Michigan Environmental Report

The following is reprinted from a Michigan Department of Natural Resources press release issued last December. MEC encourages all Michiganders to support wildlife conservation by making a donation to the nongame fund and attending the DNR's Dec. 9 gala dinner to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Michigan's Endangered Species Act. Read our recent blog post for more information on the dinner and nongame wildlife management in Michigan.

There's plenty of evidence that American popular culture takes an off-kilter view of who cares about the environment and belongs in the outdoors. On the first night of MEC's recent annual meeting in northern Michigan, members gathered around a stone fireplace in a cozy riverside lodge surrounded by woods to explore that concept with geographer and author Carolyn Finney.

The numbers confirm what we Michiganders know from experience: We love wildlife. Michigan's 3.2 million wildlife watchers add $1.2 billion to the state economy every year, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

With the sun setting on the New York City skyline behind us, Bill Latka, a filmmaker and leader of the Traverse City chapter of 350.org, read the following passage over the loudspeaker to the 55 exhausted and exhilarated travelers as we began our 18-hour bus ride home: "Organizing a big march is like throwing a rock in a pond: the splash is exciting, but the real beauty is in the ripples." It was written by one of the organizers of the People's Climate March, and it rings so true.

With lawmakers back in town following their summer break, the pace of things is picking up here in Lansing.

Everything we do at the Michigan Environmental Council is guided by our vision of a brighter future for our state. We work every day toward a healthy state powered by clean, renewable fuels; known for an irresistible mix of bustling urban areas and unspoiled wild places; connected by convenient buses, trains and trails; and defined by clean, abundant fresh water.

When the leaves begin to turn colors each autumn, the wardrobe around the MEC offices also undergoes an unmistakable change.

Gov. Rick Snyder will lead about 40,000 people on a five-mile walk across the Mackinac Bridge on Monday, continuing a 57-year old Labor Day tradition.