Manitou Island Transit sues Sleeping Bear NPS over ferry contract

Manitou Island Transit has been providing ferry service to the Manitou Islands since 1917. Now its back is up against the wall with the planned closure of the dock at South Manitou next year. That could all come crashing down as the Glen Arbor Sun explains:

…Each year, Manitou Island Transit ferries roughly 10,000 visitors to the islands. Now, most are limited to exploring only South Manitou Island unless they can secure alternative transportation to the north. The rugged, remote North Manitou remains a favorite destination for seasoned backpackers and wilderness campers while South Manitou has historically been the destination for daytime excursionists. South Manitou does offer camping at designated sites, a tradition embraced by local organizations like the Glen Lake Yacht Club which brings a youth group to the island each July. For many of these youths, camping on South Manitou with their friends is the highlight of the summer. South Manitou will be inaccessible in 2026 while a new dock is being built.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore superintendent Scott Tucker confirmed to the Sun that work on the islands remains on schedule. His staff anticipates completing the dock relocation on North Manitou this fall and beginning work on South Manitou next spring.

The Park would not comment on current litigation brought by the Grosvenor-Munoz family.

According to the lawsuit filed in February, the NPS has not only failed to provide safe and functional docks for passenger ferries during construction but has repeatedly disregarded earlier warnings about the consequences of closure without a contingency plan. The Munozes are seeking $700,000 in damages and are asking the judge to force the NPS to fix the access issue. The $700,000 is equivalent to the income the Manitou Transit Authority has lost from not being able to ferry passengers to North Manitou.

The Park Service countered, claiming that the Manitou Transit Authority refused to use a temporary dock erected in 2024. The Munozes assert that the temporary dock was installed in unprotected, unsafe waters that cause the ferry to toss about violently in small swells. In the filing they state that the landing is unsafe and places passengers and crew in peril during use of the interim dock. “The only way I can prove my point is to hurt somebody,” Jimmy Munoz told the Leelanau Enterprise. “They have an impressive [temporary] dock that no one will use. We’re in violation because I won’t put someone’s life at risk. Neither will Michael (Grosvenor).”

A requirement of the contract between the ferry service and the NPS specifies that the docks must be maintained in a condition that guarantees ferry access “for the duration of the seasonal operating schedule.”

More in the Glen Arbor Sun.