Advocacy Corner (Archives)
NEW ACTION ITEM (3/8/26) - Boyne Mountain Resort Hydroelectric Dam Permit:
Plans to expand Boyne Mountain Resort have sparked controversy in Charlevoix County, with new cabins approved near a hydroelectric dam in Boyne Valley Township that would restrict access to the Boyne River. The conservation group Friends of the Boyne River has raised concerns about the environmental impact of the dam's operation, which they say restricts public access to parts of the river. Background information on this issue can be found in the following article:
A petition has been started by Moveon.org to address this issue by requesting that the permit by Boyne Mountain Resort to continue the dam operation (for 40 years) be denied. Petition is to the Michigan Attorney General and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC):
Moveon.org Boyne Mountain Resort
Please review this background information and petition for due consideration for signing the petition.
Thanks!
“Better Bottle Bill” proposed by the MEC:
The Michigan Environmental Council (MEC) is proposing an update to Michigan’s current bottle bill to address the significant amount of non-carbonated beverage containers that are not covered by the current bill. Water bottles and containers for sports drinks, juices and others would be added to the bottle deposit and refund approach to keeping bottles and cans from littering our landscapes and ending up in landfills. Review of the current allocation of funds from unclaimed deposits as well as proposals to improve the return process are addressed.
You can add your name to the petition below to communicate to our legislators the need to update and improve the existing law:
Bottle Bill Petition - Michigan Environmental Council
For additional information you can visit the MEC website dedicated to this issue:
Better Bottle Bill - Michigan Environmental Council
HVC Issue: Save the Arb! No Monorail impacting Nichols Arboretum!
The University of Michigan is proposing an elevated monorail (Campus Connector) that would facilitate commuting between Central, North and the Medical campuses in Ann Arbor. A proposed location of the monorail through and over areas of the Nichols Arboretum would have adverse effects on its ecological and historical significance as well as impact the experience of its users.
UPDATE (JUNE 2025), GOOD NEWS!: Good news received in a recent communication from the University of Michigan (June 6, 2025) regarding their position on impacts to the Arboretum from the proposed Automated Transit System (Campus Connector). See Link below to UofM update including “What about the Arb?” Please read!! To quote:
“…U-M plans to only consider potential routes that would not pass through the Arb.”
UofM Automated Transit System Update
The Michigan Botanical Society, Huron Valley Chapter, submitted a letter to Santa J. Ono, President, University of Michigan expressing concern regarding the proposed Campus Connector project impacting the Nichols Arboretum. See the letter (Dated 4/4/25) from Neal Billetdeaux, our Chapter President, via the link below:
MBS Letter to University of Michigan
Below is a link to a petition currently being circulated in order to add your voice to the request to reconsider this plan:
For additional information and background on this issue, please see the letter written by the former Director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum and professor emeritus, Bob Grese, to the President of the University of Michigan: