National Park Week 2015 Encourages Everyone To Find Your Park

Date: March 31, 2015

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) joins parks, programs and partners across the country to encourage everyone to find their park and share their stories online at FindYourPark.com. Launched on Monday, March 30 by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, Find Your Park is a public awareness and education campaign celebrating the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 and setting the stage for its second century of service. The campaign is co-chaired by First Lady Michelle Obama and former First Lady Laura Bush, and includes numerous celebrity spokespeople and corporate partners. Find Your Park invites the public to see that a national park can be more than a place--it can be a feeling, a state of mind, or a sense of American pride. Beyond vast landscapes, the campaign highlights historical, urban, and cultural parks, as well as the National Park Service programs that protect, preserve and share nature, culture, and history in communities nationwide. 

“Find Your Park” is also the theme for this year’s National Park Week, April 18-26. The National Park Service is waiving the park entry fee in celebration of National Park Week during the first weekend of National Park Week, Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. Fees waived include entrance fees and commercial tour fees.  Other fees such as reservations, camping, and concession fees are not included. All National Park Week special events at the National Lakeshore are also free.

There are many exciting National Park Week events planned at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, including a Star Party, scavenger hunt, and Junior Ranger Day activities. In particular, you can Find Your Park in the National Lakeshore’s spectacular night sky. To kick off the week, join park rangers and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society for a guided exploration of our night sky on Saturday, April 18 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. at Platte River Point. Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight.  

During the week, Find Your Park by using the “Find Your Park Scavenger Hunt,” which can be downloaded from www.nps.gov/slbe or picked up at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center. Then share your experiences on social media using #findyourpark.  Also, check out the National Lakeshore’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl and Twitter site www.twitter.com/sleepingbearnps for special daily “Find Your Park” posts at 4:00 p.m. 

Then on Saturday, April 25, Junior Rangers young and young-at-heart are invited to spend either the morning or afternoon participating in the National Lakeshore’s special Junior Ranger Day. Find Your Park with fun activities for all ages. Children can earn an official Junior Ranger Day badge. Meet park rangers at the D. H. Day Log Cabin to design your own arrowhead, paint on the beach, learn basic knot tying techniques, and other fun activities from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. or from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Then attend the swearing in of the National Lakeshore’s newest Junior Rangers at the cabin at 11:30 a.m. or  2:30 p.m. Refreshments will follow both ceremonies. Please park in Glen Haven and walk the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail to the log cabin in the D. H. Day Campground.  Accessible parking is available next to the log cabin and can be reached by traveling through the campground.  

“This is a wonderful time of year to explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and I hope you will Find Your Park in the Lakeshore’s National Park Week activities,” adds Superintendent Dusty Shultz. 

Visit www.NationalParkWeek.org to learn more about how you can join parks, programs, and partners in celebrating National Park Week across the country.