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Policy

Proposal 1 Passes Overwhelmingly

Thanks voting on Proposal 1. The passage of the proposal is good for land conservation and park/trail development in Detroit and across Michigan.

The following is a press released issued by the Vote Yes on Prop 1 coalition, which we were a part of:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 03, 2020

CONTACT

Thomas Meara | tmeara@kivvit.com | 718-309-3506

Halimah Elmariah | helmariah@kivvit.com | 201-290-9753

PROPOSAL 1 PASSES OVERWHELMINGLY, CONTINUING MICHIGAN’S COMMITMENT TO CONSERVATION

MICHIGAN – Today, Michiganders made history by overwhelmingly voting YES on Proposal 1 to protect Michigan’s water, wildlife and parks for generations to come. Voters across the political spectrum voted yes on Proposal 1, which commits oil and gas royalties to protection of our land, water sources and parks in perpetuity by lifting the cap on Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.  This victory sends a clear message to lawmakers that voters across the state prioritize the protection of our natural resources and access to outdoor recreation for all Michiganders to enjoy.

Proposal 1 had broad, bipartisan support from the start. It was put on the November ballot unanimously by the Michigan Legislature in 2018 and was supported by all of Michigan’s living governors.

The Vote Yes on Prop 1 campaign was founded by the The Nature Conservency, Michigan Environmental Council, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Heart of the Lakes, mParks and Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance. Notably, it was supported by more than 70 environmental, conservation, business, community and labor organizations who worked together to pass Proposal 1.

“Proposal 1 passed because of strong bipartisan support from conservationists and environmentalists, business and community leaders and our elected officials. This is a victory for Michiganders in every corner of the state – from the U.P. to Detroit,” said Becca Maher, Vote Yes campaign manager. “With the passage of Proposal 1, voters sent a clear message to Lansing – we must prioritize protecting our natural resources and conserving and creating access to our outdoor spaces, now and for future generations.”

“The passage of Proposal 1 marks a historic moment in Michigan’s conservation legacy. With this victory, we have guaranteed that the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund will continue receiving the funds necessary to protect our public lands, clean water sources, wildlife habitats and parks in perpetuity,” said Helen Taylor from The Nature Conservancy. “All Michiganders will benefit from the passage of Proposal 1.”

“Voters have sent a decisive message with the overwhelming support for Prop 1: The protection of our lands and natural areas is core to who we are and must be a priority,” said Conan Smith from Michigan Environmental Council. “Michiganders understand the importance of spending time in nature and this victory guarantees an increase in opportunities for outdoor recreation across the state, something we should all celebrate.”

“The passage of Proposal 1 is a victory for Michigan’s hunters, anglers, sportsmen and sportswomen. Our public lands and outdoor spaces will be protected for decades to come because of the guarantees enshrined in Proposal 1,” said Amy Trotter from Michigan United Conservation Clubs. “We are proud to have supported and worked on this campaign with a broad and bipartisan coalition to protect Michigan’s water, wildlife habitats and parks for generations.”

“Today is a victory for land conservation and public recreation in Michigan. With the passage of Proposal 1, we have guaranteed funding will be available to expand our vast network of trails and make our beautiful outdoors spaces accessible to more Michiganders,” said Andrea LaFontaine from Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance. “Our elected officials should take note, and all Michiganders should celebrate this victory.”

“We are estatic that Proposal 1 passed with overwhelming support from voters. More trails, parks, playgrounds and outdoor spaces can be supported in communities across the state for Michiganders to enjoy without using a dime of taxpayer money,” said Clay Summers from mParks. “The Vote YES coalition was integral to the passage of Proposal 1, and we are proud to have been a part of this incredible coalition.”

“Michiganders demonstrated a clear commitment to protecting and improving Michigan’s public lands and outdoor spaces by passing Proposal 1 with such overwhelming support,” said Jonathan Jarosz from Heart of the Lakes.  “We are thrilled that this constitutional change means communities across the state will get to enjoy even more opportunties to get outside and spend time in nature.”

For more information on Vote YES for MI Water, Wildlife and Parks campaign, visit www.MIWaterWildlifeParks.com

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About Vote YES for MI Water, Wildlife and Parks

The Vote YES for MI Water, Wildlife and Parks campaign is a broad and diverse coalition formed to encourage Michiganders to vote YES on Proposal 1 this November to protect our drinking water, wildlife habitats and parks for future generations. For more information, visit www.MIWaterWildlifeParks.com.

