SAUGATUCK — A Saugatuck man who dedicated decades to advocating for the environment is stepping down from his role. 

David Swan, co-founder and board president of the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, will retire at the end of 2025, concluding more than two decades of environmental advocacy in the Saugatuck Dunes region.

Swan, with his wife, Alison Swan, co-founded Concerned Citizens for the Saugatuck Dunes State Park in 2001. That organization later merged with the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance in 2007.

Under Swan's leadership, the Coastal Alliance collaborated with other environmental groups, regulators, lawmakers and three Potawatomi bands — Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish, Nottawaseppi Huron Band and Pokagon Band — to achieve significant protections for the Kalamazoo River Mouth. 

These efforts included blocking proposals for a water treatment facility in Saugatuck Dunes State Park, designating the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area and denying permits for a private marina.

The Coastal Alliance also secured a Michigan Supreme Court decision that broadened the criteria for citizens' standing in challenging local zoning decisions.

"David is a formidable advocate for the dunes, river, forest and wetlands, and a well-respected environmental leader throughout Michigan," said Bobbie Gaunt, Coastal Alliance Board Chair, according to a press release. 

"His passion, determination and ability to dig deep into policy and science have enabled the Alliance to effectively raise awareness of local environmental and land use issues and mobilize citizens to effect meaningful change."

A legacy

Swan's work continues a 140-year legacy of conservation in Saugatuck, following actions like the city's purchase of Mt. Baldhead and Oval Beach, Thomas Eddy Tallmadge's protection of forested dunes near Ox-Bow, and Patty Birkholz's efforts to establish Saugatuck Dunes State Park in 1982.

"I’ve been working to protect the public spaces — the dunes, beaches, forests, wetlands at the Kalamazoo River Mouth — for 25 years and believe the time is right to pass the baton that Patty Birkholz handed to me in 2001," Swan said in a press release. "I wanted to retire from this role at a time when the right board is in place to ensure this work continues."

Swan and his wife received the Michigan Environmental Council’s Petoskey Prize for Grassroots Environmental Leadership in 2002. He was honored with the West Michigan Environmental Action Council CR Everson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 and the Cultural Landscape Foundation’s Landslide Award in 2011. Under his leadership, the Coastal Alliance received multiple awards, including the Michigan Historic Preservation Network Leadership Award in 2014 and the West Michigan Environmental Action Council Leadership Award in 2012.

The Coastal Alliance's executive committee and board have been planning for succession since 2023. Swan will assist in the transition.

"The Coastal Alliance will continue to focus on the Coastal region north and south of the Kalamazoo River mouth, while expanding our efforts beyond litigation," Gaunt said, noting potential new focuses on stewardship, education, restoration and collaboration.

The Alliance will continue its current litigation efforts to protect the dunes, water, wildlife and cultural landscape. A search for the organization's first full-time Executive Director will begin in the coming weeks.

Background

The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance in Michigan has become a formidable force in protecting the region's globally significant freshwater dune system. Since its 2007 founding, the SDCA has been instrumental in safeguarding over 300 acres of sensitive dune habitat, including the 171-acre Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area. 

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Their legal battles have also made headlines, culminating in a landmark 2022 Michigan Supreme Court ruling that solidified their standing to challenge zoning decisions, and a subsequent permit denial in early 2024 for a controversial 50-boat marina and housing development in a critical dune area.

Beyond land protection and legal victories, the SDCA has successfully advocated for the Saugatuck Dunes' recognition, including its designation as one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places in 2010 and the Mouth of the Kalamazoo River as a Traditional Cultural Property of the Potawatomi in 2020. Through public education, collaborative partnerships, and persistent advocacy, the SDCA continues to lead efforts in preserving this unique and vital part of Michigan's coastal environment.

— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.