Today at 10 a.m., Ronald Liesemer, PH. D., Vice-President of Citizens for Access to the Lakeshore (CAL) from Benzie County, and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, MI-02, will testify at a  Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee hearing on H.R. 977, a bill introduced this year by Huizenga.

Watch their testimony live here starting at 10 a.m.

 H.R. 977 would preserve and maintain access to the 32,000 acres of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as outlined by the General Management Plan and Wilderness Study. U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, MI-02, co-sponsored the bill with U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, MI-04; an identical measure was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, D-MI.

“With an average yearly visitation of 1.2 million people and an estimated economic impact of $78 million per year, protecting and maintaining access to the Lakeshore is absolutely vital as its economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism,” Huizenga said. “Congress should recognize and act on those policies and recommendations in which the public has been fully engaged. The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act demonstrates how the process can and should work. The local citizens and stakeholders have invested significant time and effort in working with us and with the National Park Service in developing the appropriate policies for this area.”

 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was named the “Most Beautiful Place in America” earlier this year by ABC’s Good Morning America.

Click here for more on this morning’s hearing at the Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.