Your National Lakeshore is losing some eight acres of woodland this spring. The trees are being removed to modify The Homestead Resort’s sewage disposal system. It’s a story that began 34 years ago, and one most folks find quite surprising—

Back in the early ‘70’s, when Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was an infant, the owners of a large tract of property east of the resort faced being required to sell the land for creation of the new park, as did others whose property had not been developed before 1964. However, unlike most folks, they 1) apparently had very good lawyers, and 2) had a major family interest in The Homestead. They came up with the idea of selling an easement for a 13-acre “seepage area” to the resort, for $1. When the property was purchased for the Park, it came encumbered with the easement. Effectively, the owners had avoided giving up use of the land, while getting paid for it.

While the easement gave the resort considerable control over the property, at least the Park was able to utilize the surface of the land. Everyone knew what a seepage area was—a system of underground pipes that allowed wastewater to seep into the soil. Meanwhile, cross-country ski trails crossed the land above, hunters staked it out, and mushroom-lovers roamed it.

Unfortunately, during the ‘80’s the Homestead’s sewage system began to fail. It was overloaded, and DNR tests showed that the groundwater was being polluted. Sewage oozed from hillsides. Citizens threatened lawsuits. The resort came up with the idea of spraying their partially-treated sewage out over the ground, allowing the vegetation to absorb some of the nitrogen that had been causing problems. Anxious to resolve the problem, the superintendent of the Park agreed to the program, with the condition that most of the existing trees (and there were some huge ones) would remain.

During following years there have been numerous problems, including spray that routinely drifts over the easement boundaries to surrounding Park lands. The system has never been properly maintained, and has not functioned adequately. The groundwater again tests over prescribed limits.

Now the resort has decided that the old trees need to be removed and replaced with a grass mixture that can absorb more nitrogen. Although experts have stated that the spray system never should have been allowed, officials have concluded that the Park cannot now contest the spray or the tree cutting.

The land is now being clear-cut. It’s too late for the trees, but concerned citizen groups such as Northern Michigan Environmental Action Coalition (NMEAC) and Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI) are now watching, and will try to make sure the system is properly built and maintained to avoid the continuing drift of hazardous spray. MLUI's contact for information is Julie Hay, Leelanau County Policy Specialist, 941-6584; julie@mlui.org.