Owners who disregard dog beach hours could soon be permanently banned from West Michigan Park
WEST OLIVE, MI – People who openly disobey the rules and staff of a popular Lake Michigan park and dog beach could soon be permanently banned from the property.
Ottawa County Parks and Recreation officials say there has been an increase this year in dog owners disregarding the new dog beach hours in Kirk Park.
At best, officials say, some of the people just ignore the park staff. At worst, they are very rude to them, most of whom are young trainees.
Ottawa County Parks spokeswoman Jessica VanGinhoven said the problem had gotten so bad that depending on the course of that weekend, park staff could potentially issue permanent bans on anyone who is rude or ignore the staff if they go against the new ones Breaking dog rules.
With the restricted hours for dogs on the beach new this year, not all who break the rules are doing it on purpose and deserve a ban or appeal, VanGinhoven said.
This year, dogs are only allowed on Kirk Park Beach, 9791 Lakeshore Drive, West Olive, between 7am and 10am and 6pm to 10pm daily.
Dogs are not allowed on any part of the beach between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., even if they are on a leash. Dogs are allowed on the park’s paths at any time of the day, but must be kept on a leash.
The new dog lessons are a product of the high lake level that has swallowed the beach and destroyed coastal infrastructure like stairs. Although Lake Michigan has dropped significantly since last year, Kirk Park still lacks a beach compared to previous years.
“We didn’t make this rule because we don’t like dogs. We made this rule to accommodate as many user groups as possible, ”said VanGinhoven.
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Before the flood, there were two beach areas in Kirk Park: one for dogs on the south end and one without dogs in the north.
Even with receding water and a more exposed beach, this division is still not feasible this year and paves the way for the compromise of dog hours for all areas of the beach.
Last year dogs were banned from the park altogether – something VanGinhoven said could be reinstated if people continue to disregard the scheduled dog lessons for the beach.
It’s not just the smaller beach that is causing problems too. There is only one official access to the beach this year.
Before 2020, Kirk Park had a northern and southern access to the beach.
The southern access point had a staircase that led down the dune to the former dog beach. These stairs were removed last year for fear that they could be destroyed by erosion.
The stairs and paths on the park’s north-south high path were damaged by erosion. This path remains closed.
Visitors have access to a lookout at the former southern access point, but some have started walking down the dune to get to the beach. The unofficial access not only violates the park rules but also causes erosion on the dune.
The dune in this area is currently steep and unstable, and if state regulators allowed the county to reinstall the stairs, they would likely be buried within a few seasons, officials said.
The park officials remain undecided whether it is fiscally or ecologically justifiable to put the stairs back in place.
The compromise of leaving dogs on the beach at certain times of the day is to allow different groups of people to enjoy the space.
Some people who visit the beach want to lie in the sun without dogs running towards them, VanGinhoven said.
If a person is banned from Kirk Park, they can continue to use other parks in the county system. The ban is linked to the vehicle’s license plate number.
Motor vehicle parking fees apply at Kirk Park and a number of other vehicle parking fees between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.
The daily fee is $ 5 for Ottawa County residents and $ 8 for non-residents. An annual vehicle permit is $ 15 for residents of Ottawa County and $ 25 for non-residents.
People aged 60 and over can receive a discount. Ottawa County residents can also purchase a $ 20 hang tag that can be transferred between vehicles.
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