Save Our Shoreline

Save Our Shoreline is a non-profit, grass roots organization of property owners and others committed to the preservation of riparian rights along Michigan's 3288 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. We invite you to explore this site to see what we are doing to preserve those rights. We have provided a narrative summary which describes our activities. Current efforts have focused on preserving ownership to the water's edge, preserving the right to groom Michigan's traditional public and private recreational beaches, and protecting Michigan's public beaches from federal encroachment. SOS depends on its membership dues and donations for continued funding.

NEW: OHIO SUPREME COURT UNANIMOUSLY REJECTS STATE’S CLAIM OF OWNERSHIP TO THE ORDINARY HIGH WATER MARK. In a huge victory for riparian owners, Ohio’s high court reaffirmed that shoreline owners own to the natural shoreline, which is the line a which the water usually stands when free from disturbing causes. “This court has a history of protecting property rights, and our decision today continues that long-standing precedent,” the court said. Click here to read.

State Appeals Court Rebukes MDEQ Power Grab Over Beaches.
Save Our Shoreline today announced that the Michigan Court of Appeals has rebuked an attempt by the MDEQ to increase its jurisdiction over Michigan's Great Lakes beaches. Click here to read the press release. Click here to read the Michigan Court of Appeals decision.

The US Army Corps District in Detroit has scheduled public information meetings throughout the state in the next few months titled “Waterways, Wetlands and You!” These are intended to be informational meetings with the public regarding public policy related to the national permitting process. There will be two identical presentations at each location. The presentation locations will include the Wirt Library in Bay City on May 16th from 12:30-3:30p and 4:00-7:00p; Grand Traverse County Governmental Center, 400 Boardman in Traverse City on June 7th from 12:30-3:30p and 4:30-7:30p; and the Peter White Library, 217 North Front St in Marquette on June 9th from 1:00-4:00p and 5:00-8:00p.

SOS members are strongly encouraged to attend the Bay City and Traverse City sessions and ask questions related to shoreline property issues. It is always beneficial for Army Corps to see firsthand how interested and motivated SOS members are to participate in these types of public events. It communicates our interest in effective and reasonable public policy to manage provisions of the Clean Water Act. More information regarding these events may be found at www.lre.usace.army.mil/regulatory.

The debate over windmills on the water rages.
Click here to view a Channel 4 report on the windmills in the lake issue. A small part of an interview with Save Our Shoreline member, Joe McBride, is included in the video.

SOS Leaders Attend Argument in Florida Beach Taking Case.
SOS President Ernie Krygier, Communication Committee Chairman David Almeter, and attorney David Powers flew to Washington, D.C. to attend oral argument at the US Supreme Court in the case of Stop the Beach Renourishment, Inc v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, et al. The case involves the question of who owns the new beach after the government completes a renourishment project. Click here to read more.

SOS critical of senate republicans' vote to expand MDEQ control over wetlands.
Save Our Shoreline is criticizing a vote of the Michigan Senate approving a bill that would drastically increase MDEQ control over wetlands, including beaches. Click here to read the press release.

SOS files brief with U.S. Supreme Court in Florida beach taking case.
Save Our Shoreline filed an Amicus Curiae brief with the United States Supreme Court in a case asserting that the State of Florida violated Constitutional protections of private property when it ruled that renourished beaches become state property. Click here to read the press release.

SOS supports Governor Granholm's proposal to eliminate MDEQ enforcement of the state's Wetland Protection Act.
Save Our Shoreline has enjoyed a more cooperative relationship with the MDEQ over the last three years, and successfully negotiated a general permit for beach grooming in 2007. Nevertheless, there are overwhelming reasons to eliminate MDEQ enforcement of wetlands under the wetlands protection act. Click here to read the SOS position statement.

SOS Wins Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit Against University of Michigan' Sea Grant program.
In 2007, the University of Michigan’s Sea Grant program sent its “Along the Shore” information pamphlets to hundreds of shoreline owners around the state. The slick, colorful pamphlets purported to explain your shoreline ownership rights. The problem, of course, is that the pamphlet had a bias. Click here to read more.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources states in A Landowner's Guide for the Control of Phragmites, "Mowing often (6-8 times during the growing season) where feasible is the most widely used method of stressing phragmites and encouraging native plants." Click here to read the article.

Phragmites Invading Traverse City Beaches
Sheri McWhirter writes about the environmental concerns caused by phragmites. Her article was published in the Traverse City Record-Eagle on May 2, 2009. Click here to read the article.

Harmful Algal Blooms and Muck: What’s the Difference?
Harmful algal blooms and muck can be mistaken for each other simply because people may associate an algal bloom with either type. Click here for details.