Michigan has the largest concentration of freshwater coastal sand dunes in the world, spanning 230,423 acres. Approximately 32 percent of them are classified as “Critical Dune Areas” as designated by State legislation efforts. As defined in this legislation, Critical Dune Areas (CDAs) are “a unique, irreplaceable, and fragile resource that provide significant recreational, economic, scientific, geological, scenic, botanical, educational, agricultural, and ecological benefits to the people of this state and to people from other states and countries who visit this resource.” They tend to be the tallest and most scenic along the shorelines of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

A few interesting stories have emerged over the years about Great Lakes dunes in general, in and outside of Michigan. Due to their dynamic nature of shifting sands and historically covering ancient forests, they can pose some hazards. In the 1980s, the dunes at Silver Lake State Park swallowed up a neighboring cottage and made headlines again in 2017 by threatening the one next to it. On a large scale, the dunes swallowed a complete Western Michigan town called Singapore in the 1800s due to extensive logging destabilizing the glacial sand surrounding the town. In 2013, a boy was rescued after falling into a dune underground cavity and spending 3 hours below the surface at Indiana Dunes National Park. I experienced a similar cavity on a trip to Silver Lake Dunes on Lake Michigan in 2012, but not nearly as severe. I was fortunate only to fall a few feet in.

Ghost Forests Speaking To Us

Many people were not aware of the possibility of such cavities before the near tragedy in 2013. It prompted a flurry of activity by geologists to determine just how much risk these voids may present. As it turns out, these cavities are from the remains of ghost forests under the sand. It is believed the dunes with certain conditions are more favorable ultimately decomposing the trees underneath, leaving a pocket. Depending on how close that pocket is to the surface likely determines the risk. The dunes where the boy fell in were reopened after they were deemed safe – but a few more holes were found.

For the sand dunes of Michigan I’ve explored, particularly Silver Lake Dunes, there are many remains of these ghost forests above ground. Remains of ancient trees stand out in the landscape void of any other vegetation almost as if they are symbolic totems.

to·tem| noun – a natural object or animal that is believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and that is adopted by it as an emblem.

Dune Totems

Michigan is in the process of developing a detailed mapping of all its coastal dune areas to further emphasize their value and understanding. News of this had me thinking about my own experiences there and revisiting some photographs I took in a completely different direction than my imagination running wild with my Dune Dragons project. I wanted a different story this time, one of the symbolism of time past, and as some totems portray, one of warning, caution, and respect. And while they look stationary on the vast glacial sand landscape, we know there is change happening, just not on scales we tend to recognize.

And with that – what is visible above the sand is perhaps only a small representation of what lies below. Walk carefully human. 🙂