As Lake Michigan beaches erode, millions of dollars have been poured into temporary solutions
By Patrick M. O’Connell
Chicago Tribune
December 20, 2020 — 11:22pm
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LUDINGTON, MICH. – As the wind whipped across the top of the Big Sable Point lighthouse, one of the most famous and beloved on the Great Lakes, Jim Gallie pointed to the disappearing beach: "It's been progressively getting worse."
Hikers and beachcombers who trekked along the shoreline to the remote, historic lighthouse at Ludington State Park once had ample room between the waves and the metal breakwall.
Now the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is spending $130,000 to recap the sea wall and place new stone barriers at its base. "If it wasn't for that sea wall," said Gallie, the park manager, "those dunes would be gone."