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Complete Streets Greenways Newsletter Policy Safety & Education

News from the Trail – October 2020

Bike the Vote

Come join us for a group bike ride on Sunday afternoon, October 25th to encourage greater voter participation. We’d love to have a healthy turnout to show that bicyclists are engaged in this year’s election. The weather doesn’t look too bad for late October, either. Masks and social distancing are required!

In addition to supporting this ride, MoGo has a “Roll to the Polls” program that gives riders a free one hour ride to access their polling location or drop off their absentee ballots.  Lisa Nuszkowski, founder and executive director of MoGo says, “Transportation should never be a barrier to voting, and MoGo is proud to join with others in the shared mobility industry to offer free rides on Election Day.”

We continue to endorse Proposal 1 along with more than 30 conservation and environmental groups, including the Michigan Environmental Council, the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. The proposal does not change the Trust Fund’s priorities of acquiring and preserving land, which is one reason it’s supported by twelve of the largest land conservancies in Michigan. It also is supported by all of Michigan’s living governors.


Pedestrian Safety Month

We strongly believe that building Complete Streets is the most effective approach for reducing pedestrian (and bicyclist) fatalities. We’ve seen it first hand with improvements to Detroit’s public lighting. Reducing speeding motorists is also a critical issue that can be addressed through Complete Streets, whether it’s more speed humps, lower speed limits, and even bike lanes. 

While the City of Detroit is making new, major investments in speed humps, the speed limit issue is moving more slowly in the state capitol. We discuss these issues and more in our new article, Every Month is Pedestrian Safety Month.


Streets for People

The City of Detroit just launched their Streets for People planning campaign. From the project web page:

The City of Detroit is developing Streets for People, a transportation plan with a singular focus — to make it easier and safer for all Detroiters to move around the city. The plan seeks to knit together diverse neighborhoods, prioritize safety of the most vulnerable road users, and identify clear implementation and design strategies for roadways improvement. Most importantly, it will be rooted in an inclusive planning process that gives a voice to the City’s residents who are most implicated by the transportation system. The plan will be completed over the next two years by the Department of Public Works in partnership with MDOT, SEMCOG, city departments, and partner agencies.

The web page also let’s you sign up for updates and provide some initial thoughts. The plan will be completed in 12 months according to the city’s press release.

Streets for People also has this great introductory video which really frames the pedestrian and bicyclist safety issue to be solved.


Joe Louis Greenway

A second Joe Louis Greenway Design public meeting will be held on October 29th from 6pm to 8pm via Zoom. There is more information about this meeting and how to join it on the city’s Joe Louis Greenway webpage.

If you missed the first public meeting, the presentation is now online and well worth looking over. 

Phase 1 construction continues moving forward. City Council has been asked to approve an MDOT grant request to build a portion of the greenway near Grand River Avenue and Oakman Boulevard. The city has also sold bonds to help with construction as well. They are “aiming to finish Phase I in Fiscal Year 2022.” 


Other Updates

  • Detroit is also updating its Parks and Recreation Plan. They are collecting some initial public input with this online survey. There’s also this interesting article on how COVID could affect this planning. 
  • We’ve been weighing on a number of developments around the city, including the project at the former state fairgrounds involving Amazon. Currently, biking and walking about this area is far from ideal. We submitted comments on how to improve these connections within the development area and with the surrounding neighborhoods, including Ferndale. We also requested bike parking and, if possible, MoGo stations. Our comments seemed to have been addressed by the city and developer.
  • We’ve also been involved in a new proposed warehouse near Conner and Gratiot at the former Cadillac Stamping Plant. Our primary concern was the project’s plan to allow truck traffic to cross the Conner Creek Greenway/Iron Belle Trail at Conner Playfield. It wouldn’t be safe and we expected the trucks would block the greenway as they waited to turn onto Conner. Council member Scott Benson worked with the city and developer to find an alternative truck route that doesn’t cross the greenway.
  • Last month we raised concerns about the city removing unprotected bike lanes during repaving projects, namely the bike lanes on E. Grand Boulevard. DPW followed up and said this was not a city policy. There are proposed plans for adding protected bike lanes on W. Grand Boulevard from Cass to Rosa Parks. We’ll be encouraging the city to continue this design east to replace what was removed.
  • Council President Brenda Jones’ Community Engagement Ordinance passed. It requires many city projects that impact the neighborhoods to have community outreach.The installation of bike lanes was one type of project named in the ordinance. After the E. Grand bike lanes were removed, we proposed that the installation or removal of bike lanes should require community outreach. Council member Benson motioned to add this language to the ordinance and it passed unanamously.
  • The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office launched an online bike tour of Detroit civil rights sites. We were part of the team that helped determine the 17-mile route between the sites. 
  • Lastly, Free Bikes 4 Kids really needs volunteers to help clean and refurbish used kids bicycles to giveaway this year. Please signup for a shift or two and help them get these bikes ready.

