E-M:/ Battle of Saginaw Bay

[Terry & Barb Miller <terbar@concentric.net>]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enviro-Mich message from Terry & Barb Miller <terbar@concentric.net>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enviro-Michers

  A WSGW radio host and the Bay City Times call it the Battle of the Bay --
Saginaw Bay that is -- but it has far reaching consequences for other areas
of the Great Lakes.  The riparian rights of Lake Huron shoreline home owners
to plow and disk emergent wetlands in recently exposed bottomlands versus
the public trust doctrine, and the benefits of improved water quality,
fisheries, erosion control, and wildfowl habitat represented by preserved
coastal wetlands.
  On the private property side: conservative radio station, Republican
Senator Gougeon, director of DEQ, Harding, vocal beach front property owners
(and their attorney).
  On the public trust side: DEQ field staff, Corps. of Engineers, MEC, one
local environmental group, and an outspoken birder.
  On the fence: Rep. Barcia (looking for dialogue); Bay City Times
(pro-private last year, strong on Caseville this year, but yet to comment)
  Yet to weigh in: fishing, hunting, boating groups; general public
  At risk: if private property prevails, thousands of emergent wetlands,
endangered species and ecologically protected areas inadvertently destroyed;
opening for extraction industries claiming same right as riparian owners;
erosion of bay water quality; declining fisheries; assaults on wetlands
throughut the Great Lakes
  To date: DEQ director allows General Permit to disk four inches deep
thirty-feet from still water to landward (in bottomlands), many property
owners ignore this liberalized permit and plow entire beachfront, over 135
violations logged by DEQ -- one enforcement action taken -- all other names
ordered sent to Lansing; an estimated 30 acres of emergenet wetlands lost to
date; Army Corps of Engineers being tougher: 80 letters sent to homeowners.
(Story of those letters and threat of property owners to sue found below).
Property owners threaten suit. No legal action to date from public trust
position.
         
                                                           Terry Miller
                                                           Lone Tree Council

http://bc.mlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/stories/20010712bbattleofthebeach.frm



==============================================================
ENVIRO-MICH:  Internet List and Forum for Michigan Environmental
and Conservation Issues and Michigan-based Citizen Action.   Archives at
http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/enviro-mich/

Postings to:  enviro-mich@great-lakes.net      For info, send email to
majordomo@great-lakes.net  with a one-line message body of  "info enviro-mich"
==============================================================