EPHRAIM, Wis. (AP) - A request to build a permanent pier at a Door County vacation home has been denied on grounds that the cumulative impact of a growing number of such structures on Green Bay must be considered.

A state administrative law judge, Jeffrey Boldt, held Wednesday that the likely public detriment from a permanent alteration of the shoreline - such as creation of habitat for zebra mussels and other aquatic pests - outweighed the property owner's rights in the case.

The state Department of Natural Resources has received 29 applications for permits to build on the bay in the last three years, with interest especially high north of Dyckesville.

The agency is giving such requests closer scrutiny in light of the rapid development of the Door peninsula and its findings that the piers disrupt currents running parallel to the shoreline and create a haven for invasive non-native species, such as the zebra mussel and the Eurasian water milfoil plant.

DNR officials have said the case in question was significant because the request, by Warren Davis Jr. and his wife, Polly, involved a smaller, potentially less-disruptive structure than those proposed in other permit requests.

The Davises underwent about 66 hours of testimony concerning their request to build a permanent, flow-through dock 80 feet long with a 30-foot-long "L" extension, providing a spot to moor their boat.

They declined comment Wednesday on whether they would appeal the decision.

Kurt "Kip" Pagel, who has a cottage in Sister Bay and opposed the permit, said the case has "opened up some new ways of looking at that shore."

"It just shows our human actions are doing a lot of things we don't realize," he said.