1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

		Letters to the Institute Whether you currently are an Institute member or are thinking of becoming one, this is a forum to express your thoughts, opinions, and insights. Thanks to all the following writers for taking the time to contribute their much-appreciated letters to this page. Turning Things Around As a charter member of the group known as Friends of the Cedar River Watershed, let me say to you a great big thanks for all you folks have done to help our cause. Thanks for the financial help and professional advice, and for lending the added weight of your rapidly growing reputation. I think we are finally starting to get the attention of the powers that be. Our problems have been caused by our silence over the last 50 years. We are going to turn this thing around with groups of concerned citizens. Lansing and Washington labored under the impression that we didn't really care. I believe they know differently now. Keep up the good work. George and Dora Willis - Brighton, IL To support the Friends' lawsuit against Shanty Creek Resort for violating a court settlement and polluting the Cedar River during golf course construction, call Larry Rochon at 616-347-1721. Reverence and Respect I write this with the sincere intention of contributing to the cooperative and consciousness of MLUI, which is comprised not only of staff but of a diverse and growing membership. An organization promoting land stewardship ought to be more cognizant of how factory meat and dairy production affects the environment. Factory livestock production takes an incredible toll on limited land and water resources. Stewardship flows from respect and reverence for life. Livestock animals raised in close confinement, without sunlight or fresh air, are mistreated. How can we expect to foster land stewardship while supporting an industry (by consuming factory-raised meat, milk, and eggs), which is at odds with reverence and respect? I suggest reading Diet for a New America and May All Be Fed by John Robbins for specific land use references.... Advocacy is a kind of teaching, isn't it? Perhaps the MLUI members want to learn, perhaps the reason they have joined is to better understand how to be earth stewards -- even if this means altering their lifestyle. Sending money to MLUI could be like paying tuition to a school for earth stewards. I suggest expanding the curriculum. Dan Kelly - Beulah, MI The Institute has added the issue of factory livestock production to the Public Trust Alliance project, coordinated by Patty Cantrell. To learn more about this growing trend in Michigan and what you can do about it, see her articles on pages 19-21. Simple Pleasures Are the Best In 1955 I began vacationing with my family at the trailer park in Beulah, Michigan. I have returned every year thereafter and now that my children are grown and have families of their own, they too return as often as possible. We love the area, the hikes through quiet woodlands, beaches, sand dunes, campfires where we sang and roasted marshmallows to make "some mores," and re-uniting with Beulah friends year after year. Our son, Jeff, has a favorite place that I call the dam. My engineer husband tells me it really is more properly called a weir, which is located on the south shore of Crystal Lake near where the old railroad used to cross route M-115. Jeff would boat down there from the trailer park and have a great time frolicking in the shallow water. This year he had the added joy of bringing his six-month-old daughter, Talia, with him. She sat in the spillover of the weir, splashed with her hands, and laughed. It was a special time for all of us. There were many families there picnicking, suntanning, and playing in the water. I talked with a little boy who was hunting pretty stones. Then Jeff told us the disturbing news that there was a proposal to build a marina on that very spot. In our opinion, to destroy this quiet, naturally beautiful area would be a terrible thing to do. Only a five to ten minute drive away is the boat launch in the town of Beulah. Surely any boater can spare this much time to preserve our much loved spot. The enclosed check is for my membership in your organization. It is done because of my love for all of the beautiful areas of our state and in honor of my son, Jeff Brown. When I asked what he wanted for Christmas, Jeff said, "Join the Michigan Land Use Institute!" Margaret J. Eppley - St. Joseph, MI A summary of a citizens alternative plan for the wooded state property next to Railroad Point on Crystal Lake, featuring a public beach and picnic area instead of a boat launch, appeared in the Summer/Fall 1998 issue. For a copy of the article and a "What You Can Do" checklist, call the Institute at 616-882-4723. Enforcing Conservation Easements Thank you for notifying me of the threat to Humbug Marsh and the potential threat to all conservation easements in Michigan. The idea of changing boundaries seems ludicrous but I know the threat is real. I have sent postcards to all six people you recommended I write, and am sending a copy of the "Other Voices" (Detroit Free Press, 9/10/98) article to them. I wish I could hear your testimony at the meeting! Thanks for all you do. Linda Badalucco - Carp Lake, MI For an update on the Humbug Marsh, see page 8. Send your letters to Great Lakes Bulletin, P.O. Box 228, Benzonia, MI 49616. Please include a telephone number so that we can confirm that you would like us to publish your letter.