The county should look at harbor development for “all sites between Sturgeon Bay and Baileys Harbor”
When the request to build a safe harbor at Whitefish Dunes State Park was declined in 2018, the requesting parties were directed to “look at all sites between Sturgeon Bay and Baileys Harbor”: https://www.co.door.wi.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10112023-1542#page=114.
Doing so would entail another report, costing thousands of dollars if contracted out to a firm, and it hasn’t happened. But building a safe harbor is again being considered by county supervisors with hopes that the DNR will accept it. Yet there seems to be no indication that the directive to look at all the alternative sites has been withdrawn.
This post wades a little bit into this water, but helping to think about what such a new report would like look. I think that the report would not necessarily need to be contracted out for a lot of money. It could instead be done “in house” by county staff.
The public access to water sites between Baileys Harbor and Sturgeon Bay are mapped in Wisconsin's Great Lake Public Access Guide:
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=55235cfdfe374ba8ad22fc39a03cb522.
A list of the items on the map, from north to south:
Lakeside Park, Jacksonport
Schauer Park
Cave Point County Park
Whitefish Dunes State Park
Whitefish Bay Boat Launch
White Pine Lane Access Site
Hemlock Lane Access Site
Lily Bay Park
Portage Park
Just northeast of Lily Bay Park, there are a number of sites which are not on the water access guide. Starting at the park, and working the northeast along the shore, this lists them out.
The first unlisted site to the northeast is Evergreen Lane:
https://gis.co.door.wi.us/gismap/index.html?call=search_pin&fieldname0=PIN&value0=022520063
This is what it looks like on Google Street View: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LTzbwhJNwpjhiijZ8
It has a sign saying not to park or camp on the road, by order of the town board. That is odd, given that the Door County Web Map says that the road is owned by the county, not the town. Since it is in the Town of Sevastopol, there is a parking ordinance at https://cdn.townweb.com/townofsevastopolwi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Standing-Loading-Parking.pdf. It does not mention the town regulating parking on county roads. A court so inclined might decide that the sign is a violation of 7.02 (5) Abandonment [of previous parking spaces] and 7.05 Access requirements: https://www.co.door.wi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5824/CHAPTER-07-comprehensive-9-20-2016-.
For any public access to water site, if it is established on May 7, 1998 or later, it is illegal to remove the access without permission from a circuit court, https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/236.16(3)(b), unless the DNR gives permission for it: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/x/1006. Banning parking on a spur road to the water, without establishing an alternative parking area, is not forbidden in state law as best as I can tell, but it could conceivably be challenged in court. State law mandates public access to water sites to usually be spaced no further than half a mile apart. To provide access sites as required, and then ban parking could be seen by a court as going against legislative intent.
The next one is Deerpath Lane:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UXh5JQzm9oKqzAyx5
Following Deerpath, is Hemlock Lane, which is listed on the Water Access Sites map. After Hemlock is Bittersweet Lane:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ShVbJFEcCCyxHqJU7
After Bittersweet is Shivering Sands Creek, which, as it crosses the right-of-way for Glidden Drive, is also a water access site, since state law mandates public access in rivers and creeks up to the ordinary high water mark. Kayakers and canoeists can launch into Shivering Sands Creek from the Glidden Drive right-of-way: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5tcx3oji84zNRqg28 . However, there may be obstructions, especially when water levels are low.
To the northeast from Shivering Sands Creek is Bittersweet Lane: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qtum6LcKpEmb9Sd26
Next comes Goldenrod Lane: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5NwHbuyM9ndteUjf7
Goldenrod Lane has a sign saying
Public Access 50 Ft. Wide to Water. No Trespassing Either Side
It makes sense for this one to be advertised better, since it is one of the better improved road spurs to the water.
Just past Goldenrod is another creek flowing into Lake Michigan, called Fischer Creek or Goldenrod Creek. Although this is also a water access site up the the usual high watermark, it is too wooded to be convenient for kayakers trying to get to Lake Michigan: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2rMBDQwuDxqDEg4q6
After Fischer or Goldenrod Creek is White Pine Lane: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QmX4m8FVwcEGFxd68
The Door County Web Map lists it as a “Right of Way”, but it lacks the purple shading.
In contrast to most of these spurs, which are public right of ways, Glidden Drive Association, Inc owns Oak Lane as a private road: https://gis.co.door.wi.us/gismap/index.html?call=search_pin&fieldname0=PIN&value0=0220328282755
Oak Lane has a sign like the other spurs, but underneath the road’s name is the word “Private”.
