Members - Below is the latest update of the Great Lakes, Great Michigan Coalition. I represent MCWC on this coalition. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions.
Terry Swier
President Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation
tswier@centurytel.net
231-972-8856
First, we'd like to welcome our newest members: Paul H. Young Chapter, Trout Unlimited, and Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination <http://www.caccmi.org/> . We now have a total of 38 members, including businesses and agricultural, religious, environmental, and citizen action groups from across the state. Many other groups are interested in learning more, so we expect to keep growing as others join the movement to protect our Great Lakes and inland water resources.
Second, we want to reiterate that the package of bills addressing all of the points in our platform has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives. HB 4343 is the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, itself. In addition to that, HB 5065 through 5073 represents companion legislation that will do two things: bring Michigan into compliance with the Compact, and strengthen Michigan's existing water use laws. Our Lansing coalition representatives have been meeting with Republican and Democratic Representatives all summer long to build support. We have also begun meeting with Senators from both sides of the aisle to do the same, because at some point they also need to pass this legislation if we are to be successful. During these meetings, state legislators are quite interested in hearing about you and the support you are lending to this effort. Please help us bring on additional groups and businesses, because these elected officials are definitely interested in hearing your voices.
Third, many coalition members are writing Letters to the Editor to draw attention to these bills and express their support. If you want to do the same but would like some help, please let us know! We are also visiting Editorial Boards of newspapers across the state to educate them about these bills. After some of our visits, we have been asked to submit guest editorials and opinion pieces for various publications. We expect to get similar requests in the future, and we'd like your help in that regard. Do you know a local leader in your community who has bi-partisan appeal and is likely to be a champion of the Great Lakes and our inland water resources? If so, please ask them if they would consider writing a piece about the work we are doing. We can give them all the support they need to do so, including not only substantive information about the legislation, but also help with drafting, editing, and proofreading.
Finally, we encourage you to visit our website: http://www.greatlakesgreatmichigan.org/ <http://www.greatlakesgreatmichigan.org/> . There you will find a News Room page that shows articles and editorials being printed about our concerns in newspapers across the state, and press releases that we have issued. There is also a Take Action page that allows you to send a letter to your Representative, and a few publications that will be helpful to you.
Sincerely, Grenetta
Grenetta Thomassey, PhD
Policy Director
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
426 Bay St., Petoskey, MI 49770
231-347-1181 ext. 115 231-838-5193 cell
www.watershedcouncil.org
THE 2007 GREAT LAKES, GREAT MICHIGAN COALITION (as of August 24, 2007):
Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination <http://www.caccmi.org/>
Clean Water Action <http://www.cleanwateraction.org/mi>
Clinton River Watershed Council
Detroit Audubon Society
East Michigan Environmental Action Council <http://www.emeac.org>
Ecology Center <http://ecocenter.org>
Environment Michigan <http://www.environmentmichigan.org>
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy <http://www.mediamouse.org/griid/> (GRIID)
Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund <http://glhabitat.org/> (GLAHNF)
Great Lakes Bioneers <http://www.glbconference.org/>
Greening of Detroit
Interface Fabrics
Justice and Peace Task Force of Plymouth United Church in Christ
Lott3Metz Architecture, LLC
Macomb NOW
Michigan Citizen Action <http://www.michcitizenaction.org/>
Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation <http://www.savemiwater.org>
Michigan Division of the Izaak Walton League <http://www.michiganikes.org/>
Michigan Environmental Council <http://www.mecprotects.org/>
Michigan Farmers Union
Michigan League of Conservation Voters <http://www.michiganlcv.org>
Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council <http://www.nmeac.org> (NMEAC)
Panthers for Social Justice (formally Gray Panthers of Huron Valley)
Paul H. Young Chapter, Trout Unlimited
Pickerel-Crooked Lakes Association (PCLA)
The Religious Coalition for the Great Lakes
Republicans for Environmental Protection <http://www.greatlakesgreatmichigan.org/www.repamerica.org/mi/mi_index.html>
SEEDS <http://www.ecoseeds.org/>
Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter <http://michigan.sierraclub.org>
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary <http://www.ihmsisters.org>
St. Clair Channel Keeper
Superior Watershed Partnership
Thomas J. Newhouse-Design <http://www.thomasjnewhouse-design.com/>
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council <http://www.greatlakesgreatmichigan.org/www.watershedcouncil.org>
Voices for Earth Justice <http://www.voices4earth.org>
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay
West Michigan Environmental Action Council <http://www.wmeac.org>
Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve