Will You Add Your Voice to Ours?
Dear Coastal Alliance Supporter,
The Dunes and River Mouth Can’t Speak!
Actually, they do speak in ways that have profoundly shaped our world and the lives of generations of people who’ve gone before us – and who will come behind us. But, sadly, their voices are neither heard nor understood by those whose actions will result in irreparable harm to all beings … all for the want of a private marina.
What is at stake all for the want of a private marina?
250,000 tons of sand will be excavated within Michigan’s Critical Dune Boundary, permanently erasing 6.5 acres of dunes;
The groundwater beneath the globally imperiled interdunal wetlands on the Patty Birkholz Natural Area will be altered
Broad and deep damage will be inflicted on the Pottawatomi Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) by putting at risk sacred burial and ceremonial sites, water quality, wild rice, and lake sturgeon-the Tribe’s ancestor and Clan Animal;
The historic and archeological site of Singapore will be significantly damaged or destroyed;
The Tri-Communities’ $20+million investment in the adjacent Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, Tallmadge Woods and the Patty Birkholz Natural Area will be devalued by introducing noise, vibrations, fumes, and visual intrusions; and, finally
Navigation along the Kalamazoo River will become more hazardous, threatening lives and livelihoods!
We must be their voice!
The Coastal Alliance has and will continue to speak for the Dunes and the River Mouth to assure our collective voices are present and heard in all places where it matters … in Citizen Town Hall meetings, in front of Township and City governing bodies, at the Local, State, and Federal levels where permits are granted, and, when it is necessary, in the Courts. We do this by showing up personally … and these days almost always with attorneys … to hold officials accountable to enforce their laws and to ensure environmental justice!
Thank you for your voices and investments in our work … much and increasingly vital work remains!
We believe the year ahead will be the most pivotal in both stopping the marina and protecting the River Mouth. Please consider a gift that will enable us to continue to speak out on behalf of environmental justice and ensure the flourishing of all life where lake meets river meets dunes meets forest.
With gratitude from the Coastal Alliance Board of Directors,
Bobbie Gaunt, Board Chair
David Swan, Board President
Please support our legal strategy so we can protect and preserve the Saugatuck Dunes and Kalamazoo River Mouth - make a donation today.
