Elaine Sterrett Isely, a proven and passionate advocate for West Michigan environmental issues, will join the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance as executive director on November 1. She brings significant expertise in nonprofit leadership, strategic planning, program development, and grant acquisition to the organization, and will become the Alliance’s first full-time executive director.

The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance today announced it has begun a national search for a full-time Executive Director to lead the organization. The new director will guide the 18-year-old organization as it broadens its initiatives to explore and address the pressing long-term needs of the Coastal region north and south of the Kalamazoo River.

Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Antkoviak significantly narrowed the scope of NorthShore of Saugatuck’s SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) lawsuit against the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance and Board President David Swan.

Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance Announces Co-Founder and Board President’s Retirement - David Swan Secures Place in Saugatuck’s Long Legacy of Conservation Stewardship

The Michigan Supreme Court has remanded the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance appeal of the permits issued for the Van Horn Ski Lake by Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to Michigan’s Court of Appeal for consideration. 

Allegan County Circuit Court Matthew Antkoviak today stayed discovery and quashed all of the 56 subpoenas issued by North Shores of Saugatuck, LLC in July and August to Coastal Alliance board members and supporters, as well as to government officials, scientists, and others.

We’ve outlined some frequently asked questions regarding the new boat ramp permit. The proposed violates many of the same Michigan laws and poses many of the same hazards as its proposed marina, which EGLE denied in February 2024.

Less than six months after EGLE denied North Shores of Saugatuck a permit to build a marina, the developer has applied for a permit to build a boat ramp at the same location. The proposed boat ramp violates Michigan law in many of the same ways its failed marina proposal would have.

The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance filed an emergency motion to quash North Shores of Saugatuck’s subpoenas and to stay discovery associated with its SLAPP-style lawsuit.

The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance yesterday filed a motion to dismiss the SLAPP-style lawsuit filed by North Shores of Saugatuck, LLC against it and its board president, David Swan.

The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance celebrates Saugatuck Township’s Zoning Board of Appeals’ decision to grant the Alliance standing to challenge the special approval use marina permit.

The Coastal Alliance is committed to continuing its work to preserve and protect the Saugatuck Dunes and Kalamazoo River Mouth.

Read this important update on the ongoing Marina case and the outcome of the June 27th township ZBA hearing.

Saugatuck Township’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) will reconvene at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 27.

What is standing and why does it matter? We answered some frequently asking questions regarding standing and the current status of the marine permit.

NorthShore of Saugatuck has formally challenged the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) decision to deny its application for a permit to build a marina at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River.

It’s time for Saugatuck Township to terminate the Special Approval Use Marina in the Wild Heart of Saugatuck. This is why.

Many of you have asked us great questions now that Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have denied state and federal permits to build the proposed marina. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) and the State of Michigan have denied NorthShore of Saugatuck’s applications for federal and state permits to build its proposed marina at the Kalamazoo River Mouth.

The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance commends Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) decision to deny NorthShore of Saugatuck’s applications for permits to build a marina near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck Township.