Man Who Diverted National Park River to Ease Boat Access to Lake Michigan Is Put on Probation

An illegal diversion of the Platte River into Lake Michigan at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Mich., in this August 2022 image. National Parks Service via AP

EMPIRE, Mich.—A man convicted of diverting a national park river to ease boat access to Lake Michigan was sentenced Tuesday to probation.

Andrew Howard was also banned from National Park Service property during the five-year period, including Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan where the incident occurred, prosecutors said.