City of Saugatuck
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Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area

The Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area (SHNA) is a 173-acre tract of magnificent duneland along the Lake Michigan shore north of Oval Beach. It was acquired by the City of Saugatuck in 2011 with the help of the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. The property, accessible from the Oval Beach parking lot, is the site of the original mouth of the Kalamazoo River, which was bypassed by the construction of the present channel in 1906. Much of it is a peninsula bounded by Lake Michigan, the Kalamazoo River and the Oxbow Lagoon. The latter is the original channel of the Kalamazoo River.
Oval Drive
The land demonstrates the unique geological and ecological features of Great Lakes dunes, including globally imperiled interdunal wetlands, Great Lakes shore and beach, Great Lakes marsh, and riparian shoreline and adjacent marshes.  Some of these inhabitants are quite rare in Michigan. To protect these species, dogs are not allowed in the Natural Area.
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The site also has historical significance as the site of the original mouth of the Kalamazoo. Old pilings from the original river opening still extend out into Lake Michigan. A fishing settlement known as Fishtown was located on the north side of what is now the Oxbow Lagoon. The site was abandoned when the original mouth drifted closed soon after the opening of the present channel. There was also a lighthouse where the old Kalamazoo channel entered Lake Michigan. The original structure was destroyed by a tornado. The replacement structure is a private home on private land.
Picture

Links

  • Things to do at the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Michigan State Natural Features Inventory
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Saugatuck City Hall
102 Butler St. 
PO Box 86
Saugatuck, MI 49453
​(269) 857-2603
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8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Photography by
Kim Zahnow
Erin Wilkinson.
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©2021 City of Saugatuck, All Rights Reserved. All images are used with explicit permission. 
  • Home
  • About
    • Boards & Committees >
      • Board of Review
      • City Council
      • Eurasian Water Milfoil Study Group
      • Fire District Board
      • Historic District Commission
      • Interurban Board of Directors
      • Kalamazoo Lake Harbor Authority
      • Kalamazoo Lake Sewer and Water Authority Board
      • Saugatuck-Douglas District ​Library Board of Trustees
      • Parks and Public Works Committee
      • Planning Commission
      • Tri-Community Non-Motorized Trail Study Committee
      • Tri-Community Recycling Ad-Hoc Committee
      • Zoning Board of Appeals
    • City Charter
    • City Projects >
      • Strategic Planning
      • Campbell Road Project
    • Employment
    • Floodplain
    • Harbor Management
    • History of City Hall
    • Ordinances
    • Social District
    • Trash & Recycling
  • Parks & Recreation
    • Oval Beach
    • Mt. Baldhead Park
    • Chain Ferry
    • Coghlin Park
    • Cook Park
    • John Woollam Trail
    • Jones Park
    • Mildred Peterson Nature Preserve
    • Riverside Cemetery
    • Rose Garden
    • Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area
    • Village Square Park
    • Wicks Park
    • Willow Park
    • 5 Year Master Plan
  • Calendar
  • Departments
    • City Manager
    • Assessing
    • Building
    • Clerk and Elections
    • Department of Public Works
    • Law Enforcement
    • Planning/Zoning/HDC
    • Treasurer
  • Forms
  • Links
    • Area Information
    • Consumers Energy
    • Fire Department
    • Library
    • Minutes & Meeting Info >
      • 2021 Council Meeting Info
      • 2020 Council Meeting Info
      • 2019 Council Meeting Info
    • Michigan Gas Utilities
    • Michigan Township Services
    • Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
    • Saugatuck Douglas Art Club
    • Schools
    • Sewer and Water
    • Tax Parcel Records Search
    • Tourism
  • Contact