Great Lake Bulletin Spring 1997

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New Project Responds to Property Rights Agenda

The Institute has launched a new project, the Public Trust Alliance, that is responding to the growing strength of Michigan's property rights movement.
The Public Trust Alliance draws on the versatility of the Institute's motto: "Careful Research, Reasoned Advocacy, and Practical Remedies For Land and Communities Facing Change."
The Alliance's goals are to:
1). Move beyond the emotion and rhetoric of the property rights debate as it is currently conducted.
2). Demonstrate how the extreme measures advanced by the 'takings' movement can produce harmful consequences for private property owners, and for public health, public property, the public interest, and the public trust.
3). Assist local leaders in countering 'takings' rhetoric.
4). Form a network of citizens' groups to respond to property rights initiatives. G

To find out more about how you or your organization can participate in the Public Trust Alliance, contact Keith Schneider at the Institute, P.O. Box 228, Benzonia, MI 49616; Tel. 616-882-4723.

Voluntary Watershed Protection Program in Garfield Township
A land management plan to protect water quality, forests and fields is underway for the watersheds of Miller Creek and Jack's Creek, located in Grand Traverse County's fast-growing Garfield Township.
The plan is financed by a $20,000 grant from the state Coastal Zone Management program, which was secured with the help of New Designs For Growth. Work on the project is being undertaken by Garfield Township and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.
The project involves conducting a formal inventory of wetlands, steep slopes, wildlife habitat, and other critical environmental features along two tributaries of the Boardman River. Miller Creek and Jack's Creek drain an area of open fields, forest, and residential development just south of the region's newest and largest shopping centers -- the Grand Traverse Mall and Grand Traverse Crossing.
The aim of the project is to provide guidelines for developers so that construction in the area occurs with an eye toward safeguarding the streams and the natural landscape.
The voluntary watershed management plan also will map out a hiking and biking trail system, to connect with a county network now under development.
New Designs for Growth, established in 1996, is sponsored by the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. The project's goal is to ensure the quality of natural resources and enhance the economy of five counties in northwest Michigan through improved land use management. G

Keith Charters, New Designs For Growth, P.O. Box 5316, Traverse City, MI 49685, Tel. 616-947-7566; Douglas Koop, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, 624 Third Street, Traverse City, MI 49684, Tel. 616-929-7911.

H₂S Committee Becomes Institute Project

IMAGE imgs/GLBsp9732.gif

Jim Espvik, Supervisor of Filer Township, (left) receives
a check for $3,500 from the Institute's Keith Schneider
at a jamboree for the H₂S Committee. The money was
raised from residents of southern Manistee County, to help pay the Township's legal bills in the fight to remove
dangerous oil and gas wells from neighborhoods.

After an accident last August in the Parkdale section of Manistee sent 11 people to the hospital, a group of concerned citizens from southern Manistee County organized the H₂S Committee for Human Health and Safety. Now the H₂S Committee has become a project of the Institute, to better assist residents in preventing dangerous oil and gas wells from being drilled in populated areas.
The H₂S Committee is:
• Raising money for a lawsuit filed by Filer Township, seeking the removal of wells containing dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide, and the prevention of any further drilling.
• Undertaking public education to raise awareness of the consequences of being exposed to H₂S, to improve the ability of property owners to negotiate effective leases, and to strengthen their rights to defend themselves from intimidating leasing tactics. G
H₂S Committee, P.O. Box 228, Benzonia, MI 49616; Dana Schindler, 616-723-9766; Ron Bauman, 616-723-2520; Keith Schneider, 616-882-4723



			New Project Responds to Property Rights Agenda The Institute has launched a new project, the Public Trust Alliance, that is responding to the growing strength of Michigan's property rights movement. The Public Trust Alliance draws on the versatility of the Institute's motto: "Careful Research, Reasoned Advocacy, and Practical Remedies For Land and Communities Facing Change." The Alliance's goals are to: 1). Move beyond the emotion and rhetoric of the property rights debate as it is currently conducted. 2). Demonstrate how the extreme measures advanced by the 'takings' movement can produce harmful consequences for private property owners, and for public health, public property, the public interest, and the public trust. 3). Assist local leaders in countering 'takings' rhetoric. 4). Form a network of citizens' groups to respond to property rights initiatives. G To find out more about how you or your organization can participate in the Public Trust Alliance, contact Keith Schneider at the Institute, P.O. Box 228, Benzonia, MI 49616; Tel. 616-882-4723.
			Voluntary Watershed Protection Program in Garfield Township A land management plan to protect water quality, forests and fields is underway for the watersheds of Miller Creek and Jack's Creek, located in Grand Traverse County's fast-growing Garfield Township. The plan is financed by a $20,000 grant from the state Coastal Zone Management program, which was secured with the help of New Designs For Growth. Work on the project is being undertaken by Garfield Township and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. The project involves conducting a formal inventory of wetlands, steep slopes, wildlife habitat, and other critical environmental features along two tributaries of the Boardman River. Miller Creek and Jack's Creek drain an area of open fields, forest, and residential development just south of the region's newest and largest shopping centers -- the Grand Traverse Mall and Grand Traverse Crossing. The aim of the project is to provide guidelines for developers so that construction in the area occurs with an eye toward safeguarding the streams and the natural landscape. The voluntary watershed management plan also will map out a hiking and biking trail system, to connect with a county network now under development. New Designs for Growth, established in 1996, is sponsored by the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. The project's goal is to ensure the quality of natural resources and enhance the economy of five counties in northwest Michigan through improved land use management. G Keith Charters, New Designs For Growth, P.O. Box 5316, Traverse City, MI 49685, Tel. 616-947-7566; Douglas Koop, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, 624 Third Street, Traverse City, MI 49684, Tel. 616-929-7911.
			H₂S Committee Becomes Institute Project
			H₂S Committee Becomes Institute Project
		Jim Espvik, Supervisor of Filer Township, (left) receives a check for $3,500 from the Institute's Keith Schneider at a jamboree for the H₂S Committee. The money was raised from residents of southern Manistee County, to help pay the Township's legal bills in the fight to remove dangerous oil and gas wells from neighborhoods.
			After an accident last August in the Parkdale section of Manistee sent 11 people to the hospital, a group of concerned citizens from southern Manistee County organized the H₂S Committee for Human Health and Safety. Now the H₂S Committee has become a project of the Institute, to better assist residents in preventing dangerous oil and gas wells from being drilled in populated areas. The H₂S Committee is: • Raising money for a lawsuit filed by Filer Township, seeking the removal of wells containing dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide, and the prevention of any further drilling. • Undertaking public education to raise awareness of the consequences of being exposed to H₂S, to improve the ability of property owners to negotiate effective leases, and to strengthen their rights to defend themselves from intimidating leasing tactics. G H₂S Committee, P.O. Box 228, Benzonia, MI 49616; Dana Schindler, 616-723-9766; Ron Bauman, 616-723-2520; Keith Schneider, 616-882-4723