Man who diverted national park river to ease boat access to Lake Michigan is put on probation

A man convicted of diverting a national park river to ease boat access to Lake Michigan has been placed on probation for five years. Andrew Howard is also banned from National Park Service property during that period, including Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. In 2022, a ranger saw Howard digging in the Platte River with a shovel. The government says a new channel to Lake Michigan grew to about 200 feet wide. Howard was found guilty of misdemeanors. His attorney says the river had already been diverted by others when Howard moved some sand and rocks.