"Bark Rangers" are being sought at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan/NPS

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan is hosting an orientation meeting for anyone interested in volunteering to serve as a “Bark Ranger.”

Bark Ranger volunteers and their canine companions serve as ambassadors on national lakeshore beaches to provide visitors information about the park, highlight pet policies, and pet safety. Bark Rangers will also help to protect the lakeshore’s nesting shorebirds.

Interested individuals (no dogs, please) can attend an orientation and training meeting on May 10, from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center, 9922 Front Street, Empire, MI 49630. You do not have to own a dog to become a Bark Ranger. Bark Rangers will receive training and Bark Ranger gear for their dog, if they choose to volunteer with their dog.

“We started this program last year and it was very successful," said lakeshore wildlife biologist Sue Jennings.

She said the park received numerous positive comments from visitors about the Bark Ranger program throughout the summer. Piper, the Traverse City Airport K-9, made a few special appearances to help promote the program and was a big hit with the visitors and the Bark Ranger volunteers.

Ms. Jennings noted dogs are welcome in the park as long as they are on a leash and stay on beaches that are open to dogs. Biologists are concerned about the potential impact unleashed dogs may be having on nesting shorebirds, particularly our piping plovers.

“We are seeing an increase in piping plover nest disturbances from dogs whose owners are not fully aware of the negative impact dogs can have on nesting plovers," she said. "The Bark Ranger volunteer program is a fun way to inform dog owners of our policies, help bridge the information gap, and protect our plovers.”

As of 2016, 28 of the 75 known piping plover pairs identified in the entire Great Lakes region make their temporary home at Sleeping Bear Dunes, which provides critical habitat to more than one-third of the entire breeding population of the Great Lakes Piping Plover.

“Volunteers play an integral role in our visitor education and outreach efforts,” Ms. Jennings said, “and can often make a greater impact leading by example.”