US Senate Oks Bill To Protect Sleeping Bear Dunes

EMPIRE, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - U.S. Sen. Carl Levin says that northern Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore would enjoy greater protection under Senate-passed legislation designating 32,000 acres as wilderness.

The Senate voted Wednesday to approve the measure, which Levin and fellow Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow sponsored. The Democratic-led Senate approved a similar bill in December, but the Republican-led House failed to act on it.

Levin says the legislation preserves the Lake Michigan shoreline reserve "while providing important access to the lakeshore's recreational opportunities and cultural resources."

Levin has said that the action follows 13 years of work to update the 71,000-acre lakeshore's management plan. The park is headquartered in Empire. In the northwestern Lower Peninsula.

Meantime, the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau has nominated Sleeping Bear — in an international competition organized by VirtualTourist.com — as a contender to become the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Nearly 300 world destinations are competing for the title. Fans can vote online, through Sept. 30, HERE.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)