Making the Saginaw Bay region beaches available for community members is a high priority for local Great Lakes restoration organizations.

State and federal legislative representatives came together Friday to discuss the future of the Great Lakes during Central Michigan Universitys symposium.

Weekly, we would receive phone calls about beach access and water levels, said Kyle Bostwick, the Shiawasee Sub-Watershed director for the Partnership for the Saginaw Bay Watershed and chief of staff for State Rep. Charles Brunner, D-Bay City. Weve come a long way. There were 37 beaches closed on a regular basis, and now were down to five.

Bostwick said there are multiple groups in the area that are working to keep the area safe for recreation, but organizing the groups had been difficult in the past.

There are 18 organizations alone to better the Cass River, he said. We are very lucky to have Central Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and many others working with these organizations to better these rivers.

Preservation of the Great Lakes and the rivers in the area has been a main focus for many organizations like the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality. Bostwick said he believes providing access to the beaches and rivers is just as important.

We spend all this time and resources on preserving it that we forget about access to these beaches, he said. You have to drive all the way to Tawas to see a beach without muck. We have to provide access. That should be our primary goal.

Bostwick said the Partnership for the Saginaw Bay Watershed was just granted permission to clean 1,000 feet of beaches and build a boardwalk. He said this was a small step in the process of cleaning hundreds of miles of shoreline for the public to access.

Others at the symposium were worried about the Enbridge Energy Partners LP sunken pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Ryan Tarrant, district director for U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, said the representative has asked the company to evaluate the structure and integrity of the pipeline.

The pipeline, which carries more than 23 million gallons of crude oil through the area daily, can be shut off in case of a leak by a valve, according to the company.

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State, federal officials discuss future of the Great Lakes