Our Team

Check out the bio's of these 9 great folks below who all share a passion for everything Silver Lake!

MIKE COOK JR.
​
President

     Michael (Mike) is the President of the Silver Lake Recreation Association (SLRA), and has been serving on the SLRA Board since September 2015. Mike was born and raised in the Silver Lake area, graduating from Shelby High School and an avid “duner” his entire life.
     Mike and his wife (Sarah – graduate of Hart High School) were married on Silver Lake, not far from where they now live. They have one child (Levi – age 6), who attends Spitler Elementary School in Hart and Mike and Sarah are also active in the Hart PTO. The family enjoys riding the dunes on a very regular basis and traveling throughout the U.S.

PHIL "PJ" RICKARD
​
Vice President

Originally a Buckeye transplant from Ohio, Phil joined the SLRA in 2019 and assumed the website maintenance/analytics tasks thereafter. Since the mid-70's as a boy, he's been coming to the Silver Lake area with family and friends as a second-generation "Duner", where nearly every Summer was spent playing in the sandbox riding motorcycles or ATV's and driving Jeeps, trucks or anything else that burned gas for power! 
     "PJ" - as friends call him, is active in the Silver Lake Community where he/his family reside in nearby Hesperia and volunteer when-ever or where-ever they are needed. He's married to his beautiful bride Jenny, where they have two wonderful daughters Hanna and Chloe.

BILL CHAPIN
​
Treasurer

     Bill is a retired Builder/Recreational Organization Director and Mechanic. He has been working with land managers and legislators to create positive recreational off- road motorized riding opportunities since the mid 1970's. (You do the math!) 
     He says that he has garnered as much enjoyment creating these opportunities and events, as he has gotten from riding the great trails and dunes Michigan has to offer. Keeping it all available and safe for future generations to enjoy is his goal.

CRISTINE ORTWINE
​
Secretary / Founding Board Member

     Cristine is the current Secretary of the Silver Lake Recreation Association, where she first started visiting the area fifteen years ago - falling in love with the dunes and the surrounding lake waters. She has been involved with the organization from the start, where her involvement started with a joint effort between herself and Dave Martel.
​     Together, they organized a  parking lot volunteer team in an effort to organize more vehicles into the existing ORV lot. Her duties included recruiting, training and scheduling volunteers to assist in parking the numerous vehicles efficiently. 
     Cristine is a local resident of the area who is dedicated to making Silver Lake a better place for everyone.  

---

DOUG ALLEN
​
Board Member / Dune Groomer

     Doug was involved with our previous name, "SLORA" before it evolved into the SLRA. He became a board member in 2017 and started the grooming duties of the "test and tune" area on the dune flats.
He has been coming to Silver Lake for 44 years and has owned property since 1983. Silver Lake has been he and his wife's primary residence.
     Doug is a hard-core dirt biker who fell in love with the dunes and never looked back. His passion has made him want to help others see the area in the same light that he does and make their experience safe and fun.

DAVE MARTEL
​
Founding Board Member / Business
Owner

     Dave is also a founding board member for the Silver Lake Recreation Association, and the original Secretary for the SLRA. He has been very active in creating a platform for the dune community to have a collective voice to be represented on issues and improvements to the Silver Lake area. Dave also helped develop and guide the volunteer program for parking vehicles requiring vouchers at the state park.
     David is married to his lovely wife Tori and they have 4 children. His family spends almost every weekend at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes and they enjoy being a part of the dune community.

CHARLIE SMITH

Board Member / Business Owner

     Charlie joined the Silver Lake Recreation Association board in 2019 and has been coming to the area for 25 years. He is married to his wife Gale and they have one child, Scott Carlson. Charlie is ‘retired’ from a family business in Crystal Lake, Illinois and is the owner/operator of Duneland Off Road Center.
     Charlie was sold on Silver Lake from the very first visit. After Scott moved to Silver Lake in 2012 and their grandson Gavin was born, the frequency of the trips picked up and in 2016 they realized their dream of moving to Silver Lake.
     Charlie and Gale have many extended family members in the area and are year-round residents. They have been active in SLRA Dunes Cleanup, a friend to the M-DNR and take an active interest in the areas future planning by trying to do their part to help the community at large. He is also a familiar face at the Golden Township meetings.
     Charlie’s goal is to help improve the Silver Lake Recreational Area experience, as he really loves to see people with a smile, enjoying their passion.

ANDREW GEURINK

Board Member / Business Owner

Andrew also joined the SLRA board in 2019. He has been a fan of all things loud, fast and dune related since his family started going when he was a child. He has been married to his wife, Evie, for 5 years and has 2 children - Mason and Logan. Mason loves playing on the beach and the thrill of test hill, where he actually wanted to name his little brother “Dune”!
     Andrew considers the Silver Lake Recreational Area his home away from home and enjoys blasting his turbo “Grocery Getter” Tahoe across the flats and making memories with his family. He has been active and vocal in streamlining the process of getting into the dunes and making it an easy and enjoyable experience for everyone.

Lloyd Miller III
​
Board Member 

     Lloyd is the newest member to join the Board in 2022 and considers himself a “jack of all trades”. He enjoys the beauty of the Silver Lake area and loves helping people of the Dune Community.
     He and his lovely wife, Stefanie have been married since 2000, where they have 3 wonderful children; Lloyd IV "Chip" (21), Will (17) and Celeste (14). The Miller family discovered the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in the summer of 2008 and instantly fell in love! They visit as often as they can, calling the dunes their “happy place”.
     Lloyd looks forward to being a part of the SLRA to fulfill its commitment in assist M-DNR when needed and make the Silver Lake Area a fun and relaxing place for the entire community.

---