No, the guy didn't hurt anything, and essentially "restored" it to how it's been the last 40+ years. If anything, what he did improves the dunes in that area. Would I have done it, no, though it would be kind of fun to divert 500 ft of river with 30 minutes of digging.
Edit to add a quote from the article:
"Within days, the natural power of the river opened the channel 200 feet wide, drawing an influx of fishermen.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said the diversion helped the river’s flow of sediment and relieved oversaturated marshlands, MLive.com reported.
The Park Service viewed it differently and issued a plea for help with its investigation."
No, the guy didn't hurt anything, and essentially "restored" it to how it's been the last 40+ years. If anything, what he did improves the dunes in that area. Would I have done it, no, though it would be kind of fun to divert 500 ft of river with 30 minutes of digging.
Edit to add a quote from the article:
"Within days, the natural power of the river opened the channel 200 feet wide, drawing an influx of fishermen.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said the diversion helped the river’s flow of sediment and relieved oversaturated marshlands, MLive.com reported.
The Park Service viewed it differently and issued a plea for help with its investigation."