Agreement reached for Humbug Marsh
In March of 1998, the city of Gibraltar acted on a proposal that had sat dormant for nearly two years. Made In Detroit Inc. (MID) had proposed over 400 acres of housing and mixed retail development along the south Trenton and Gibraltar coasts centered on what was now named Humbug Island. A potential tax was approved which would have captured funds for the needed infrastructure upgrades. However, as the months passed, this project continued on back burners, and was almost classified as “dead” by all concerned in July.
However, it would spring back to action with one unconventional suggestion: changing the conservation easement on 112 acres of wetlands and potential buffer zones. This would prove to be among the opening salvos in what would become one of Downriver’s longest battles against development.
Many people who approved the project spoke out liberally and, on September 15, stormed into the Carlson High School auditorium in Gibraltar for an informational meeting. Made In Detroit (MID) stated that the development would enhance the area, and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Every environmental group known in the area attended the meeting, however, and the project once again appeared in a crisis mode.
Despite this, workers were on Humbug Island at various times to clear brush. In December, they accidentally sliced out brush in the conservation easement, which was to remain untouched. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ – which had succeeded the old DNR) tried to persuade Wayne County Circuit Judge Louis Simmons Jr. to visit the area and approve a restraining order prohibiting more brush-clearing activity. After visiting, Simmons turned down the DEQ’s request. Shocked, the DEQ would then next be under fire by MID for “cleanup costs.”
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