oh yeah another statement by that A-Hole Police Chief is this one:
“Sugar Island has a long history of illegal activity and has been a hub of delinquency and misconduct for years. Issues involving noise complaints and underage drinking are common, and more serious incidents of assault and battery and criminal sexual conduct have occurred.”

They or He is trying to paint the picture that this was a giant rave party and the island is littered with needles. Where no female is safe.

Look, illegale drug use happens everywhere, not just sugar island. To my knowledge there was one sexual assult a few years back (I do not know the details, so I won't make assumptions), however that is another situation that could happen at a park, parking lot, etc. Underage drinking? Really? I guess that only happens at Sugar Island...

I see your point and it sucks when something gets closed off to the public but something you do need to remember is it was NEVER actually legal for you to go there to begin with, its just the previous PRIVATE owner was lax in keeping you off so you got away with it. Here's example's of something similar , My ex's parents bought 20 acres 50 miles north of your area, built a 2500 square foot house in the middle, come hunting season the locals came back there and started setting up there hunting blind in there yard . When confronted they cried that they had been hunting there all there life, how could some one tell them they couldn't- easy, they didn't EVER have a legal right to go there, they just got away with trespassing for years even though Mi requires written permission (which they didn't have) and now the new owner WAS using it for there own exclusive use. I boat once or twice a year up to Cheboygan, on the river there is a cool little patch of beach big enough for 4 or 5 boats to park on one of the curves that is real popular, no house on shore near by on that side so you know you weren't in someones front yard . A couple years ago we go pulling up there, signs pounded in the ground every 5 feet-NEW OWNER< STAY OFF NO TRESPASSING , sucks , BUT it was privately owned (just like Sugar island was) and the previous owner just wasn't around and let us get away with it for years, it now has a new owner and he is refusing to let every one use it any longer, Smitty
You actually now have more of a chance of legally having access to it one day than you did before but with the way these gov't agency's are it looks like hunters are the only ones that will get to use it, sucks, definitely go to the hearing, sorry to hear it, Smitty

Good thing you aren't charging today, because in most cases it's where you are that determines if you are trespassing... Not whether you touch bottom, or land, or anything else.

Just got back from a public forum with the National Wild life group. They stated they are enforcing to water line only. So that whole BS about enforcing to the middle of the shippi g channel was total Crap!

if your gonna venture back over to sugar and anchor off the beach a ways...print out what you found and keep it with ya....not to sure if it will help ya though....i dont think any of the sheriffs in that area know how to read...

It wasn't printed. It was stated numerous times in a public meeting. The lead speaker, a Federal Wildlife refuge official, told us they will only enforce to the "high Water Line". I asked NUMEROUS times where the law is stated and they were unable to come up with anything. THey are making it up as they go.

It was also asked since the island had been up for sale for so long, when was the last survey done? Without a property survey, how can you determine the property line? Again they all looked at each other then tried to change the subject..... What I gathered from this meeting the Federal Wildlife Refuge is in NO hurry to complete their public access plan for the island.

That must have been frustrating to sit through...total bummer.