EMPIRE — Ron Long recently visited one of his favorite beaches at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, only to find it marred by dark green algae that clouded the water and piled up on the sand. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen this beach — and I’ve been coming here for 50 years. It’s […]
Jeff Alexander
Jeff Alexander is owner of J. Alexander Communications LLC and the author of "Pandora's Locks: The Opening of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway." A former staff writer for the Muskegon Chronicle, Alexander writes a blog on the Great Lakes.
Posted inMichigan Government
Land Wars: Senator targets private land conservancies
A state senator who introduced Michigan’s controversial land cap law now wants nonprofit land conservancies to pay property taxes — unless they provide unlimited public access and allow motorized vehicles in privately owned nature preserves. Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, said he has drafted legislation that could ensure public access to tens of thousands of acres […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Senator: 'A primary objective should be to return land to private ownership'
State Sen. Tom Casperson has become a lightning rod for criticism from environmentalists and some conservation groups. The Escanaba Republican wrote the initial land cap legislation. He advocates for increased logging in state forests. And he has championed legislation that would make it easier for people to build in coastal sand dunes. Casperson’s supporters have […]
Posted inMichigan Government
How much of Michigan should public own?
On a sunny June day, government officials joined conservation leaders on a Lake Michigan beach to dedicate the newest jewel of the state’s public lands program — the 173-acre Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area. The spectacular sand dunes near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River were preserved rather than developed when the Michigan Natural Resources Trust […]
Posted inMichigan Government
DNR's prominence, legislative bill-paying cause angst in Northern Michigan
Shelly Pinkelman lives in an area that could fairly be described as paradise for an outdoor enthusiast. She can see the Manistee River from her Grayling home and her property in Crawford County abuts thousands of acres of state land where she can ride horses, hike, cross-country ski or ride all-terrain vehicles anytime she wants, […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan struggles against gas-tank leaks
Just before reaching the stunning vista of Grand Traverse Bay, motorists driving into Traverse City on U.S. 31 pass an abandoned gas station that symbolizes one of Michigan’s most serious but undervalued environmental problems. The former Union 76 station at the corner of U.S. 31 and West Front Street sits atop a large plume of […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Big job, little money: State lags in tank cleanup
Dale Flaherty said he and his friends in the resort town of Lake Ann used to joke that buying gasoline at the local convenience store was risky, because the fuel was allegedly contaminated with water. And they were right, sort of. Contamination did occur. No one knew until the late 1990s, though, that gasoline from the […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Fuel-tank cleanup leaves mess above ground, too
Michigan’s program for cleaning up leaking underground storage tank faces a major overhaul this year, one that could make cleanups simpler and less costly. But the planned changes, which are moving through the Legislature, won’t address one of the program’s biggest weaknesses: The program is grossly underfunded. Michigan spends $20 million annually cleaning up leaking […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Riverwalk rolling for a new Detroit
Faye Nelson’s office on the 17th floor of the GM Renaissance Center provides a panoramic view of the Detroit River and a daily reminder that the Motor City — despite its problems — is still capable of grand achievements. The proof lies in the Detroit Riverwalk, a sprawling walkway and bike path that transformed the […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Policy winds blow through Mich. forests
An hour’s drive south of the Mackinac Bridge, a 67,000-acre patch of state forest known as Chandler Hills offers a stunning glimpse of how Michigan appeared in 1800, before a century of logging left much of the state looking like a moonscape. The hiss of wind coursing through towering hardwoods and the gurgle of a […]
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