A view of Oak Lane on Google Street View: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dBtmW2K5a8xZPFov5
Next is Elm Tree Lane, which is also private:
https://gis.co.door.wi.us/gismap/index.html?call=search_pin&fieldname0=PIN&value0=0220328282756
Elm Tree Lane is not improved, and cannot be used by motor vehicles: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4gFMNLrHnPkaK9iX6
Next is Pebble Lane, which is also private:
https://gis.co.door.wi.us/gismap/index.html?call=search_pin&fieldname0=PIN&value0=022250045
Like Elm Tree Lane, Pebble Lane is not improved for motor vehicles: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LwfFDc7R3DmY9DdQ6
Following Pebble Lane is Beech Lane, which is also private:
https://gis.co.door.wi.us/gismap/index.html?call=search_pin&fieldname0=PIN&value0=022250032
Like the other roads, it is not improved for motor vehicles:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/EiRp5sWoDUaTeVDE8
This being repetitious, the following private lanes, working north along the shore, are Birch Lane, Cherry Lane, and Maple Lane. After the pier at Whitefish Bay Road, there is also the mouth of Whitefish Bay Creek. Adjacent to the crossing of S. Cave Point Drive over Whitefish Bay Creek is a gravel pad suitable for parking: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wYgFX6PLD5XNR2Bj9
Further north, First Lane is roughly equidistant from Lakeside Park and Baileys Harbor. First Lane, running east-west between Kangaroo Lake and Lake Michigan, is not included in the map with blue pins, and I don’t know if it is public or not.
The Door County Web Map shows the right-of-way for First Lane ending before the lake, with no public access to the water, but the 1996 survey document shows the right-of-way going all the way to the water. One or the other must be incorrect.
This is not quite a complete list, but these places are the most obvious sites which lack a pinpoint in Wisconsin's Great Lake Public Access Guide.
What about the ones which are in the guide? For these ones, the list starts at the northeast and continue towards the southwest.
Among the ones in the water access guide, Schauer Park was the focus of the 2009 study about building a safe harbor: https://www.co.door.wi.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10112023-1541
Schauer Park was favored in 2009 especially because it is roughly equidistant between Sturgeon Bay and Baileys Harbor. The use of Schauer Park for water access had previously been sufficient enough to make it into the print water access guide from 1992: https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/15329/noaa_15329_DS1.pdf (page 40 in the file’s pagination at the top).
At the time, a list of summarized opinions for and against using Schauer Park were compiled by the Town of Jacksonport: https://jacksonport.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2007-01-23-Town-Board-Minutes.pdf#page=4. Most people who submitted their names were against it.
This is Schauer Park in Google Street View: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qYQyPuWzvEiTRHs98
South of Schauer Park is the state park, and the Whitefish Bay Boat launch is south of the state park: https://maps.app.goo.gl/X8iBtCtVhkFfDRkp9
White Pine Lane Access Site is roughly equidistant between Lakeside Park and Sturgeon Bay. It is on Sherman Bay: https://maps.app.goo.gl/a7JUf6cKjhTRUcUe9.
A little to the southwest is Hemlock Lane Access Site: https://maps.app.goo.gl/J4jqLpt7EYdrg99R8
White Pine Lane and Hemlock Lane are small spurs off of Glidden Drive, and both have residences closely adjacent to them on each side.
Next along the shore is the Lily Bay Boat Launch: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cX9YzFjgzLiU3gip9
Just north of the canal is Portage Park, the last in the list: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9CNoQdL4eNDsB2My5
The article at https://doorcountypulse.com/last-effort-for-a-whitefish-dunes-safe-harbor/ covers past efforts to get a safe harbor at Whitefish Dunes.
There is also a letter from a charity which seeks to influence the DNR on many things: https://wiwf.org/cdnwiwf/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/12-WHITEFISH-DUNES-STATE-PARK-BOAT-LAUNCH-RAMP.pdf
The second signatory donated land nearby to the Door County Land Trust because he wanted to preserve public access to Schwartz Lake: https://archive.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/conservancy-group-acquires-large-door-county-parcel-fo54dr4-148577955.html
There is also a petition at https://www.change.org/p/door-county-wisconsin-we-want-a-safe-harbor-boat-launch-on-lake-michigan-between-baileys-harbor-and-sturgeon-bay
I have to wonder how much of the desire to get a safe harbor built at Whitefish Dunes State Park is coming from people who are concerned that a water access site near to where they live would be used instead. It is odd that people are assuming that there will only be one new safe harbor constructed.
It might be less obnoxious to neighbors if instead there were multiple harbors constructed. Multiple improvement projects for boat infrastructure would at least spread out the increase in road traffic, and probably boat traffic too.
DNR officials might be more open to building a new safe harbor at Whitefish Bay State Park if there was a way to prove that the location choice was not motivated by people trying to prevent infrastructure construction near their properties. If one or more new harbors were built at other sites before asking to use Whitefish Dunes State Park for a new harbor, that would change perception of the Whitefish Dunes Harbor proposal.
Of course, then, the response might be that a new harbor at Whitefish Dunes isn’t needed, because the other ones are good enough. There would still need to be a better justification for it beyond the harbor spacing mileage figure set by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Other posts about boating