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January 4, 2006
Fight brewing over access to lakeProperty owners sue to block DNR Crystal Lake planBENZONIA - Ann Bourne believes an ugly divide is growing between people who live on Crystal Lake and those who don't, but want good, modern access to it."I hear terminology like, 'We want to keep the riffraff off the lake,'" Bourne said. "I never thought I'd see the day in northern Michigan - there's always been mutual respect." Bourne and others who want to ensure public access to Crystal Lake held a meeting last week with Benzie County and township officials to talk about concerns over the delay of a boat launch proposed by the Department of Natural Resources. Waterfront property owners formed a group called the Crystal Lake Property Rights Association and filed a lawsuit over the boat launch that challenged the Department of Environmental Quality's approval of a launch permit. A hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for February. Robert Bishop, president of the property owners' association, said he doesn't oppose a public boat launch on Crystal Lake. He said he opposes the current location proposed by the DNR near Mollineaux Road. Bishop said his group opposes the site because it crosses the Betsie Valley Trail and violates a settlement agreement between property owners and the state in a separate lawsuit over the trail. Jim VanderMaas, a member of the Crystal Lake Access Rights Coalition, said he wants to make sure public officials understand the popular support for the launch, even if its fate is in the hands of the courts. "We just want to make our county officials aware that there are a lot of people in favor of this site and if you're doing things to oppose this site, election day is around the corner," VanderMaas said. The DNR first proposed a boat launch in 1996 but selected a site near the Crystal Lake overflow where, in 1873, loggers attempted to dredge a channel to take logs to Lake Michigan, an ill-fated engineering feat that drained the lake by around 20 feet. Bourne said the site met near-universal opposition, and the DNR eventually settled on the Mollineaux Road location. William Boik, DNR boating unit manager, said it's unlikely even if the state prevails in the lawsuit that a boat launch could be constructed in time for the 2006 boating season. Boik said such fights over boat launches are not unheard of across the state. "I wouldn't say it's common," he said. "I wouldn't say it's unique. It's happened before."
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