The Lake Michigan shoreline has a sand erosion problem that’s hurting commercial shipping and threatening natural habitats, but there’s a new plan to help. For about 200 years, man-made structures have been interrupting the southward drift of sand along the shoreline, which has lead to the erosion of some the region’s most scenic beaches. Towns along the lakefront, have worked individually to try to stop the erosion, but that’s had only limited success. Now Ethan Brown with the Alliance for the Great Lakes says his group and the state’s Department of Natural Resources are teaming up with north shore towns on a more coordinated plan. Brown says it’s all about creating a balance between enjoying nature and development. Thousands of men and women work on ships and barges and in steel and agriculture jobs at the Port of Indiana in Burns Harbor. But there are also homes and public beaches along the lakefront that are losing the sandy beaches because of erosion.