Preserve the Dunes has joined with Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, Defense of Place, West Michigan Environmental Action Council and Great Lakes Environmental Law Center in filing an amicus curiae brief with the Michigan Supreme Court in support of efforts to overturn the Michigan appellate court's ruling that allowed the use of Jean Klock Park land for the Harbor Shores development project.

Many environmentally significant sites are protected by public ownership, as well as by deeded conservation easements. If such protections can be capriciously eliminated, significant harm of these sites can ensue.

The brief argues that a 105-year lease with near total control of the land by the developers is for all practical purposes a transfer of the property to private ownership for private use, which was prohibited by the deed.

We are aware that some citizens support the Harbor Shores project, some may be supporters of PTD. Our primary concern is the possible precedents that this case may set for easy conversion of publicly owned land to private development.