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Gears in the Sand – Turn of the Hourglass

Beau Brockett and Tanya Cabala talk during a podcast about dunes.

Authored by

Beau Brockett Jr.

Communications Manager

Michigan is home to the world’s largest assemblage of freshwater dunes. They run up and down the west coast of the Lower Peninsula and dotted along the Upper Peninsula. They’re beloved by just about anyone who visits (and many do), and they help power both multimillion-dollar local economies and some of the most diverse wildlife in the state.

Tanya Cabala of the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, a self-proclaimed “dunista,” takes us through the environmental, social and political histories of dunes and where they intersect.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

To learn more about the geographic, social and economic power of dunes, check out our dunes campaign here.

Interested in playing an active role in dunes advocacy? Let us know by emailing beau@environmentalcouncil.org. We’ll get you set up.


Common Groundwater is hosted by the Michigan Environmental Council and Lansing resident Beau Brockett Jr.

Our music is “The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi, arranged by Derek Zhang and performed by Jackson resident Taj Wallace.

Our 2024 series is sponsored by Kalsec, a global ingredient company headquartered in Kalamazoo that meets the highest recognized social and environmental standards through its B Corps certification.