Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance – $25,000

This grant supports scientific modeling and visual evidence needed to uphold prior state and federal decisions denying permits to a proposed private marina development that threatens critical dune systems, groundwater-fed wetlands, and Tribal cultural landscapes at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. MI-EGLE and the US Army Corps of Engineers denied the marina permits in 2024 on the basis of ecological harm, navigational safety, and impacts to a Traditional Cultural Property of the Potawatomi. The developer appealed the denials. The grant aligns with Americana’s Natural Resources priority because it safeguards a highly sensitive Lake Michigan watershed, protects rare habitats central to regional water quality, and continues Americana's long support of SDCA's successful efforts to oppose the marina development from 2009 to 2019.