Dunes Still Under Attack as Summer Approaches

As a parent, I know how the calendar gets jammed up with all sorts of things, whether it's dance, sports, music, legomaniacs, STEM, lemonade stands, etc. It's hard enough to stay on top of what's happening within your own family much less stay on top of what's happening in your community or at the state level.

Rest-assured: it's almost summer time, which means some long-awaited R & R. Finally! For many Michiganders that brings to mind the sugar-sand beaches and world-class dunes of Lake Michigan. Beautiful, educational, recreational, habitat for endangered species, and much more; Pure Michigan, to be sure. I know I'll be on the shores of Lakes Michigan whenever I can this summer.

But, here's the bad news: the threats to the Saugatuck Dunes, one of the most pristine and amazing places along the Lake Michigan coastline, are still looming. Billionaire Aubrey McClendon continues to try and break the back of Saugatuck Township so that he can get the township zoning changed and move forward with his nine-story hotel, private marina, and 35 or so mini-mansions. He is looking to build all of that right on top of the dunes adjacent the State Park, Oxbow Summer Arts Camp, and the cultural mecca of Saugatuck/Douglas.

Michigan LCV has been involved in this struggle for the past many years, and are enormous supporters of the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance. But we are not alone in tracking this fight: The Wall Street Journal covered this issue; the Saugatuck Dunes were named "One of America's 11 Most Endangered Places" in 2010; and the citizens of Saugatuck Township voted to more fully fund the township's legal coffers in order to fend off McClendon's large and looming legal team.

This is, truly, a David vs Goliath story and one that deserves to be highlighted and shared widely. I'm so grateful to Cody Werme and Sal Maicki (two Saugatuck High School students) for making this cool video to tell the story!

So, yes, please enjoy your much-deserved days playing on the beach and hiking in the dunes. As you do, though, please remember to say "NO WAY!" to Aubrey McClendon along the way.