Sleeping Bear Dunes Bay to Bay Paddle/Backpack Trail (2014)

Contact full name: 
Barbara Nelson-Jameson
Project Status: 
Project in Progress
Year project was Completed: 
2014
Client Organization: 
National Park Service - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA)
Client Website: 
National Park Service - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA)
Client is confirmed: 
yes
Secondary Client Organization: 
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes
Secondary Client Website: 
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes
Secondary Client Confirmed: 
yes
SNRE Faculty Advisor: 
Bob Grese
Advisor Confirmed: 
yes
Master Students Involved in Project: 
  • Han-Yu Chan, MS Conservation Ecology
  • Emily Lauderdale, MLA
  • Sachin Shahria, MS Sustainable Systems
  • Shuting Wang, MLA
  • Fei Zhao, MLA
City: 
Empire
Contact Phone: 
(231) 334-3130
State or Country: 
MI
Contact e-mail: 
barbara_nelson-jameson@nps.gov
Contact information: 
I am an SNRE alum
I am a staff member of a potential client organization
Other
If Other: 
SNRE Student Contact: Emily Lauderdale, MLA 2014 ejlauder@umich.edu (920) 750-1740
Job title: 
Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, Michigan Program Director
Project Location : 
Empire, MI
Summary of Project Idea: 

The Bay to Bay Paddle/Backpack Trail will be a water and backcountry hiking trail that runs the length of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Lake Michigan coast line from Platte Bay in the south to Good Harbor Bay in the north (approximately 30 miles). The trail will include several Lake Michigan access points for kayakers and canoeists to put in and take out as well as 3-5 rustic backcountry campgrounds to provide overnight camping for through hikers and paddlers. The trail will utilize existing trailheads or beach access points and at least one existing backcountry campground. The hiking trail will be primarily on Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore land except where it passes through the villages of Empire and Glen Arbor.

Students would work with the National Park Service and Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes to develop and facilitate the Bay to Bay Trail planning process.  Students will also help conduct the resource inventory and assessment to identify trail route and development alternatives as part of the NEPA Compliance - Environmental Assessment Process. The project will involve GIS mapping for the trail route/s and campground locations and the design of trails, campgrounds and signage.  Developing cost estimates for the trail project and an implementation/action plan would also be an integral part of the project.

In addition to the Sleeping Bear Dunes Bay to Bay Trail project, students will also have the opportunity to work with NPS-RTCA, The City of Warren, MI, Friends of the Clinton River and the Detroit Greenway Coalition with planning and conducting a design charette for the Red Run Nature Center and Trail System.

This short, intensive planning effort will allow the SNRE team to work a NPS/RTCA Team of landscape architects on an urban outdoor recreation/conservation project (in contrast to the natural/backcountry recreation project type of the Bay to Bay trail).

Skills/Expertise Needed: 
  • knowledge of landscape architecture design within a naturalistic/open space context
  • knowledge of landscape planning
  • knowledge of GIS; remote sensing
  • writing skills
  • knowledge of environmental impact assessments
  • analytical skills
  • communication/presentation skills
  • project and management plan development skills
SNRE Program Areas: 
Conservation Ecology (Aquatic Sciences, Terrestrial Ecosystems, and Conservation Biology)
Environmental Policy and Planning
Environmental Informatics
Landscape Architecture
Professional Career Development Benefits: 

Students will have the opportunity to work within a National Park Unit with NPS planners and staff and learn about park planning, environmental compliance, and park management and operations.  They will work in partnership with NPS Outdoor Recreation Planners, Friends Groups, municipalities, and recreation user groups and recreation providers to plan and design backcountry facilities and a recreation experience as well as an urban outdoor recreation facility and outdoor education experience.   They will have the opportunity to attend and possibly present a poster session at the Society for Outdoor Recreation Professionals conference in Traverse City, MI in May 2013.

Funding Sources: 

The National Park Service (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program) can provide office space and seasonal housing while the student team is in the area for field work, project team meetings, etc. RTCA and Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes will look into additional funding sources to cover student travel to and from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and/or City of Warren, and costs associated with project material and supplies. 

Identify expected products/deliverables: 

The Bay to Bay Paddling and Hiking Trail Environmental Assessment, Development and Implementation Plan, and Signage and Visitor Information System - leading to construction of  the 30+ mile Bay to Bay Trail.  The Red Run Greenway and Outdoor Education Development Concept Plan, cost estimates and funding strategy, including Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund grant submittal.