Critical Dunes

Michigan is home to some of the most beautiful and globally rare freshwater dunes, but we lack robust protections for these iconic natural wonders. We need legislative action to safeguard our dunes so that they can continue to serve as important coastal habitats, protect our coastline from the effects of climate change and showcase “Pure Michigan” to the world.

A man stands atop Michigan's sand dunes overlooking one of our Great Lakes, holding a walking stick

Michigan is home to 300,000 acres of freshwater dunes, the largest collection in the world.

These dunes are living, evolving ecosystems that provide substantial protections to the built environment from the impacts of climate change. Lake levels are expected to keep rising as our climate continues to change, putting dunes at even greater risk. In 2012, the Critical Dunes Act was gutted, making it easier for developers to permanently alter the dunes—currently no permit is required to excavate up to 250,000 tons of sand, even for commercial purposes.

Our vision for change:

Restore Critical Dunes Act protections to better evaluate the impact of development proposals and prohibit structures between lakes and the peaks of dunes.

Strengthen protections for sand dunes from mining activities.
Move away from coastal armoring that only amplifies the impacts of erosion and instead advance solutions that use natural features like native vegetation that will better help fend off high water in the long run.
Require all development to be a minimum distance away from the Great Lakes.