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"You have to keep right on pointing out how important it is to preserve the wild country. People are always a lot more interested in the short-term economic benefits rather than the long-term quality-of-life issues."
~ Ernest Dickerman, (1910-1998), "granddad of the eastern wilderness," a naturalist
who helped found the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Mr. Dickerman knew something about human nature, the impatience and urgency that often clouds our
ability to see the whole picture. In his comment above he could just as well have been speaking to citizens
about Michigan's policy toward natural resources in the 1990s as the drive to establish parkland in
Appalachia in the 1920s and 1930s.
His insight has guided our reporting for the special election focus on pages 7-27. In this decade Lansing's
leaders have equated economic opportunity with limiting inconveniences to resource-intensive enterprises.
Laws have been repealed, weakened, or simply not enforced, and citizen advisory boards that once could have
been counted on to challenge this one-sided approach have been eliminated.
Conservationists have labored throughout the decade, with growing success, to show that there is
economic value in caring for and preserving Michigan's unparalleled natural and cultural heritage. The dense
woods, clear rivers and streams, sparkling blue lakes, green countryside, productive orchards, and small towns
of the north - the interconnected farmland and urban centers of the south - two peninsulas encircled by
thousands of miles of breathtaking Great Lakes coastline - these are irreplaceable assets that, with foresight,
offer the basis for a thriving 21st-century economy.
In this issue of the Great Lakes Bulletin we have made every effort to present a full picture of the state's
environmental policy over the past decade. We have emphasized the record, and described the contrasting
points of view with a commitment to fairness.
As Governor for the past eight years, John Engler has been in charge of directing the state's
environmental policy. Yet it would be disrespectful and uncivil, not to mention inaccurate, for us to single out
the Governor with personal attacks. Responsibility for the direction the ship of state is taking must be shared
by lawmakers, regulators, business executives, and the voters themselves. It is up to all of us to think deeply
before consigning our future to reap the ephemeral short-term benefits. ~ Florence Barone |
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