Farmland preservation in Leelanau County will be on the ballot Nov. 7. But we're not alone.
In fact all across the nation and in our state, other communities are considering similar measures. Julie Hay of the Michigan Land Use Institute has an excellent article up on their website about a farmland preservation measure in Lapeer County downstate on Aug. 8.
Migrant workers have played and still play an important role in Leelanau's economy. But many of them are feeling threatened by the current national debate about immigration.
This fine Glen Arbor Sun piece comes to us via the Leelanau News blog.
With the proposed wind power project for Leelanau County, we are being forced to come to terms with the trade-offs between clean energy on the one hand and the preservation of the skyline and landscape on the other.
This NY Times article shows that the controversy is being repeated all over the country.
On Memorial Day, it's worth reflecting on the sacrifices--some great, some small--made by those who have served our country in uniform.
This Freep story on three generations of a Northport family who have served in the military is worth a read.
Telford Farms is an "intentional community" located near Cedar. The 90-acre site is owned by a group of families who each have their own house, but who share work, community, and the rest of the land.
This Free Press article describes a bit of the history and flavor of the place. Sounds pretty idyllic.
A nice article in the online magazine Slate about the beauty of cherries--tarts, sweets, and others--with a nod to the Cherry Capital.
Remember the picnics we had at the springs / The sails in the moonlight, the Sunday night sings / The calm of the lake in the dawn's early light / Leelanau, Leelanau, land of delight. So goes the song quoted in the opening graph of this NY Times piece. And, as the author says, we often add another line "And don't tell anyone else."
That's kinda how I feel about articles like these. I cringe. I'm afraid that Leelanau County will be "discovered" and overrun with tourists gripping their torn-out copies of this or another guide to Leelanau. On the other hand, the piece does remind us (as if we could forget) what an absolutely wonderful place this is.
One last thing. The author details the natural splendors, the restaurants, the wineries. And those are all good. But what is that's so heart-rending about the song quoted at the start of the article? Isn't it the picture of the families singing this song as a summer up north ritual? For many of us, Glen Lake or Lake Leelanau or wherever was the place we came together as families. The families may be gone (replaced by other young families, no doubt). But the place endures.
What's the difference between Michigan and Wisconsin? An interesting perspective.
With all the discussion and controversy about Traverse City Light and Power's on-again off-again plans to build a wood-burning plant in Greilickville, it's worth reminding ourselves that other approaches to meeting the community's power needs are being discussed.
Several weeks ago we reported on the preliminary plans of Noble Environmental Power to build a farm of wind turbines in Centerville township. Now comes this Michigan Daily story on another project by the same company in Bingham township (that's Bingham township in Clinton County, not Leelanau) that is quite a bit further along.
A rapidly growing Lake Leelanau business is struggling to find adequate office space, and restrictive zoning laws may be the problem.
Oneupweb, which helps companies achieve better placement in search engine results like Google, has grown rapidly over the past six years, outgrowing offices in Traverse City, Suttons Bay, and Lake Leelanau, according to this article from the Michigan Land Use Institute. The company's owner would like to stay in Lake Leelanau, but zoning laws designed to promote residential uses and small businesses only within town limits are making it difficult to find a downtown commercial lot large enough to accommodate the growing firm.
Advocates for economic development and smart growth in Leelanau County, like Don Coe of Black Star Farms, point out that knowledge-based businesses like Oneupweb will benefit the county in a number of ways: they provide well-paying, year-round jobs that do not destroy farmland or the Leelanau landscape. Preserving the landscape and quality of life in Leelanau County is essential to not only tourism (including the agricultural tourism that many see as the county's future), but also to attracting the kinds of young, dynamic companies and workers that can grow the county's economy.
It would be ironic if master plans and zoning laws that were intended to preserve rural character and small-town life would have the effect of undermining them. Planners and others should seek ways to encourage the growth of businesses that invigorate the local economy without encroaching on farmland or the landscape.
Acme Township, on the other side of Traverse City, faces many of the same issues as Leelanau County -- pressure to develop on the one hand, and a desire to control and shape that development on the other.
This article in the Record-Eagle tells how Acme planners hope to implement a new urbanist solution in Acme's designated "town center" district--one that will create a walkable, human-scaled commercial center instead of yet another mall. But the plan faces opposition from developers, who are leery of the costs and constraints on their plans.
We wish them success, and look forward to lessons to be learned from their experiences.
Former East Bay Clerk Jan Gee has been sentenced to serve 11 months in the Grand Traverse County Jail. Gee was charged with having embezzled at least $62,000 from the township. In addition to her jail time, Gee must forfeit her pension and other township benefits, according to this Record-Eagle story.
What's the takeaway here? The point is not that Jan Gee is a bad person. Local and indeed state and federal governments contain all kinds of people, some unscrupulous, some dedicated public servants. But when local governments are not run according to accepted standards--when proper audits and other minimal procedures are not implemented, as they still have not been in some County townships like Elmwood--it is an invitation to abuse and problems down the road.
Interesting article in the Freep about a compromise agreement reached by Ice Mountain water (a branch of Nestle) and a local environment group concerning the amount of ground water pumped by Nestle. Not so much for the details of the deal (218 gallons per minute - 313,920 gallons per day - still sounds like a lot of water to me!) but for the idea that disputes of this kind can make progress (if not achieve resolution) by a series of compromises, rather than by one side or the other winning a total and absolute victory.