22 August 2007
I am writing in support of efforts to protect and conserve the pristine, rare,
and unique 400+ acres of the former Denison coastal property.
When in space for five months, I was fortunate to get a perspective of
Earth that few people do. And as I was taking over 10,000 Earth-
observation photos, I was struck, profoundly, by the great but fragile gift
that our world is. I concluded something else—something that far too
many people simply don’t recognize: that the eastern shore of Lake
Michigan is one of the most special places on earth.
Looking out the porthole window from space station Mir I could see the
green of the woods give way to the fine line of white sand dunes outlining
the magnificent blue of the water. Returning to earth and retiring from the
astronaut corps, my wife and I decided to live along that shore and raise
our children there. We chose to live in a house that was already built,
and we have worked to protect and enhance the natural beauty of the
shore we occupy. I’ve begun devoting more and more of my time to
protecting our natural resources—principally fresh water.
I have to shake my head when I hear of people wanting to “develop”
places like the tract of land south of the Saugatuck pier. Do such people
have any real vision or concern about the future and about those who
come after them? You can’t replace that natural beauty with anything
comparable. Come on! Do you really want that property to look like
every other “developed” resort area? They’re a dime a dozen, places like
that. What draws people to Saugatuck is the natural beauty of the
place—it’s a rare gem that doesn’t look like every other place. Imagine
the coast 50 years from now. What do you want it to be? You can’t
possibly want a “development” that’s nothing more than a camouflage—
just as the name is—for it’s true nature: “degradation.”
Seize the moment! Recognize what a special place on earth this is, and
protect it.
Fight and keep fighting to protect it. Some places on Earth must be
preserved from financial ambitions that have little regard for beauty, little
concern for the environment, and little knowledge of or appreciation for
the fragile beauty and treasure of our planet.
While I now live up the coast a bit near Traverse City, the Saugatuck area
is special to me. My parents met there at Oval Beach. When I attended
the Naval Academy, my roommate Mark Clark told me that his parents
met there at the tennis court in town. Mark’s extended family—
descendents of Shorewood founder and water works designer John
Alvord—has had summer homes along the lakeshore for six generations.
When I decided to propose to my wife, I took her to Saugatuck to “pop the
question.” (Why mess with success?). I have been visiting
Saugatuck/Douglas myself for close to thirty years, walking the beaches,
climbing the stairs, paddling at Oxbow, cranking the ferry. It is indeed a
special place when viewed from “off the planet” and equally so when
experienced “on the planet.”
Keep it special. You have the chance to do this. While the opportunity
exists, actively participate in doing everything possible to preserve the
Denison parcel. If you do not usually get involved in these sorts of things,
break the habit. Realize that you can do something big. You can leave
something of true quality behind for your children, your grandchildren—
and you can be forever proud of your actions. Please, do not sit back;
make this a priority. If you don’t know how to get involved, ask and keep
asking. Keep stirring the fire and don’t let big money or seeming power
get in your way. Hasn’t the area changed enough over the years?
Preserve this special place on earth.
Very respectfully,
Jerry M. Linenger
U.S. Astronaut/ Mir Cosmonaut
Captain Jerry Linenger is a retired United States Navy flight surgeon and
NASA astronaut. A Naval Academy graduate, he holds doctorates in both
medicine and research methodology, as well as dual master’s degrees in
systems management and health policy. He has been awarded three
honorary doctoral degrees in science.
During what has been reported to be one of the most dangerous and
dramatic missions in space history, Jerry spent nearly five months aboard
the Russian space station Mir. He faced numerous life-threatening
events, including repeated failure of critical life-support systems, a near-
collision between the space station and a massive re-supply spacecraft,
and multiple computer failures that sent the space station tumbling
uncontrollably through space. As if these problems were not enough, he
narrowly survived a raging, smoke-billowing fire that was later described
as the most severe fire ever aboard an orbiting spacecraft.
He is author of the books Off the Planet, which chronicles his time in
space (and which, incidentally, describes how he got engaged to his wife
in Saugatuck; leaving a trail of notes and flowers starting at Wilkins
Hardware, continuing to Round the Corner Ice Cream, the Butler, and
ending with a bouquet and “the question” at Chequers); and Letters from
Mir: An Astronaut’s Letters to His Son. He served as honorary chair in
establishing the Great Lakes Maritime Academy as well as the Great
Lakes Freshwater Institute. Presently he is a founding member of the
advisory council for Circle of Blue, a global freshwater initiative. When
not spending time with his wife and four small children, he lectures on
global issues around the world, and works as a space analyst for NBC
News.
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