Another Strong Season for the Preventive Search and Rescue Program
By Amy Orzel
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes’ PSAR program had one of its busiest and most impactful seasons yet! This season, our dedicated PSAR volunteers spent hundreds of hours walking trails, educating visitors, assessing conditions, and being ready to help when needed. Their early interventions can often make the difference between a close call and a life-threatening emergency at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
A team of 11 volunteers contributed 649 hours of vital work helping visitors stay safe throughout the park, and they made almost 50,000 visitor contacts — 15,000 more than last year. Remarkably, on Labor Day weekend, when park visitation surged, PSAR volunteer Jim Patton made contact with approximately 1,500 visitors in a single day!
These interactions are the heart of PSAR’s impact. Volunteers connect with visitors at important sites and discuss dune safety, hydration, weather, trail conditions, and how to navigate the park’s physical demands and riskier areas of terrain. They are instrumental in helping people recognize potential hazards before they become emergencies.
Because PSAR volunteers are already out in the park talking with visitors and monitoring conditions, they can often provide an important first response, too. This season, they also provided 59 hiker assists and participated in more than 13 search-and-rescue incidents.
With nearly 50,000 visitor contacts this season, PSAR volunteers have helped make Sleeping Bear Dunes a much safer place to explore. We’re so grateful to every PSAR volunteer who gives their time, knowledge, and energy to this work each summer!
Support Our Dunes: Help Keep This Vital Program Running
Our PSAR program—and the incredible safety net it provides—runs entirely on volunteer power and community support. It takes resources to keep our volunteers trained, equipped with safety gear, and stocked with emergency water to assist struggling hikers.
If you love Sleeping Bear Dunes and want to help us keep visitors safe to enjoy the park all season long, please consider making a donation today. Every dollar helps us support essential programs like PSAR!