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Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance P.O. Box 1013 Saugatuck, MI 49453 Friday, July 6, 2007 Dear Aubrey and Katie McClendon: On behalf of the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, we would like to congratulate you on your purchase of the 402-acre Denison lands. This land is at the very heart of our community where forest, dune, river, beach, lake, and sky connect. We are writing to you directly because the destiny of the Denison property deserves your personal dedication, imagination, and vision. First of all, while we do not agree with the direction you are currently heading with your investment, we would like to thank you for the way in which your representatives have kept the local community informed about the process. Both your attorney, Stephen Neumer, and your representative from JJR, Hank Byma, have conducted the Saugatuck Township Zoning Board meetings in a highly professional manner. Mr. Neumer has met with many local citizens and leaders of different community and state-wide organizations in order to hear their concerns and reservations about the possible development of your property. While Mr. Neumer certainly has done an admirable job of listening to local concerns, we naturally wonder if, and to what extent, many of those concerns have been communicated directly to you. For example: For over thirty years, many individuals, organizations, and bodies of government have tried diligently to preserve the entire Denison property, such as the State of Michigan, the City of Saugatuck, the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, the Nature Conservancy, and even our federal government. As you were making your purchase, local philanthropists were also in negotiations to preserve the entire 402 acres of land for public use. The newly formed Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance has stated as its number one goal that both the north and the south sides of the Denison be "protected and preserved." With all due respect to you and your family; with the blessing that you possess the means to make much of what you imagine a reality; with the legacies of families like the Rockefellers whose donations of land helped create Acadia National Park in Maine and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming; and with the understanding that you enjoy private property rights to do as you please within the limits of the law with the land that you own; we ask you to seriously consider several alternate possibilities: We invite you to bring your wife, Katie, and your children to Saugatuck, spend time in the house on the beach, and fall in love with this landscape and its people. Keep the house on the beach and whatever acreage you would like to preserve undeveloped, and direct Mr. Neumer to enter into serious negotiations with a consortium of local philanthropists, land conservancies, local, state, and federal authorities to protect and preserve the rest of the Denison lands in a way that works best for you and your family. Transform the house on the beach into the Aubrey McClendon Museum of Great Lakes Art and preserve the rest of the lands as a living museum for children to study and explore. Imagine any number of creative uses for this land that would keep it wild, keep it whole, respect its status as a world-class biological hot spot for several threatened and endangered species and habitats, and allow the generous access that has been a de facto reality for many generations. We are not asking you to lose money on your investment. The price of the land should reflect the investments that you have already made. Of course, we fully and truly understand that we are asking you to forego the possibility of making millions of dollars on an investment. We are asking for a reasonable chance to raise the money necessary to protect and preserve these lands as they are today for the benefit of future generations. For this opportunity, we would be forever grateful. Certainly, you have a growing reputation as a very generous individual on a national scale. If we are given a reasonable amount of time, and we cannot demonstrate to you the ability to raise the money, then we understand that development would be a viable financial option. Mr. Neumer has stated repeatedly that he will convey any offers directly to you; however, without your leadership in signaling preservation as your top priority for the land, his pledge offers little hope of changing the current direction of Saugatuck LLC. Things fall into place when leaders imagine new possibilities and creative solutions. More than any other person, you alone have the power to transform the direction of this project into something that future generations will no doubt appreciate. You have all the cards in your hands; we would hope you are willing to allow us to sit at the table. In closing, we would like to remind you that for many generations, many different people have enjoyed the benefits of the beauty of the Denison lands. Just as you did several summers ago, boaters come here to cruise through the pristine mouth of the harbor. On summer Sundays, families gather amidst the splendor of sand dunes created over six thousand years ago. Children play in the waves and build sand castles on the beach. Couples meander arm in arm to watch another sunset. Walkers and joggers enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire world. Much of the full value of these life experiences will be taken away from the local people and the tourists if a gated community of multi-million dollar homes and condominiums is developed. In Saugatuck, our geography is our economy. Thank you very much for your consideration, |
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