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		PUBLIC TRUST ALLIANCE
			New Report Champions Natural River Program
							© Jerry Dennis The Black River, one of 25 Michigan rivers on a waiting list since the 1970s but not yet protected under the state's Natural River Program
			Michigan's wild, wooded rivers are among the state's most treasured natural features and most valued natural resources. Yet it's been 11 years since local communities used their ability, under the state's pioneering Natural River Act, to protect more of these world-class waterways. Fourteen rivers — including the Au Sable, Betsie, Boardman, Jordan, and Pere Marquette — currently benefit from how the Act uses zoning to keep rivers clean and quiet while allowing for riverfront homes and other private land uses. As real estate and resort development pressure continues to bear down on Michigan's natural areas, at least 25 more rivers need these safeguards. But the Natural River Program is under heavy attack from "private property rights" activists, who say it is government out of control. They have focused their opposition on designation of the Big Manistee and Pine rivers, and have stalled progress for other rivers throughout the state. Fact Sheets Tell the Story To help clear up the misinformation that has undermined this effective and democratic program, the Institute has produced a special report, Michigan Natural River Program: A Tool for Citizens, made up of four detailed fact sheets. The report, of interest to individuals, local governments, journalists, and citizen groups, explores such issues as: • Why the Program requires property owners to keep strips of natural vegetation along riverbanks, and to set their homes back from the water's edge. • How the Program actually works. Private rights groups fear that bureaucrats at the Department of Natural Resources in Lansing make all the decisions once a river is designated. In fact, the Program is a national model for giving local people control over river protections. ~P.C.
						SUPPORT NATURAL RIVERS • For a copy of the Michigan Natural River Program: A Tool for Citizens, contact Patty Cantrell at the Institute, 845 Michigan Ave., P.O. Box 228, Benzonia, MI 49616, Tel. 231-882-4723 x18, e-mail: <patty@mlui.org>. • Write letters in support of the Program to your newspaper and elected representatives. For help with local and state addresses, contact your village, township, or county clerk. • Protect the rivers in your area by organizing a petition to the DNR for designation under the Natural River Program. For assistance contact Rachel Martin, Michigan River Network, P.O. Box 300, Conway, MI 49722, Tel. 231-347-1181, Web site < www.glhabitat.org/mrn>; or Dan Pearson, Natural River Program, Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 30452, Lansing, MI 48909-7952, Tel. 517-335-3441.