Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

A mallet. A pumpkin. A way to cut down on landfill waste? Also this week: Sleeping Bear Dunes calls a halt to a trail expansion and Benzie County builds a safety net.

The decision comes after tribal concerns about the project's impacts on the environment and treaty rights.

The ferry operators say upcoming construction will render the docks inaccessible and put them out of business.

Critics worry about the environmental impact. The Park Service says strict regulations will protect the area.

A new report shows the final segment of the trail would require retaining walls in a critical dune area, plus boardwalk across wetlands.

The Great Lakes are home to the largest coastal dune ecosystem in the world. These vulnerable dunes support a variety of unique plants, insects, and animals – including an endangered, tiny bird.

North Manitou Island is like a petri dish. It shows what happens when the deer exhaust a food supply, and all the young plants and greenery are eaten to a nub. It’s a cautionary tale about the entangled fates of whitetail deer and the forests they inhabit.

North Manitou Island is like a petri dish. It shows what happens when the deer exhaust a food supply, and all the young plants and greenery are eaten to a nub. It’s a cautionary tale about the entangled fates of whitetail deer and the forests they inhabit.

Invasive insects can burrow inside firewood and ride along with visitors. But a new manufactured product could help keep forest pests out of the national lakeshore.