With recent changes to Michigan’s 1989 Sand Dune Protection and Management Act that has many developers salivating for more lakeshore construction, the state’s fragile dune ecology is under attack.
It’s imperative that conservation-minded citizens insist that these important natural areas be protected.
Dune habitats feature highly specialized plants and animals, including numerous rare species, and some that are endangered.
In addition to the general beauty of the dune landscape, these areas also play an important role in protecting the land against potential ravages by storm waves from the Great Lakes.
While they may seem barren to the casual observer, dunes support a vibrant ecosystem, where plants interact with blowing sand to create sand formations and to stabilize them. Sometimes the stabilization is only temporary, as the dunes often shift, migrate and re-form over time.
The widespread expansion of human population has resulted in dune destruction through land development and recreational uses, as well as from alteration to prevent the encroachment of sand onto inhabited areas.
If you’ve spent any time in the dunes along the coast of west Michigan, or walked over the amazing formations at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in the northern Lower Peninsula, you can appreciate the value that these geographic land forms represent.
We need to stand behind the citizens and communities currently fighting against the plans of developers who threaten their dunes.
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