South Fox Island dunes are a haven for threatened Pitcher's Thistle.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has again requested the state Attorney General to approve a land swap on South Fox Island, which would remove from public ownership more than 200 acres of the island's most spectacular resources: 300-foot tall critical sand dunes with breathtaking sunset views, 400-year-old virgin cedars, and an ecosystem described by DNR staff as "globally rare." More than a dozen environmental, hunting, and land use organizations have gone on record opposing the swap. Yet the DNR continues to pursue the deal.

Citizen opposition has already succeeded in preserving 400-plus acres of public lands on the island that include the historic lighthouse, endangered piping plover habitat, and the tribal cemetery. In addition, public outcry stopped a proposed road through state-designated critical sand dunes. But we still need your voice to finish the job.

The groups opposed to the swap include: 

• Michigan Land Use Institute
• Traverse Group of the Sierra Club
• Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council
• Grand Traverse Audubon Club
• South Fox Island Public Hunters Club
• Michigan Conservation Foundation
• Michigan Environmental Council
• Michigan United Conservation Clubs

For more information please contact:

Jim Lively
Michigan Land Use Institute
Phone: 231-882-4723
Email: jim@mlui.org

Monica Evans
Traverse Group of the Sierra Club
Phone: 231-352-6812
Email: imagine@betsievalley.net

Bob Marshall
Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council
Email: nmeac@traverse.com