A gull looked out from a perch and surveyed Lake Michiganâs southern shore. With a turn of its head, the bird clocked visitors in search of beach glass, a boy to the right rolling down the dunes and a brave spring swimmer fully submerged. A long sweep of sand under a bright sky called out to the Memorial Day crowd.
Lake Michigan is easing up â after swallowing shorelines, flooding coasts and breaking records â and just in time for beach season.
Levels have lowered from record highs as part of an overall Great Lakes downswing. The receding water has been welcomed by some beach towns and lakefront parks that weathered destruction in recent years. A group of Great Lakes officials estimated at least $500 million of damage in cities last year.
The shift doesn’t mean shoreline communities are in the clear. Many are still working to preserve what’s left of disappearing bluffs, repair crumbling paths or get ahead of the next rise.