Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

Public Trust Tuesday: Private Fish Farms in Public Waters

FLOW’s organizing principle is the public trust doctrine.  What sounds like an exotic concept is quite simple.  This centuries-old principle of common law holds that there are some resources, like water and submerged lands, that by their nature cannot be privately owned.  Rather, this commons – including the Great Lakes — belongs to the public. … Read more »

Happy Dr. Seuss Day from FLOW

March 2 is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel and, in 1997, was officially proclaimed Read Across America Day in his honor. To be completely honest, my favorite of his books growing up was Fox in Socks, but coming in at a close second was The Lorax. (If you have not read it, I highly… Read more »

Two Poets, a Mermaid, and FLOW

FLOW is pleased to announce poets Anne-Marie Oomen and Linda Nemec Foster will read from their new book, The Lake Michigan Mermaid, at a fundraiser for FLOW on Thursday, April 19.  The reading and reception take place from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Centerpointe conference center, top floor, in Traverse City. Published by Wayne State University… Read more »

Two Love Letters to the Great Lakes

LOVE LETTER TO THE GREAT LAKES:   I HAVE ALWAYS LIVED CLOSE TO YOU, I PADDLED IN YOUR SHALLOWS AS A CHILD, DRINKING IN YOUR TASTE. WAVES CARESSED MY BACK AS I WATCHED SAND ON THE LAKE BED, PILED INTO TINY RIPPLES & DUNES…IT WAS MAGICAL! I DREW MAPS & GAMES WITH MY BIG TOE IN WET SAND ON YOUR… Read more »

Help Stop an Attack on Michigan’s Water

Should Michigan law make it easier for special interests to grab large amounts of water without public oversight? Most citizens would say no, but the Michigan Legislature is considering a “yes.”  The State House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday, February 28 at 9 a.m. on a bill, HB 5638, giving… Read more »

Once More: Line 5 and the Public Trust

FLOW’s organizing principle is the public trust doctrine.  What sounds like an exotic concept is quite simple.  This centuries-old principle of common law holds that there are some resources, like water and submerged lands, that by their nature cannot be privately owned.  Rather, this commons – including the Great Lakes — belongs to the public. … Read more »

Great Lakes Proud

Great Lakes Proud (GLP) isn’t just a local brand, it’s national, even dabbling internationally (with stickers spotted in South Korea, Japan, Austria, and Croatia – to name a few)  – and the work it is doing locally is adding value fit for the scale. Since 2009, the Michigan-based business has donated over $100K to Great… Read more »

Skip the Straw

The production of plastic was first viewed as a miracle, the birth of a surprisingly durable material. But used as a disposable material, that durability is part of its downfall. Plastic degrades very slowly, and it often ends up in the environment and in the food chain. In 1950, the global market generated 1.7 million… Read more »

Our Public Water, Infrastructure and Health:  Here Come the Profiteers!

Our public water systems are in crisis. Every person and business in every city and town in the U.S. will face increasing competition for water, more and more repairs, improvements, and replacement of crumbling infrastructure or preventing illness or pollution. They will also face the wild card of increased frequency and intensity of rainfall and… Read more »