The City of Muskegon is proposing to eliminate Fisherman's Landing Campground, move the picnic pavilion by the office, remove the fishing dock and accessible parking, and 96 of the 240 parking spaces, to land swap it to Mart Dock for their port freighter business.

 

It's a complex plan which is explained on the city's website. Please see the link further down.

Fisherman’s Landing and Campground is a Muskegon City public  park, run by private contract, with no cost to the city.

The Muskegon Commission will vote on this proposal November 25, 2025. This petition is to show how many people are against it. The public will not have a vote on this.  It is not a charter park.  Public parks are for everyone. The city government is supposed to protect them for the people according to the Public Trust Doctrine.  Public parks are not for sale. 

Note: Donations are not required to sign this petition.  We are not fundraising.  No $ goes to Fisherman's Landing or the cause.  All donations go 100% to Change.org.  They will charge you monthly.  This is why the petition was taken down before. 

Fisherman's Landing and Campground facts:

• 18.6 acres close to downtown Muskegon, the Farmer’s Market, all Muskegon’s festivals, U.S. 31 and the Lakeshore Bike Trail                          
• Immaculate park with four boat launches, public picnic pavilion, restrooms, new grill, fishing dock, park benches, a close neighborhood park
• Jackson Hill's lakeside public park
• 109 gated camp sites with affordable rates, showers, playground
•  2024 - 11,353 actual campground registrations.
• About 50,000 people use this campground each season, bringing locals and tourists to support Muskegon business revenue
• Approximately $5,000,000  generated with each person spending $100
• 2024 - campers from over 36 states, some years from other countries
• 68 fishing tournaments, 80 days of fishing tournaments in 2025
• Onsite manager, available 24/7 during campground season
• Kayak launch, where neighborhood children learn to kayak
• 240 space parking lot with room for trucks and trailers
• Fish cleaning station for a fee
• Hosts events for charity organizations like Dreamweaver Foundation and Disability Network West Michigan, and high school, middle school and college tournaments.

If you use this park/launch/campsite, let the Muskegon City officials know how much money you contribute to Muskegon downtown or area businesses, and why you love this park.

Email:

Commissionall@shorelinecity.com reaches all Commissioners.

To read about the proposal, please go to the Muskegon City website: "Connecting Community to the Water, Ports, and Parks!"

https://muskegon-mi.civilspace.io/en/projects/connecting-community-to-the-water-ports-and-parks?fbclid=IwY2xjawI18LtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHcLMqTKzZCXlEuLJrtW03OMSDcmli9_BRN4GiVNT5B1tU5iUpmcDOALsxg_aem_KeLqjfweouB93aHy04TgMg

CityCommission@shorelinecity.com     goes to the Muskegon City Manager and City Clerk in addition to the city commission.

Individual email addresses are below. 

Mayor Ken Johnson, Rebecca St. Clair and Rachel Gorman terms expire this year. Mayor Johnson and Vice Chair St. Clair are up for re-election. Gorman is not running.

Mayor Ken Johnson 231-724-6701   231-329-5825   ken.johnson@shorelinecity.com

Jonathan Seyferth 231-724-6724  jonathan@shorelinecity.com

Vice Mayor Rebecca St Clair 231-724-6701   231-286-0475 rebecca.stclair@shorelinecity.com 

Rachel Gorman 231-722-3751  rachel.gorman@shorelinecity.com  

Jay Kilgo 231-327-5332  jay.kilgo@shorelinecity.com

Willie German Jr. 231-683-3153  231-329-5673   willie.germanjr@shorelinecity.com 

Destinee Keener 231-788-8553  destinee.keener@shorelinecity.com

Katrina Kochin 616-589-5847  katrina.kochin@shorelinecity.com

 

Issues:

Please hold additional public hearings. Please put the project on hold until more public input can be given in light of absent information on the park/campground. The public hearings and all the City presentations focused solely on the development, without presenting any detail about Fisherman’s Landing and Campground’s history, use or value to Muskegon, surrounding communities, Michigan, and tourists.

The public would like the following pertinent information to be made public before the project moves forward. Please enter this information on the “Connecting Community to the Water, Ports, and Parks!” website. Thank you.

1.  The specifics of the Mart Dock plan submitted to the City of Muskegon to develop the Muskegon Lake shoreline by converting Fisherman’s Landing and Campground.  What will be built?  How much it will cost?  What are the funding sources?  What is the timeline to build?  What is the City of Muskegon’s projected profit?  Mart Dock's projected profit?   How the profits are calculated?   What are the costs to the City of Muskegon?                              

2.  The environmental assessments and environmental impact studies, on record with the City of Muskegon or other entities, of all the properties concerned, Mart Dock, Third Street Wharf, Fisherman’s Landing and Campground, VerPlank, etc..  What are the toxic wastes or toxic chemicals of concern? 

3.  All the real estate appraisals of the properties involved, Mart Dock, Fisherman’s Landing and Campground, Third Street Wharf, VerPlank, etc., stating the properties market value and the detailed justifications.

