Warren Dunes is getting a quiet makeover on paper, and this one favors the dunes. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is proposing to redraw the protected boundary at Warren Dunes State Park in Berrien County, pushing conservation protection deeper into the park's critical dune complex while easing it around a slice of the rustic campground. The move would add roughly 100 acres to the park's dedicated natural area and realign protections to match existing trails and facilities. Park officials say the goal is to shore up dune stability and protect rare plants and wildlife without closing beaches or major recreation areas.
Under the DNR's draft rule change, the Warren Dunes Natural Area would jump from about 488 acres to roughly 600 acres, even as the department proposes removing about 30 acres from the current natural area designation, DNR spokesman Ed Golder told MLive. According to the outlet, the state Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules signed off on the draft request on June 11, clearing the way for the formal rulemaking process. Golder told MLive the proposed shift would not affect campers or change public access, maintenance, habitat restoration or recreation rules.
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs' Request for Rulemaking filing spells out the legal changes the DNR wants in the wilderness and natural areas rule set (R 322.11.1). It explains that the change is meant to pull in the park's full critical dune area and to remove portions of the existing Natural Area that are out of compliance. The filing lists the Department Director as the promulgating authority and estimates that the full rulemaking process could take about three months. The document concludes that there is enough policy and legal backing to move ahead.
Plan-backed change
The proposal tracks with recommendations from the park's general management planning process, which called for expanding the dedicated Natural Area and removing the Natural Area label from the Hidebrandt campground loop so that protections match how the land is actually used. The DNR's Phase 2 General Management Plan describes a mix of active and stabilized dunes and notes the park draws nearly 1 million visitors a year, most of them from out of state. Maps in that plan lay out the recommended zoning and highlight the parcels the department says should be folded into the Natural Area.
Where protections shift
Most of the newly protected parcels sit just south of Weko Beach and west of the campground. The acres the DNR wants to remove from the Natural Area overlap the park's rustic campground loop and the planned Red Arrow linear trail project, MLive reports. DNR materials say the swap is aimed at lining up the Natural Area boundary with updated critical dune maps and with recent land acquisitions. Park staff adds that the shift lets the agency concentrate on stewardship work and habitat restoration where dunes are most vulnerable, without putting new limits on routine camping or beach use.
Why the rules matter
Michigan's Critical Dune Areas program is designed to limit development and activities that could destabilize dunes, drive erosion or damage rare habitat. Expanding the Warren Dunes Natural Area would extend those protections to parcels the DNR now classifies as critical dune. The park's management plan lists several plants and animals of concern, including the federally threatened Pitcher's thistle, and lays out why keeping dunes intact matters for both wildlife and shoreline stability. For background on the legal framework and ecological reasoning, see the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the DNR planning documents.
Next steps and how to weigh in
The Request for Rulemaking directs the DNR to use the full rulemaking process, which typically means public notice, a formal comment period, and at least one hearing before any rule is adopted, and it puts the timeline at roughly three months. The filing and its supporting materials form the official record for the proposal and will guide any public meetings and opportunities to comment. Stakeholders are being urged to keep an eye out for the official posting if they want to review maps and submit feedback as the rulemaking moves ahead.
For now, DNR officials say campers should expect business as usual this summer while the protections are adjusted on paper. People who want to follow the proposal, study the maps, or submit comments can find links to the filing and planning documents on the DNR's Michigan Department of Natural Resources Warren Dunes page.
