Most of you have likely heard the great news from Saugatuck – the 177 acres linking Saugatuck’s Oval Beach to the mouth of the Kalamazoo River have been acquired by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan from Oklahoma billionaire Aubrey McClendon. The land will be turned over to the City of Saugatuck in the next few years to be managed as the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area. A multitude of people worked collaboratively over the past seven years to help preserve this land, including (but certainly not limited to): activists and many activist organizations; philanthropists; the Natural Resources Trust Fund Board who granted $10.5 million for the acquisition; the conservancy community; elected and appointed officials, especially State Senator Birkholz; and an assortment of determined individuals. This is a terrific victory for Michigan and the Great Lakes.

However, the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area is directly across the Kalamazoo River from the area where McClendon is now proposing a major marina development -- a 70-slip marina, hotel (initially proposed at 9-stories), restaurants, retail shops, and a nearly 10-fold increase in housing density (all prohibited under current zoning).

The proposed marina development, now nearly completely surrounded by publicly-funded designated Natural Areas (the Saugatuck Dunes State Park Natural Area is McClendon’s northern neighbor), would likely be located over the buried ghost town of Singapore. Such a massive development would become the primary visual feature in the Saugatuck Dunes degrading the important viewsheds of several historic sites, including: Ox-Bow School of Art where the dunes have inspired painters for over one hundred years; the Schooner Dune Rides, one of only a few remaining dune rides in the U.S.; the historic Lighthouse Cottage; Mt. Baldhead Dune and Park; Saugatuck’s Oval Beach and the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area.

The ecological integrity of the dunes – one of the most active spots along Lake Michigan for breeding/nesting pairs of the endangered Prairie Warbler and habitat to several other threatened/endangered species – is also at risk. Imagine the number of car trips per day through this rare duneland if McClendon is successful in changing zoning.

Through specious lawsuits, threatened lawsuits, tax appeals, zoning appeals, and questionable depositions, McClendon’s attorneys have tried to intimidate Township officials into changing zoning to allow for his proposed marina development.  To date Saugatuck Township has paid over $40,000 in legal fees and has now been forced to initiate a special millage to cover the projected cost of continuing to defend its zoning. The millage is scheduled for the May 4th election.

The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance has spent the past three years trying to make individuals, organizations, and elected/appointed officials aware how local zoning and regulatory polity is written to protect the remarkable resources of the Saugatuck Dunes and how those resources – historical, cultural, ecological, recreational, educational, and even spiritual – drive the local sustainable tourist economy. The SDCA has also spent more than $60,000 hiring lawyers to speak at public meetings about the legality of McClendon’s tactics.

Please sign-up to receive action alerts so you can stay informed and continue to help protect the Saugatuck Dunes. You can also call 269-857-1842. Thanks for your interest.