Lake Michigan Coastal Dunes
Schedule
Wed Jul 08 2026 at 06:00 pm to 07:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
1522 Ruddiman Dr, North Muskegon, MI, United States, Michigan 49445 | Muskegon, MI
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Explore the science and stories of the Lake Michigan coastal dunes--the largest freshwater dune system in the world. Many of us have walked them, climbed them, or grown up with them, but most people do not know the full story of how they were formed or what has happened to them over time. Join us as we talk about how the dunes were created and why their ecology is so important, but also about the places people know by name and the stories tied to them. Some of those stories are fascinating, including how the loss of two Manistee dunes, Creeping Joe and Maggie Thorpe, helped prompt Michigan’s Sand Dune Protection and Management Act of 1976, and how in Michigan City, Indiana, people once traveled to the top of Hoosier Slide to get married, creating a small local tradition around a dune that is now gone.
We will also take a clear look at what has happened to the dunes, including mining and development, and the loss of many massive dunes like Pigeon Hill, and the creation of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
This is really a conversation about what we have had, what we have lost, and why it matters that people continue to value these dunes and speak up for them so we can protect them better going forward. Presented by Tanya Cabala.
Registration required.
Tanya Cabala is a longtime environmental advocate, writer, and community leader based in the White Lake area, with more than 30 years of experience working across West Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
Her work has focused on protecting and restoring water resources and coastal dunes, improving recycling, and helping communities understand and respond to environmental issues. She has worked on a range of issues over the years, including pollution, water quality, climate resilience, and community planning. She played a key role, alongside many others, in a 22-year effort to restore the White Lake Area of Concern.
Register here: https://muskegonadl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events/69e26b82bd9a3c316a538f1f
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Where is it happening?
1522 Ruddiman Dr, North Muskegon, MI, United States, Michigan 49445, 1522 Ruddiman Dr, Muskegon, MI 49445-3038, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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