Sleeping Bear Dunes Launches Black Bear Study
A three-year research project backed by a $165,000 grant will track the park's black bear population and diet.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in National Parks
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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has launched its first black bear research study, funded by a $165,000 National Park Foundation grant awarded to Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes. The three-year project is one of 30 projects the foundation funded across the national park system.
Why it matters
Forest changes from multiple pests and scarcer natural food may be increasing conflicts between humans and bears in the area. The study aims to clarify how bears in Michigan's park are using human food.
The study will use hair samples from barbed-wire snares baited to identify which bears eat human food, a method not previously used at Sleeping Bear. Male black bears can weigh up to 400 pounds and range across 100 square miles, and the park draws over 1.5 million visitors a year.
The players
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
A federally protected lakeshore on Michigan's coast known for its towering dunes and popular hiking trails.
National Park Foundation
The congressionally chartered nonprofit that supports the National Park Service through grants and private fundraising.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
The state agency responsible for managing Michigan's wildlife, forests, and natural resources, including bear relocations.
The details
A University of Wisconsin team will lead the investigation, which uses non-invasive hair snares to collect samples. Park officials cited a 2024 incident in which a bear raided Grocer's Daughter chocolate shop in Empire and took a 50-pound bag of sugar, and Michigan Department of Natural Resources staff later captured and relocated the animal after a second attempted break-in.
Timeline
2023: Nine bear warning signs were installed along part of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail below Alligator Hill.
2024: A black bear raided Grocer's Daughter chocolate shop in Empire.
2026: The National Park Foundation received more than 200 grant proposals.
2027: Project planning year for the bear study.
2028: Data gathering for the study takes place.
Big Picture
The grant is one of 30 projects funded through the National Park Foundation, whose program supports park-level science across the national park system. The Sleeping Bear effort adds a Michigan case to that work as human-bear conflicts grow at parks nationwide.
Visitors to Sleeping Bear Dunes should store food securely and heed the bear warning signs posted along the Heritage Trail. Campers at sites such as Platte River and D.H. Day have reported black bear sightings, so keeping food and scented items out of reach is advised.
The takeaway
Reducing human food access is key to keeping bears wild, and visitors can help by keeping food sealed and storing it properly in parks like Sleeping Bear Dunes. The study's results could shape how Michigan manages human-bear encounters in the years ahead.
What happens next
Project planning is slated for 2027, with data gathering in 2028 and findings presented in 2029.
Further reading
For more on the state's protected landscapes, explore National Parks coverage across Michigan.
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