The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is now working on the next management plan for Van Buren State Park near South Haven, and it’s asking for the public to chime in.

The management plans help guide developments at state parks for about ten years at a time, and the DNR’s Debbie Jensen tells us a draft plan for Van Buren State Park is now available. She says the document includes some projects that are already getting started.

“One of those is to work on the access to the swimming beach area, which had some erosion to it a few years ago,” Jensen said. “And the other one, which isn’t so exciting for the public, is we need to do some repairs to the sanitary system.”

Jensen says the draft management plan also lays out some goals for future years.

“We do want to do some improvements to the trail system. We’ve already made some changes to our mapping to map some more of the trails that are used. We would love to do some interpreted signage and wayfinding signage.”

They’re also looking at improvements to the camping areas and trailhead.

Jensen says the DNR will hold a public meeting on June 3 at the South Haven Township Hall from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to hear from users of the park. Everyone’s invited to come chat with DNR planners and offer their thoughts. There’s also an online survey available.

The 400 acre Van Buren State Park offers a mile of Lake Michigan beach, towering dunes, a modern campground, trails, and a day-use area. It also has trails that connect to several larger trail systems, including one that goes straight to the city of South Haven.