4.  The economic benefit survey of the Fisherman’s Landing and Campground users, showing where they shop, spend money, and how much money is spent. Please include the actual Placer AI surveys, the number of people surveyed, survey dates, and the summary.  Mr. Seyferth stated at a public hearing that the campground users only shop at North Muskegon’s Hardy’s Grocery, North Muskegon Meijer’s, and the Bear Lake Tavern. Please post the 2023, 2024, 2025 Placer AI surveys.

Is it true that due to privacy, Placer AI only registers foot traffic after 50 unique cell phone users have registered at one location? If so, this could be why camper foot traffic is so low or non--existent downtown. 

5.  The toxic chemical test results of the water and sludge in the formerly Nugent Sand Company’s industrial sand mining holes, now called Dune Harbor Park “lakes.”  Dune Harbor Park is being suggested as an alternative to Fisherman’s Landing and Campground’s recreational use. There is no comparison. These Dune Harbor “lakes” are unexplainably catch and release only. Dune Harbor Park has none of Fisherman’s Landing and Campground features, namely, an established campground, boat launches, playground, 240 car parking lot, dry boat storage,109 spacious campsites including 30 and 50 amp, pull-through and waterfront RV sites, electric tent sites, clean and modern shower house, private boat dock and kayak launch, fish cleaning station, fishing on Muskegon Lake, and a secure gated entrance.

6.  A complete list of all Muskegon taxpayer’s money spent to Ramboll and all other companies, organizations  or individuals employed by or engaged with the City of Muskegon to convert Fisherman’s Landing and Campground to the proposed plan. How much taxpayer’s money has been spent for the conversion process and to whom? Please list date, company/organization/individual, and amount spent.

7.  Muskegon’s businesses, parks, convention center, hotels, art and history museums, marinas, bike paths, farmer’s market, colleges, etc. all cater to everyone and are not exclusionary by residence.  Please explain why everyone’s voice is not welcome on Muskegon’s development projects, when they are the actual users and the developments effect them directly?  Many work in the city and pay city income tax. Non-residents support these entities as customers. Non-residents pay state and federal taxes, which fund state and federal grants used in developments. 

8.  When was Fisherman’s Landing and Campground created? How much did it cost, including improvements through the years?  It is a self-sufficient park costing the city nothing, which is why the City put it under private contract, to save city money.  Campground fees pay for the park. Please post the cooperative effort agreement between the City of Muskegon Department of Leisure Services, the Muskegon Sports Fishing Association and the Michigan Anglers Association. 

9.  How many people use the park and how many fishermen participate in the 68-80 fishing tournaments? How much money is gained by the fishing tournaments, fishing licenses, charter boats, Muskegon area businesses?

10. What federal and state grants were given to Fisherman’s Landing and Campground? Please provide dates, $ amount of grants received and stipulations, such as the park is to remain in perpetuity. 

11.  The Mart Dock proposal includes possible freighter containers with refrigerated shipping of agricultural products. How does the proposal guarantee that PFAS will not pollute the land, air or water? Please read the following articles:

The Future of Maritime Transport

https://www.green-cooling-initiative.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Webinar_Greener_Reefers_-_The_Future_of_Refrigerated_Maritime_Transport__29.04.25.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawKxAn5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETExUUV6WjZTd3hTOHJzRUhEAR6nzMjdrKVr3kKG41wlsmlKxPO7_kofjelC4cH9OXS-PDALvrqvw4WiykrdDw_aem_g2NxpcluAwuebUIQPceiAw

The Silent Leak: Unpacking PFAS Contamination from Reefers in the Global Cold Chain

https://www.green-cooling-initiative.org/news-media/news/news-detail/2025/05/06/the-silent-leak-unpacking-pfas-contamination-from-reefers-in-the-global-cold-chain?fbclid=IwY2xjawKxArJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETExUUV6WjZTd3hTOHJzRUhEAR4wNRDzrobhMMtnvhmLZ8feUCOmfgQMNLO5O--9nfsMQ2CElKP_QjsdYZCaHg_aem_02sy68iUim1AKCyemEv1oA

PFAS Testing Mandate Threatens to Derail Great Lakes Harbor/River Dredging in Michigan

https://dredgewire.com/pfas-testing-mandate-threatens-to-derail-great-lakes-harbor-river-dredging-in-michigan/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKxAuVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETExUUV6WjZTd3hTOHJzRUhEAR7JyCfVGMSY6pclGgi4KwpvPzflkgMtzJOeG55MLIkFK9itxKPYfGjBYka3Ow_aem_OKCZB5JKwWQ2hpK2MJKgFw

12.  How will additonal freighter traffic effect Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake, considering the unregulated ballast water, which may contain invasive species and cyanobacteria, etc.?

13.  Why isn't Commissioner Rachel Gorman recused from this topic's discussions and the vote in November due to a conflict of interest with her job as the Chamber of Commerce Director?  Shouldn't her husband, as Asst. City Attorney, also be recused from participation? Why hasn't this been done?  Please explain.

14.   If the proposal is accepted, and Mart Dock’s operation is incompatible or detrimental to the Fisherman’s Landing Public Park or its users, will Mart Dock’s operation be curtailed or made to cease operations? 

 

 

Thank you for supporting Fisherman's Landing and Campground.