"In 1961, Senator Philip Hart of Michigan introduced legislation to add Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes and 77,000 surrounding acres to America's National Park system.

The 1,600 people who lived in the proposed park area feared not only that the federal government would confiscate their homes, but that a wave of tourists would ensue and destroy their beloved and fragile lands where, as one resident put it, "stars are closer to the earth than anywhere else in the world." In response, they organized citizen action groups and fought a nine-year battle against the legislation.".

"Sixties Sandstorm records an important milestone in Michigan's environmental history and sheds light on today's debates over the proper balance between private property rights and the public trust. It is compelling reading for anyone interested in the forces that shape governmental decisionmaking and in the Sleeping Bear Dunes themselves."--BOOK JACKET.