Take Action to Protect Chocolay Township's Wetlands

Wetlands are so important for local water quality, preventing erosion, and providing habitat for wildlife.

Unfortunately, Chocolay Township in Marquette County currently lacks protections against most development on inland wetlands. Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior (CSCLS) proposes that a wetland buffer of 25 feet should be adopted as part of the township’s Zoning Ordinance, in order to preserve wetlands from development. This would effectively prohibit any development on and within 25 feet of a wetland in Chocolay Township.

Please take action to help protect Chocolay Township’s wetlands by doing the following:

Attend a Public Meeting

The Chocolay Township Planning Commission will hold a public meeting on Monday, July 20th at 6pm in the township offices located at 5010 US-41 South, Marquette, MI 49855. At this public meeting, CSCLS will be proposing that the Planning Commission adopt a 25-foot buffer around all wetlands in the township; requiring any structure to be built at least 25 feet from a wetland.

If preserving wetlands in Chocolay Township is important to you, please attend this meeting and make a public comment. It is so important to have township residents and community members at this meeting to show that the public cares about wetlands from development and destruction.

Below is a template of suggested language that you can use in your public comment. Please feel free to adapt it how you see fit.

“Hello, my name is [your name] and I live at [your address].

I am here to support the buffer protections for Chocolay Township’s wetlands that are being proposed tonight by Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior.

I care about protecting the natural areas that make our community what it is, and wetlands are a big part of that. They help keep our water clean, reduce flooding and erosion, and provide habitat for wildlife. To me, having restrictions on development around wetlands is important for encouraging investment in our community while still protecting our natural resources.

I hope the Planning Commission moves forward with the proposal.

Thank you for your time.”

You can make your comment more personal and meaningful to the Planning Commission by mentioning the following (keep in mind you will be limited to 3 minutes of speaking time):

Why you enjoy living in Chocolay Township
Outdoor activities you enjoy locally (ideally involving wetlands)
Why clean water or wildlife matters to you
Why you think planning for the future is important

Write a Letter of Support

If you cannot attend the Chocolay Township Planning Commission’s meeting on July 20th, please write a letter or email to the township indicating your support for protecting wetlands through a 25-foot buffer. Written letters and emails are an effective way to communicate issues of concern, and allow room to expand on what can be spoken in a 3-minute public comment. When writing, please be respectful, clear, and to-the-point.

Below is a template of suggested language that you can use in your letter/email, but feel free to adapt it in order to raise the most effective points that will persuade the Planning Commission.

“Dear members of the Chocolay Township Planning Commission,

My name is [your name] and I live at [your address].

I am writing to express my support for the protections for Chocolay Township’s wetlands that are being proposed by Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior at the Planning Commission’s meeting on July 20th, 2026.

The Chocolay Township Master Plan explicitly encourages the township to adopt buffer protections for wetlands because they “provide vital ecosystem functions” and are “particularly important as sites for unique plants, breeding areas for amphibians, habitat for wildlife as varied as black bears and wood ducks, and integral to groundwater recharge,” (pg. 70, 71). The master plan also indicates that most township residents are supportive of land-use protections for wetlands. Wetlands are extremely important for local water quality, reducing flooding and erosion, and providing habitat for wildlife. Especially in Chocolay Township, wetlands are even more important for keeping water clean before it enters Lake Superior.

Unfortunately, wetlands are too often drained and filled for development. According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Chocolay Township has lost over 8,000 acres of wetlands to date; representing a 43% loss of all the township’s wetlands.

I support a 25-foot buffer protection for wetlands in Chocolay Township in order to preserve them from development. This buffer would balance investment in our community with safeguarding our natural resources and water bodies. Wetland buffers have proven to be effective measures in other coastal communities, have been repeatedly upheld as land-use controls that local governments have the authority to implement, and are commonly used across Michigan. Chocolay Township already has buffer protections for sensitive areas like lakes, rivers, streams, and dunes. I believe including wetlands would be a simple step to take that would align well with the township’s goal of preserving our township’s natural resources and sensitive areas.

Please publicly note my letter of support for wetland protections and buffers to any associated proposals. Please provide hard copies to fellow board/commission members and post online with the board/commission minutes documents from the July 20th meeting of the Planning Commission.

