The Ludington Dunes Conservancy is focused at present on information gathering relative to the short-term and long-term uses of our Dunes as a natural resource, and on the impact of these uses on the local, regional, state, and national communities.

Project 1: Sand Mining in the Ludington Dunes

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This project focuses on all aspects of sand mining in the Ludington Dunes. Sargent Sand Company, of Bay City, Michigan, has owned several hundred acres within the Ludington Dunes since the very early 1900s. Over the decades, mining operations were either dormant, or executed at a low level. Since the advent of hydraulic fracturing in the US in the early 2000s, the removal of sand from the Ludington Dunes has increased nearly 100-fold. The impacts on the local community have been net-negative, while the impacts on US energy resources, and on Federal and state tax revenues, have been net-positive. This project seeks to gather and disseminate information on all aspects of sand mining in the Big Sable Dune Complex, including the Ludington Dunes. Our goal is to discover and promote a path forward, where all stakeholders benefit, sustainably.

Project 2: Natural History

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(Compiling the natural history of the Ludington Dunes and Nordhouse Dunes.)

Project 3. Sustainability

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(Focussing on long-term sustainable development and use of the natural resources of the Ludington Dunes.)

Our Projects