As the old adage goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". This is not only how I feel about this situation, but also how my friend Alex Cerveniak (alexkain.com) put it in the following article. So instead of re-inventing the wheel, I am simply reposting Alex's piece on this very serious public land grab situation in Michigan. Whether you plan to ever fish the waters of Michigan or not, please take a moment to read Alex's piece and consider emailing the representatives below. Because today it may be a public land grab in Michigan, but tomorrow it could be a land grab in your neck of the woods.
Thanks,
Hip To The Sip
We all fish and/or hunt on publicly owned land. And chances are good, if you’re like me, your favorite place in the whole world is on Michigan owned land. Now imagine if the State had never bought it? You would never even know it was there, or worse yet, you’d know about it and be unable to enjoy it.
Not cool, right? Right.
Now, imagine all of the truly awesome places the State has recently purchased, and will purchase in the future. Land that we all benefit from, and that our grandchildren’s grandchildren will have the opportunity to enjoy. Now, one more time, imagine it becoming available for sale and the State not being able to buy it due to a cap on the amount of land it can own?
Not cool, right? Right.
Yet that is exactly what might happen if certain political interests have their way.
From Michigan Trout Unlimited-
State Land Cap Bill Headed to Vote – Your Help is Needed Urgently!
Senate Bill 248, seeks to place an arbitrary cap on the ability of the State of Michigan to acquire any new lands in the future. The bill is sponsored by legislators from the Upper Peninsula who believe there is too much public land in that part of the state. Their proposed solution is to have the entire rest of the state also restricted from future land acquisition – despite the constitutional formed Natural Resources Trust Fund, voted on by the citizens of Michigan, which was created to provide means of acquiring land lands for our use.
TU participated in legislative workgroups with the bill sponsors, forestry stakeholders, local municipalities, and other conservation groups – at the request of the House Committee Chair Frank Foster. We discovered that none of the mentioned impetuses for the bill are actually addressed by the bill! We’ve proposed substantial amendments to the bill to help address problems and call for a more strategic and transparent approach to state land holdings – but all those attempts have been denied to date. Now Rep. Foster is planning on moving the bill to committee vote next week on Tuesday December 13th. For supporters of this bill, its more about politics than about creating good public policy. Help prevent that from continuing.
TU opposes this bill for the following reasons:
- It will prevent the acquisition of additional state lands in the entire state, including southern Michigan where the majority of people live, and where public lands for recreation are limited.
- It would impact the acquisition of lands needed for providing access the waters of the state – thus preventing access to public trust resources such as coldwater fisheries.
- It seeks to limit or prevent the intended use of the Natural Resources Trust Fund, a legacy created by the citizens of Michigan for the benefit of future generations.
- Its contradictory in that it restricts the purchase of additional state lands statewide, but then offers exceptions for purchase of large tracts of retired commercial forest lands in the U.P. – the very place where the bill sponsors claim there is too much land.
- In the Lower Peninsula, state lands are used so extensively, that user conflict management is becoming a top problem. If there are already excessive amounts of demand for this type of land for recreation, it does not make sense to prevent the strategic addition of more of it.
- The bill also adds provisions that can force the DNR to dump undesirable state lands onto the market for prices less than fair market value, the results of which will further cripple a struggling real estate market and economy.
- If you want to see our full testimony, visit http://house.michigan.gov/
We need you to contact your representative by the end of Monday the 12th, to let them know you oppose SB248 and urge them to as well. It’s bad public policy and should not be given a pass.
Please pass this email along to anyone you know that is an angler, sportsmen, conservationist, or who uses state lands for their recreation or enjoyment. This one is critical – it’s imperative you take the time to contact your representative. Below is information for contacting your representative.
Ask Your Representative to Vote “No” on SB248 (Land Cap Bill)
http://www.house.mi.gov/
If your representative is listed below as a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation, then your contact with them is even more urgent and critical.
| Name | District | Phone | Email Address |
| Rep. Frank Foster, Chair | 107 | 517-373-2629 | frankfoster@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Matt Huuki | 110 | 517-373-0850 | matthuuki@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Holly Hughes | 091 | 517-373-3436 | HollyHughes@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Joel Johnson | 097 | 517-373-8962 | JoelJohnson@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Kurt Damrow | 084 | 517-373-0476 | kurtdamrow@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Peter Pettalia | 106 | 517-373-0833 | peterpettalia@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Wayne Schmidt | 104 | 517-373-1766 | WayneSchmidt@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Harold Haugh | 042 | 517-373-0854 | haroldhaugh@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Tim Bledsoe | 001 | 517-373-0154 | timbledsoe@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Maureen Stapleton | 004 | 517-373-1008 | maureenstapleton@house.mi.gov |
| Rep. Dian Slavens | 021 | 517-373-2575 | dianslavens@house.mi.gov |
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