FLSP September 2021 eNewsletter

The kayak launch has been installed on Hamlin Lake.  Check it out the next time you are at the Ludington State Park.

Bob Sasin, FLSP President, checking out the new kayak launch 

Kayak Launch Installed!

With the help of FLSP volunteers and LSP staff, the kayak / canoe launch was installed on August 20. The concrete approach and the placement of two kayak racks for staging of kayaks had previously been completed. 


Even before the installation of the launch was completed, kayakers were using it.  If you have not seen the launch check it out!


A ribbon cutting for the kayak launch will be held on Tuesday, September 14.  All are invited to join in on the celebration as we recognize the many donors that made this possible. 


The State Park staff are continuing to work with DNR officials in Lansing on the approval to designate and install signage for the novice kayak / canoe trail to the north of the LSP Hamlin Beach. For move information visit the kayak page on the FLSP website. 

That's a Wrap!

Chloe Kimes and her band performing at the Lake MI Beach House.

Summer 2021 Events

People definitely wanted to get out this summer and enjoy some entertainment. Even with occasional weather challenges the summer entertainment programs were a great success. Thank you to Alan Wernette, State Park Interpreter at the Michigan DNR assigned to the Ludington State Park, for coordinating such a great lineup.   

Board Member Highlight

Dave Hall has enjoyed the Ludington State Park since the age of 4, when he began learning to ski on the hill behind the shelter hut on the Logging Road Trail.  If you look at that hill now, and see the size of all the trees behind it, you'll realize just how long that has been; the hill was quite bare in the Old Days.  

The park has changed considerably since then.

Dave Hall is a founding member of FLSP.

Some of the old CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) buildings were still present, and there were buildings, originally a girl scout camp, across the river from the Hamlin Lake beach.  He remembers a wooden toboggan run that started on a hill to the west of Cedars Campground, and went east across the present campground to end in a swampy area.  It was lighted at night, but eventually closed because it wasn't safe.  Over time, the facilities that could not be maintained have been removed, but others were preserved.  The dam has been repaired, the amphitheater built, a nature center built, then destroyed by heavy snow loads, the beach house restored, and about five trail shelters removed due to structural failure caused by erosion.  Many of the breakwalls built by CCC personnel have fallen apart.  Trails have changed.  When eagles moved on, the Eagles Nest trail became part of another.  The Beechwood Trail is now part of the Coast Guard Trail.  In the 1950s, dune buggies, now prohibited, carved new roads in some areas.  Nature is slowly covering their tracks and the traces of the early logging roads and camps. 

FLSP has also changed since 1992.  While still concerned with the park as a whole, it has recently adopted a philosophy of making it more accessible to all.  Notice the handicap accessible playground and the new kayak launch facility.   A handicap accessible canoe/kayak route with no portages is being considered. 

Dave has many interests including the continued preservation of the historical structures within the Ludington State Park (LSP).  He is also a conservationist who promotes the proper use of our natural resources through behind-the-scenes involvement .  Although he prefers to be a hermit, and tries to avoid joining any organization, in 1992 the potential value of the Friends of Ludington State Park led Dave to be a founding member of FLSP and he has been a Board Member ever since.  He conceived and laid out the canoe trail route in the ponds to the south of the park center.

Dave and his wife, Chrissie, enjoy calling Ludington home. They have resided here since returning in 1990, and try to hike in the park at least twice a week, year-around.  But the hills seem to be getting higher and the trails steeper. 

Volunteering for FLSP

Litter Pick-up

The third and final litter pick-up for 2021 will occur on September 21. We pick up litter along the northernmost 2 miles of the M-116 roadside leading into Ludington State Park. Please sign-up to help us by clicking here to register or email FriendsofLudingtonStatePark@gmail.com

Register to help with Ludington State Park Invasive Species Removal on Sunday, September 26 from noon to 2 p.m. 

Invasive Species Removal

How would you like to do a little physical work at the Ludington State Park?  Join Emily Leslie, Natural Resource Steward from the MI DNR as she coordinates a volunteer stewardship workday in the park on September 26.  Volunteers will be working to remove invasive shrubs from the park. 

For more information and to register visit the Ludington State Park Stewardship Volunteer Workday webpage or via email to LeslieE1@michigan.govFor more information about invasive species, please visit michigan.gov/Invasives.

FLSP Logo Wear

Gordys has joined the Friends of Ludington State Park as a business member. FLSP is pleased to announce you can now purchase FLSP logo wear at Gordys. Visit the store at 104 W Ludington Avenue or shop online

*** New Projects ***

Trackchair

Trackchairs are becoming increasingly popular at MI State Parks as another way to increase the accessibility to parks for those with mobility challenges. The FLSP has allocated $5,000 towards the $13,000 cost of purchasing a trackchair for the LSP. Click here for more information on the trackchair or to donate. 

Trackchairs are being used at other MI State Parks.

SeeCoast Viewer -

Enchroma Enabled 

Did you know that 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women are colorblind?  FLSP is raising funds to acquire a viewer for the LSP.  The viewer will allow more people to enjoy the beautiful colors as seen in the landscape from a walkway in the park. For more info click here.