The owners of a yoga retreat near Vanderbilt are asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to take their case in a dispute over removing the failed Golden Lotus dam on the Pigeon River.
The dam failed three years ago, releasing muck from a pond that smothered thousands of trout and other aquatic life downstream.
Last year, the state and the owners of Golden Lotus agreed to remove the main parts of the dam. But they also agreed to leave a concrete pad on the bottom of the river that supports a bridge crossing to the Song of the Morning yoga retreat.
Other parties to the suit insist dam removal includes taking out that concrete spillway.
Trout Unlimited and the Pigeon River Country Association argued that unless it's removed fish won't be able to swim upstream.
In July, a circuit judge sided with anglers and ordered the entire dam removed.
An attorney for the yoga center says his client can't afford to build a new bridge, and he says his client never would have signed an agreement that cuts off access to the main part of its property.
