Swan's letter to the Holland Sentinel Appeared in "My Side", April 28, 2002 Sunday Edition State park is still in danger By DAVID and ALISON SWAN   Residents of the lakeshore should be encouraged that Laketown Township and the city of Holland continue to discuss the possibility of developing a cooperative strategy for meeting our region's projected water needs. However, everyone should be gravely concerned that the two municipalities continue to pursue development of the Saugatuck Dunes State Park as one possible means to that end. The lakeshore park's towering forested and open sand dunes are not only beautiful, they are rare, fragile, and irreplaceable.   Holland and Laketown, in separate land swap applications to the Department of Natural Resources, have proposed excavating the Lake Michigan bottom for a water intake, building a pumping station at the beach, laying an access road and pipeline through the forested back dunes, and erecting a 35-acre treatment plant at the park's current entrance. Holland mentions room for future expansion as one of the attractions of the park site, so we can be fairly certain this would not be a one-time construction project. Laketown officials have mentioned establishing a motorized trolley service and building a beach house as part of the project.   In an April 11 letter to Laketown Township, the Department of Natural Resources parks chief, Rodney Stokes, recommended that the township's land swap application be denied, showing that the construction of a water intake and treatment plant, and the necessary access road would harm the park. Based on solid science and law, the three-page letter is very specific in its explanation. The DNR's concerns listed in the letter included: * "Construction of a pump house facility on the shore of Lake Michigan within designated critical dunes would be detrimental to the natural resources of Saugatuck Dunes State Park and contrary to the Parks and Recreation Bureau's resource protection mission. The size, location, and amount of space and depth needed to construct a water intake system in a fragile area will have significant and permanent negative resource impacts to this dune system." * "The proposed easement would pass through designated critical dunes. The proposed construction will result in significant tree removal and permanent forest canopy fragmentation. The existing steep topography and fragile dunes soils will compound the construction damage. The rustic recreation experience offered by the park would be negatively impacted."   On April 18, one week before a final DNR decision was to be made, Laketown officials requested that the DNR table any further action until Laketown could submit a revised plan. We believe this is a waste of time and money.   Many families and businesses are relocating to our region precisely because we have protected lakeshore lands -- Oval Beach, Saugatuck Dunes State Park, Laketown Township Beach, Holland State Park. Saugatuck Dunes State Park, just 1/70th the size of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, is the only protected public lakeshore parkland in our region that offers hikers, skiers, naturalists, educators and children a quiet wilderness experience -- a non-motorized, non-urban, undeveloped retreat. The park's value to research scientists is also well-established. Many biologists have spent years there studying the freshwater sand-dune ecosystem.   Studies have shown that large tracts of public wilderness draw permanent residents and strengthen local economies. This will become more rather than less true as open land becomes scarcer.   Together with the DNR, the 400-plus members of Concerned Citizens For Saugatuck Dunes State Park, and 10 statewide citizen and environmental organizations, we strongly encourage our region's leaders to seek other sources of drinking water. Surely there are other prudent and feasible alternatives for locating a regional water treatment plant; our own research has convinced us of this. Moreover, everyone must remember, there is no water shortage in the Great Lakes region. What we lack is clean water and that is a problem that will only be exacerbated by dismantling yet another intact ecosystem. Let's not destroy one natural resource to get at another. Let's address the cleanup of our groundwater, rivers, and streams.   Those who care about the park must remain vigilant. Concerned Citizens for Saugatuck Dunes State Park will hold an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Saugatuck High School. Please voice your concern over the proposed development and fragmentation of our region's last remaining public lakeshore wilderness, a state park which belongs to all the citizens of Michigan. David and Alison Swan are co-chairs of Concerned Citizens for Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Return to Concerned Citizens for Saugatuck Dunes State Park Resources & Reference page.