Additional Reading

Categories
Greenways Policy

Why We Endorse Proposal 1

  • The Michigan Naturals Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) is a major funding source for acquiring land for conservation, parks, and trails.
  • The Trust Fund also helps develop parks and trails, though it is currently limited.
  • Proposal 1 maintains the existing grant funding for land acquisitions and increases it for parks and trails. It will also make the redevelopment of existing facilities eligible.
  • Proposal 1 removes the Trust Fund cap, allowing future oil, gas, and mining royalties to be deposited here rather than in the state’s general fund.

Proposal 1 on this November’s ballot makes some changes to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund — and we think they’re all improvements. That’s why we joined the Vote YES on Proposal 1 Coalition along with over 30 other Michigan environment and conservation organizations.

What is the Trust Fund? It’s a dedicated fund that was created from the royalties on oil, gas, and mining operation on state land. It stopped receiving those funds in 2011 when it hit its $500 million cap. However it’s still growing from the interest and investments of those funds. To protect it from being raided for other purposes, voters moved it into the State Constitution (Section 35).

Each year, governments apply for grants from the fund. Those grants are scored, prioritized, then recommended (or not) by the appointed Trust Fund board before being approved by the legislature and governor.

Trust Fund grants have been instrumental for land acquisition and park development in Detroit, including the RiverWalk, Dequindre Cut, May Creek Greenway, Belle Isle, and the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center. Many Detroit parks (e.g. Balduck, Patton, Butzel) have been renovated with these funds as well.

In 2013, we wrote a $3.4 million Trust Fund grant for the City of Detroit that allowed them to purchase the abandoned railroad corridor that will be part of the Joe Louis Greenway.

Ballot proposal impacts

Currently, a maximum of 25% of the available grants funding can be spent on park and trail development grants. The proposal changes this to a minimum of 25%, the same minimum for land acquisition. This analysis from the House Fiscal Agency highlights the benefit in doing this:

Changing the restriction on funds made available for MNRTF-funded development projects from a maximum of 25% to a minimum of 25% would allow the MNRTF Board to recommend, and the legislature to appropriate, more funding for projects than may currently be spent. A total of $86.0 million was made available for project funding in FY 2017-18, and all 34 acquisition applicants received grants totaling $28.9 million. However, only 97 of 121 development applicants received a grant since development awards were capped at $21.5 million (25% of the $86.0 million made available) though development applications totaled $29.0 million. Changing the development project funding ceiling of 25% to a floor of 25% would match the restriction on acquisition projects and provide for all development applications to be appropriated in a given year if recommended by the MNRTF Board.

Legislative Analysis, House Fiscal Agency, December 2018

There have been some misleading claims made that this change reduces land acquisitions, but as the above example, that is simply not the case. All of the recommended land acquisition and park/trail development grants could have been awarded that round. Instead, $7.5 million in funding for parks and trails was not available due to that 25% maximum limit.

We should add that the proposed change is especially beneficial to Detroit where land acquisition is less of a necessity compared to the funding needs for developing parks and trails.

The other major impact is more long term. When the Trust Fund hit its $500 million cap in 2011, oil, gas, and mining royalties started going to the State Parks Endowment. When that endowment hits its $800 million cap (still some years away), those royalties will go to the state’s general fund. If this proposal passes, they’ll go back into the Trust Fund instead, making even more funding available for land acquisition and park/trail development in Michigan.

Based on our in depth review of the ballot language, the current constitutional language, and our experience with the grant program, we see every reason to support ballot proposal 1.