Sincerely,

[Your name].”

You can make your letter more personal and meaningful to the Planning Commission by mentioning the following:

Why you enjoy living in Chocolay Township
Outdoor activities you enjoy locally (ideally involving wetlands)
Why clean water or wildlife matters to you
Why you think planning for the future is important

Letters can be written and mailed to:

Max Engle

Township Clerk

5010 US-41 South

Marquette, MI 49855

Emails can be sent to:

Greg Elliott (Chocolay Township Zoning Administrator), gelliott@chocolay.gov

Wetland Loss In Chocolay Township

Screenshot 2026-05-13 at 1.02.05 PM — Pink polygons represent lost wetlands. (Source: EGLE Wetlands Map Viewer)

To date, over 8,000 acres of wetlands have been lost in chocolay township

That means the township has lost 43% of all its wetlands

Wetlands in Chocolay Township have faced threats from efforts to drain and/or fill them for residential and commercial development, as well as agricultural and forestry activity. As a coastal community on Lake Superior, wetlands play an important role in keeping water clean and trapping pollutants before they reach the lake. Riparian flooding and erosion have long been issues in Chocolay Township, and wetland loss will only make these problems worse.

The Township's current approach to wetlands

Chocolay Township lacks adequate protections for inland wetlands against most development. Impacts to these wetlands are primarily regulated through the township's Zoning Ordinance; which sets land-use requirements that developers, landowners, and residents must follow.

The Zoning Ordinance sets buffer protections for lakes, rivers, streams, and other water bodies—but wetlands are not included:

"All new structures on lost abutting any body of water, including but not limited to inland lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, impoundments, and Lake Superior, shall maintain a minimum setback of 100 feet as measured from the edge of a river or the edge of a lake's shoreline," (pg. 89).

The Zoning Ordinance sets additional protections for the Lake Superior shoreline and sand dunes:

"In order to facilitate this purpose, this overlay zone has been established to overlap any existing zoning districts, and their respective regulations, along Lake Superior in a width from the erosion hazard line to encompass the entire foredune, or to a maximum of 100 feet landward, whichever is less, where the natural conditions of the shoreline, specifically the foredune and/or associated vegetation, shall be preserved in its natural state," (pg. 47).

The only protections that the Zoning Ordinance sets for wetlands are for those in rural cluster development subdivisions:

"New development [in a rural cluster development subdivision] should be separated by at least one hundred (100) feet from wetlands, surface waters or other sensitive open space," (pg. 97).

Wetlands that are isolated from any other body of water and smaller than 5 acres are not regulated by the state of Michigan or the federal government. In Chocolay Township, there are minimal protections for these wetlands from being filled, drained, and built on. We believe that should change.

What we're proposing

non-timber-forest-products-buffer — Illustration of a vegetated buffer zone along a wetland/riparian ecosystem (Source: USFS/USDA)

To adequately safeguard Chocolay Township's wetlands from development, we're proposing that the township adopt a 25-foot wetland buffer. The buffer would require any structure to be built at least 25 feet away from the edge of a wetland, effectively preserving wetlands in the township from development. The buffer would also require that any vegetation around a wetland must be left in its natural state, providing a natural transition from the surroundings.

Wetland buffers are commonly used by Michigan communities to protect natural resources, and would not interfere with state or federal wetland regulations. A wetland buffer would be efficient for the township to adopt, would require minimal extra administrative workload, and would align with Chocolay Township's existing land-use framework for shorelines, dunes, and other waterfronts.

Join us in asking Chocolay Township to adopt wetland buffer protections.

References

EGLE Wetlands Map Viewer. Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. (2026). https://www.michigan.gov/egle/maps-data/wetlands-map-viewer

US Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service. (n.d.). Riparian Forest Buffers. USDA National Agroforestry Center. https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/practices/riparian-forest-buffers.php

What is a wetland? | US EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency . (n.d.). https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/what-wetland

Zoning Ordinance. Charter Township of Chocolay. (2024). https://chocolay.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zoning-Ordinance-through-34-24-01-10.18.24.pdf