What lies beneath? In part 1 of FLOW’s new Groundwater Connection podcast, veteran journalist Sally Eisele seeks out the sounds and science of groundwater Up North in Michigan. Listen in on her conversations with children, scientists, and farmers, and personal reflection.
Michigan is called the Great Lakes state but is a poor steward of the sixth Great Lake, the water lying beneath Michigan’s ground. During National Groundwater Awareness Week March 10-16, FLOW is calling for state-level reforms to strengthen protection of Michigan’s groundwater. The Invisible Resource Groundwater is an immense and invisible resource. The volume of… Read more »
Photo credit: Charles Brackett Michigan’s waters and environmental values are under attack. In the next two weeks, Michigan citizens have an opportunity to defend them from a lame duck Legislature that is defying the clear mandate of the State Constitution and the preferences of strong majorities of Michigan voters. Michiganders are not clamoring to leave… Read more »
When Michigan voters cast ballots November 6, they did not express support for attacks on the state’s water resources. But that’s what they may be getting from Lansing between now and the end of 2018. In politics, lame ducks are officeholders whose successors have been elected but whose terms haven’t expired. “Lame” may imply powerlessness,… Read more »
When Michiganders cast votes on November 6, remember that more than candidates are on the ballot. So are water and the public trust. We encourage all voters to put Michigan water’s stewardship agenda at the center of their decision-making. The next governor, attorney general, and legislature will face historic opportunities and challenges. Will candidates for these… Read more »
Jim Olson, President, Legal Advisor Dave Dempsey, Senior Policy AdvisorLiz Kirkwood, Executive DirectorFLOW (For Love of Water)Office: (231) 944-1568, Cell: (570) 872-4956 Email: Jim@FLOWforWater.orgEmail: Dave@FLOWforWater.orgEmail: Liz@FLOWforWater.orgWeb: www.FLOWforWater.org Michigan Groundwater Emergency FLOW Report Calls for Major Policy Reforms to ProtectThe Drinking Water Source for 45% of Michiganders Traverse City, Michigan – Michigan’s groundwater resources are in… Read more »
Now that the primary election is behind us, Michiganders will pay increasing attention to this fall’s all-important electoral choices. FLOW is contacting the nominees for Governor, Attorney General, and northwest Michigan House and Senate seats this week to inform them of the water and public trust issues we think they should tackle. We are looking… Read more »
Dear __________: Congratulations on your victory in the August 7 primary for State Representative/Senator. The opportunity to serve/continue serving your constituents will bring many environmental issues to your attention. I am writing to provide you brief background information on several of them. By way of introduction, FLOW is a Great Lakes water law… Read more »
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 »
Editor’s note: 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… Read more »