficult. The other two forums will be today from 2-5 p.m. at the Traverse Area District Library and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Sail Inn Restaurant in Benzonia. |
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