A small stretch of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline has been getting a lot of attention lately.
It’s in Shorewood next to Atwater Beach. The Village of Shorewood cited an avid beach walker for walking on what it considers private property along the lakeshore. But the beach walker, Paul Florsheim, is challenging that policy in court, saying the coast should be open to the public.
Variations on this debate have been going on for over a century.
Interpreting the Public Trust Doctrine
The public’s right to access our shared rivers, streams and lakes is rooted in something called the Public Trust Doctrine…