I.
Protect
A balance between leisure and ecology, carefully held. The dunes shift; we try not to.
An almanac of a small Lake Huron beach
A coastline
kept by its
neighbours.
Stewards of Port Franks Beach since 1977 — a small, volunteer-run association that holds a deed, a budget, and a long-running argument with the wind.
Vol. XLVIII · No. I
Established
1977
On Lake
Huron
Five neighbourhoods
Two directors each
Members raised the funds.
Members keep it going.
Plate I · A shelf cloud, mid-afternoon
"Port Franks Beach, July 27 2020 — the lake makes its own weather, and rearranges the sand to match."
Lake HuronEst. 1977Port FranksStewardshipDunes & DriftwoodA private beachVolunteer-runMembers onlyLake HuronEst. 1977Port FranksStewardshipDunes & DriftwoodA private beachVolunteer-runMembers only
Founded in the summer of 1977, the Port Franks Beach Homeowners Association is a volunteer-led non-profit holding the deed to a private stretch of Lake Huron shoreline. Members raised the funds to buy the beach almost half a century ago — and members are still the ones paying its taxes, insuring it, maintaining it, and handing it forward, season by season.
The Association is governed by a board of ten residents — two from each of Port Franks's five neighbourhoods: Huron Sands, Old Ausable, Port Franks Area, Richmond Park, and Windsor Park. Every director, every committee member, every cleanup crew is a volunteer. The beach is, in the most literal sense of the word, a community project.
"We protect the ecosystem. We ensure rightful use. We fund the work."
§ II — Our Mission
A balance between leisure and an unsteady ecosystem.
Three pillars
II.
Steward
A privately held shoreline, reserved by deed for the residents of Port Franks. Every guest is our guest.
III.
Sustain
Funds, hands, and patience to keep it running — paid for by a few hundred neighbours, year after year.
§ III
The Beach.
A privately held shoreline on Lake Huron. Deeded in 1977. Cared for, ever since, by the people who live within walking distance.
In return, members and their guests get something rare on the Great Lakes: a working private beach, kept by the people who love it most.
Continue reading→
Plate III · April light
§ IV — An annual rhythm
The PFBHA year.
Beach Bash
No. 01First weekend of summer
Beach Yoga
No. 02Through the season
Karaoke Night
No. 03Mid-summer at sunset
Beach Cleanups
No. 04Spring · Fall
§ V
"Port Franks Beach is what scientists call a dynamic beach — an inherently unstable accumulation of shoreline sediment, in conversation with wind and water and the slow, patient breath of Lake Huron."
— On stewardship · Aurora over the lake, May 2024
§ VI — The archive
From the field notes.
§ VII — Membership
Join the association.
Membership is open to property owners in Port Franks. The dues are modest. The work is rewarding. The view is excellent.
Annual dues
- One-time initiation
- $100
- Yearly dues
- $85
Pay by EMT
pfbha@execulink.com
Dues for the upcoming year are due by December 1st.