Saugatuck Dunes sale completed; Land Conservancy of West Michigan now owns Aubrey McClendon land By Brian McVicar The Grand Rapids Press December 22, 2009, 5:48PM File Photo | The Grand Rapids Press..... Saugatuck dune property just purchased by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan.SAUGATUCK TOWNSHIP -- The Land Conservancy of West Michigan on Tuesday completed a $19 million deal to purchase 171 acres of Lake Michigan dunes property south of the mouth of the Kalamazoo River.

The Grand Rapids-based conservancy purchased the land from Singapore Dunes, LLC, a development firm owned by Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy Co. and co-owner of the National Basketball Association's Oklahoma City Thunder.

The cost for the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area is an estimated $22.1 million, with $4.5 million being raised for associated matters, including repaying interim financing and a maintenance endowment.

Negotiations to preserve the premier stretch of coastal dunes has taken years.