Gravel Mine at Watkins Lake State Park?
The Irish Hills faces a serious threat from a proposed gravel mining operation adjacent to Watkins Lake State Park & County Preserve. Possible impacts include environmental damage to water, wildlife, and fragile ecosystems, as well as constant heavy truck traffic and industrial noise disrupting rural roads, public safety, and the park’s peaceful character.
Stay current on latest developments and how you can be involved in opposing this mine by joining the Irish Hills Concerned Citizens (IHCC) mailing list!!
What’s New:
Our banners are sprouting up in the Irish Hills! Thank you to the generous folks who displayed them: the Gauci family in front of the Irish Hills Towers; Amber Houttekier at the corner of US-12 and M-52; Ryan Johnson and Debbie Owen on Herman Rd., just around the corner from Watkins Lake State Park! We’re letting people know in a big way that the proposed gravel mine is a bad idea!
The City of Manchester joins Manchester Township in calling for a “careful and comprehensive review of environmental, safety, and community impacts related to the gravel mining proposals near the Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve.” Read the full resolutions, along with other letters of support at our Letters page.
Upcoming dates
Please save the date for our next IHCC community meeting:
- Saturday, June 13, 10:30 AM at 107 Chicago Street in Brooklyn
Additional upcoming public meetings and events include:
Monday, June 8, 2026, 6:00 PM – Norvell Township Board meeting to select a new trustee
Monday, June 15, 10 AM-11:30 – DNR Walk and Talk with State Sen. Sue Shink at Watkins Lake State Park. Sen. Shink is a dedicated environmentalist. This will be a chance for her to experience first-hand the beauty of Watkins Lake State Park, and the people who care about it!
Monday, June 15, 2026, 6:00 PM – Regularly scheduled Norvell Township Board meeting
DNR Park Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting – the June meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday, July 30, 2 pm. No details provided.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 6:00 PM – Norvell Township Planning Commission meeting
More details for all of these meetings will follow.
Yard Signs are available at these supportive local businesses during the hours they are open:
Callaghan’s Coffee Shop
109 S. Main Street, Brooklyn 49230
Monday – Friday – 6:00am to 2:00pm
Saturday & Sunday – 7:00am to 2:00pm
Jugheads Party Store
102 Mill Rd, Norvell, MI 49263
(517) 536-4010 – for hours
Sharon Valley Bicycle Shoppe
108 E. Main Street, Manchester 48158
Monday – Tuesday – CLOSED
Wednesday- Friday – 10:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday – 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday – 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Evans Lake Resort
1237 Michigan Ave., Tipton MI 49287
9:00am-5:00pm – every day
- Please utilize the donation button on our website to minimize their need to handle money.
- Please thank them by being a patron, if you can.
- We appreciate a $10 donation to cover our costs. Thank you!
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Thank you to everyone who attended Saturday’s Irish Hills Concerned Citizens community meeting at Frog Holler Farm. Over 80 people participated in person, by Zoom, and from our satellite location at the Jackson District Library in Brooklyn. The packed turnout reflected the continued concern and engagement of community members working to protect Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve and the surrounding community.
The meeting included updates on legal strategy, expert testimony, fundraising efforts, haul route concerns, petitions, and next steps in the township review process. We also announced the retention of attorney Dan Bock of Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes to assist IHCC with legal and technical matters related to the proposed mine. He and his firm have expertise in municipal law and environmental law, and they have a stable of experts they use in gravel mining battles like ours.
Slides from the meeting presentations can be viewed on this website’s Learn More page.
We especially appreciated the thoughtful participation during the small-group discussions. If you have additional notes, ideas, concerns, or suggestions about ways to protect the park and surrounding community, please email us at protectpark@IHCCinfo.org.
If you are willing to volunteer to help with any of these ideas, future events, outreach, research, fundraising, or other efforts, please email us as well. We need all kinds of help, and community involvement continues to make a tremendous difference.
Facebook Group
Join the lively conversation at Irish Hills Concerned Citizens!
VOLUNTEER
We have identified a number of areas where citizens can pool their knowledge, depending on interest and/or expertise. Meet your neighbors and be part of a dynamic initiative to Preserve Our Parks! No experience necessary.
Letters supporting our efforts
Many organizations are stepping up to support IHCC efforts. Among them: The Michigan Lake and Stream Association, Legacy Land Conservancy, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission. Manchester Township and the City of Manchester both call for a careful review.