Saving the Coast: Preservation Boom Scrambles to Save the Best of Northern Michigan

Oct. 22, 2003

It‘s hard to understand the importance of last week‘s preservation of three miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan unless you‘ve actually strolled the beaches and bluffs north of Arcadia in southern Benzie County.
This stretch of beach is one of the most beautiful, untouched areas in the Midwest -- or for that matter, the country -- comparing in majesty with the high dunes of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. You can walk this beach 12 miles north to the small town of Elberta and never see a soul in this setting of spiritual grandeur -- just the sun, the waves, the dune bluffs rising hundreds of feet, and you.
Here, in a race to save what‘s left of Northern Michigan‘s natural resources, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) scored the biggest prize in its 13-year existence on Oct. 13 when Governor Jennifer Granholm announced that three miles of coastline and 6,000 acres along the shore would be preserved by a $30.6 million Conservancy project. The “Coastal Campaign“ project also includes the preservation of 3,500 acres of prime fruit-growing farmlands straddling Benzie and Manistee counties.
Combined with another 5,000 feet of coastline donated to the Conservancy in 1995 by local residents Vern Noble and Oscar Kraft, there are now approximately five miles of coast protected forever from development.

A BENZIE BAY HARBOR
The Coastal Campaign‘s success comes not a moment too soon, because prior to accepting the Conservancy‘s bid, land-holder CMS Energy was entertaining offers from large-scale developers, including those behind the $1 billion Bay Harbor project in Petoskey.
“This project was literally about saving a way of life here in the region,“ says Glen Chown, executive director of the GTRLC. “This area would have been developed on a scale equal to that of Bay Harbor.“
Currently, there‘s a boom of preservation projects in the region, ranging from the beaches of Benzie to the Pigeon River in Cheboygan County (see “Region Watch“). Chown says that growth in the region is prompting donors to act to save what‘s left of our natural areas from developers.
“This area is growing so rapidly that there‘s a short window of opportunity to act to save what‘s left,“ he says. “We‘ve got five or 10 years to preserve the best of the best -- our coastline, rivers, forests and fruit-belt farm properties.
“Conservancies in our region are becoming very strategic in our priorities,“ he adds. “We realize that we can‘t save it all, so we‘ve gotten very focused on priorities.“

BEST OF THE BEST
For the Conservancy, that meant looking at a map of the prime coastal properties ranging from Ludington State Park to the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. In addition to the CMS Energy property in Arcadia, the conservancy has identified a mile of coastline at the Green Point Dunes and 62 acres at Pt. Betsie, both of which are in Benzie County.
The most remarkable element of the Coastal Campaign is that it arose from a secret initiative launched by the conservancy this summer which raised $5.5 million from local residents and family foundations over a 60-day period. Last week, dozens of local residents gathered at Watervale Resort in Benzie County to celebrate their coast-saving coup.
Based on the level of local support, the Conservancy was able to secure a grant of $750,000 from the Mott Foundation which was used as an option on the property. Mott also pledged an additional $7 million if the deal went through, as well as an interest-free loan of $6.15 million. It is the Flint-based foundation‘s biggest commitment to a land preservation project in its history. Additionally, the W. K. Kellogg foundation provided a grant of $2.5 million early on in support of the farmland protection aspect of the project. Other supporters include Rotary Charities of Traverse City, which founded the GTRLC in 1991. Since its inception, the Conservancy has protected more than 14,500 acres and 40 miles of shoreline in a five-county area.

MAKING IT HAPPEN
Even with donations streaming in, supporters say that CMS Energy didn‘t take the Conservancy‘s pitch seriously until Gov. Granholm announced her support. Although the state is too strapped for funds at present to pitch in on the project, the governor‘s support gives the Conservancy more clout in receiving funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund this December.
Given its alternatives, CMS Energy was happy to sell the property to the Conservancy. Most of the land was purchased more than 30 years ago as part of a plan to build a power facility that never got off the ground. Through the years, CMS Energy has leased the land to local farmers and left the dunes untouched as various offers from developers came and went.
Ken Whipple, chairman and CEO of CMS Energy, said the pending sale would continue a company tradition of environmental stewardship on such properties. “Our company has been part of Michigan for more than a century, and as one of the state‘s largest landowners, we have a long-standing commitment to protect and enchance the environment,“ he says.
Worth noting, this is a *pending* sale, and the Conservancy still needs to raise several million dollars by December 19 to come up with $18 million to close the deal. Thereafter, the Conservancy has about three years to raise the balance of $30.6 million to ensure that the land is preserved forever. If you‘d like to make a donation, contact the conservancy at 231-929-7911.