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MUCC Policy Report for April 4, 2008This edition:
ACTION ALERT: Michigan’s Public Lands are in Jeopardy; Tell your State Senator you oppose SB 1164 and SB 1184SB 1164 and SB 1184 are a threat to the special areas we cherish in Michigan: the Pigeon River Country, the Mason Tract, the Sand Lakes Quiet Area, the Jordon River Valley, state parks, sensitive sand dunes, and designated natural areas. All of these areas have been put “off limits” for oil, gas and mineral production (future oil and gas development in the case of Pigeon River). These bills would strip the ability of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to manage oil, gas and mineral development and transfer this ability to a new public-private partnership called the “Clean Energy Authority.”Significant concerns with these bills include:
Please call you State Senator and tell them you oppose SB 1164 and 1184! Please also call members of the Senate Energy Policy & Public Utilities Committee, which includes: Senators Patterson (C), Brown (VC), Birkholz, Kuipers, Richardville, Olshove (MVC), Prusi, and Thomas. Contact information can be found here: ACTION ALERT: Boaters and Angler Beware; Call your U.S. Senators and Congressman/woman today and ask them to support The Clean Boating Act, Senate Bill 2766If S.2766 fails to pass by September 2008, all recreational boaters will be required to obtain a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. It sounds farfetched, but it stems from a September 2006 U.S. District Court ruling that ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate water discharges from all boats and mandated a deadline of September of 2008 to put it in place. While the litigation was aimed at regulating the discharge of ballast water by ocean-going vessels (which MUCC is deeply concerned about), the court’s ruling struck down an exemption instituted in 1973 that applied to the incidental discharges from all vessels, including recreation boats, graywater, bilge water, cooling water, or weather deck runoff.Without passage of this law, every boater would be required by federal law to apply for the same permits as ocean-going commercial vessels. Land-based industries are already required to receive such permits for their discharges into the state’s waters. Currently, the NPDES program is administered by the state and application and annual administration fees are required. The least costly fee is $75.00 for a minor permit application fee and annual administration fees ranges from $150 to hundreds of thousands of dollars for large dischargers. Under the proposed Clean Boating Act of 2008, the EPA would be required to develop best management practices for recreational boats if the practices are “reasonable and practicable.” In creating the practices, the age and size of the vessel must be considered. To contact your Congressional member, please call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121. New Deer Management Proposals Presented to NRC; For Action in MayThe DNR has submitted several amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Order (Order) that establishes deer hunting seasons and regulations, which the Natural Resources Commission will take up for information only at their April 10th meeting and for possible action in May. They are summarized below:
Non-industrial Private Forestry Coalition MeetsFollowing up on MUCC’s initial work funded through a People and Land grant, MUCC and the DNR jointly applied for and received funding from the U.S. Forest Service to build a coalition designed to increase and improve the management of non-industrial private forestlands. Fifty-seven percent of Michigan’s forest resources are owned by non-industrial private land owners, yet many of these lands are not being managed or harvested properly in order to support healthier forests and wildlife populations. This three-year initiative will bring major stakeholders together to identify ways to:
Jump In and Join Us For Conservation Days 2008!Michigan United Conservation Clubs are hosting a series of unique day trips, which are hands-on experiences designed to further your understanding of current conservation issues. So come spend the day with us and take away an enhanced understanding of Michigan’s spectacular natural resources! Catch a Glimpse of Lake Sturgeon on a Guided Tour!Cheboygan, MI
Date: May 9, 2008 Each spring, the famed lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) head up select rivers to spawn along the rocky riverbanks, almost oblivious to nearby human activity, making these rare fish susceptible to illegal harvest. The lake sturgeon is a threatened species in Michigan and a rare species throughout the United States. Now, anyone interested in catching a glimpse of lake sturgeon have an opportunity during a guided walking tour on May 9th, 2008. Researchers will be on hand to talk about lake sturgeon, poaching enforcement, netting and tagging, recent Black Lake Watershed research, and restoration work to improve sturgeon habitat. Please R.S.V.P. by May 2nd, 2008 by contacting April (517/346-6472 or abennett@mucc.org) to guarantee your spot! Spaces are limited!
Wake up with Warblers
Date: June 6th, 2008 Come join us on June 6th for a day to remember! The nesting areas for the Kirtland Warbler are closed to public entry, so the best opportunity to see a Kirtland's warbler is on this guided tour. Upland sandpipers, clay-colored sparrows, Brewer's blackbirds, black-billed cuckoos, eastern bluebirds, Lincoln's and vesper sparrows can also be seen in the jack pine ecosystem in this guided tour. Please R.S.V.P. by May 30th, 2008 by contacting April (517/346-6472 or abennett@mucc.org) to guarantee your spot! Spaces are limited! Also, look for more Conservation Days announcements coming up in future issues of MUCC’s Policy Action Report! Meeting AnnouncementsNatural Resources CommissionThe NRC will meet on Thursday, April 10th at Lansing Community College, West Campus (5708 Cornerstone Drive, Lansing). The full agenda and relevant documents are available online at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/.
2008 Lake Huron Regional Fishery Workshops These workshops are a great opportunity for interested anglers to learn about the ecosystem and foodweb changes going on out in Lake Huron and, more importantly, how these affect our fishery. Workshop dates are:
Michigan Out-of-Doors™ Camp for Kids Clean Up Day: April 26 It’s that time of the year again! Time to get our amazing outdoor camp cleaned up and ready to teach a new batch of Michigan youth about all the fun they can have fishing, shooting, canoeing, and more. Come join us at the Cedar Lake Outdoor Center in Chelsea, MI. Bring your rake and we’ll bring lunch! To sign up, call Bill Sullivan at 517-346-6450 or email him at bsullivan@mucc.org. Updating our list for 2008: If you would like to receive the policy report directly to your email address (or if you wish to be removed from this email list), please contact Amy Spray at aspray@mucc.org. MUCC is committed to providing our members with up-to-date and accurate information on conservation policy issues from Lansing, Washington D.C., and around Michigan. If you enjoy MUCC’s biweekly policy action report, please consider becoming a member and support our efforts to conserve Michigan's natural resources by remembering MUCC in your contributions and planned giving. |
MUCC Policy Action Report
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