Rep. Sabo votes in favor of HB 4469
Muskegon — Rep. Sabo, (D-MUSKEGON) today voted in favor of funding that would support the creation of Dune Harbor Park at the former Nugent Sand property.
HB 4469 appropriates $39.2 million from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. This includes $5 million from the trust fund that will go to fund the Dune Harbor Park project.
The fund was established 45 years ago using royalties paid by companies that extract oil and gas from state-owned land. More than $1.2 billion has been spent from the fund over that time to purchase land and improve previously-owned land for the sole purpose of natural resources protection and outdoor recreation. Proposal 1, approved by voters in November 2020, changed how parks funding could be used.
“Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved Proposal 1 last year changing how we fund parks across the state,” Sabo said. “This presents a tremendous opportunity for the acquisition of 210 acres of Lake Michigan coastal property, including 1,662 feet of shoreline, critical dune land, and habitats for plants and animals. The property also offers 19,364 feet of shoreline along two inland lakes.”
The property was formally owned by the Nugent Sand company who mined Lake Michigan dune sand for over 100 years, beginning in 1912. The two inland lakes were created by the mining company through their hydraulic mining operations.
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