Change Maker Boot Camp: June 2nd at Lyndon Township Hall

We are offering a Change Makers Boot Camp on Monday, June 2nd from 6-8pm at the Lyndon Township Hall, 17751 N. Territorial Road, Chelsea, MI. It’s our first boot camp of 2025 and we would like your help promoting it to your friends and neighbors. Help us spread the word by sharing this link to encourage residents to sign up!

Change Maker Advocates

Last fall, we kicked off the Change Maker Advocates allowing another avenue for our Change Maker participants to become engaged in legislative advocacy work. We had over 50 citizens sign up to participate in the program during the Michigan Legislature’s lame duck session in December 2024. We will continue to share information on our key legislative needs as they arise in this legislative cycle (2025-2026). If you would like to participate, sign up for Change Makers Action Alerts here!

Local Policy Updates

Since Kris Olsson retired in 2024, Andrea Paine, HRWC’s program manager, and I have been creating a strategy for engaging watershed communities on land protection. Andrea and Kate Laramie, HRWC’s watershed ecologist, have been working in Lodi Township on a green infrastructure plan that we expect their planning commission to formally adopt as part of their updated master plan this year. We are also reaching out to local elected officials in Putnam, Lima, Green Oak, Salem, Commerce, and West Bloomfield townships to understand their planning/zoning needs and how we can best help their communities.

Legislative Updates

State Budget

While the Governor has introduced her budget for Fiscal Year 2026, the State Senate has been moving forward on its’ budget recommendations this spring. They have already reported nearly all their agency recommendations to the Senate floor for votes this month.

The State House is taking a much slower route than we’ve experienced in the past. They have yet to unveil their spending plan for FY 2026 and are waiting for the Revenue Estimating Conference to occur on May 16th before introducing budget bills, hearings, and passage.

Legislative Directed Appropriation Request

HRWC has for the first time requested and secured legislative sponsors for a legislatively directed appropriation request for our Rain Catchers Collective program.

It’s on behalf of HRWC and the following three Southeast Michigan watershed organizations: Friends of the Rouge, Clinton River Watershed Council and Friends of the Detroit River. We have requested a $12,500,000 grant over five years to launch a regional collaboration to increase resilience and reduce risk through Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). Each of our organizations have been working together, but independently to enhance each organization’s capacity.

The support would seed a transformational movement to make GSI a standard practice across Southeast Michigan by helping communities mitigate flood risk, reduce stress on aging sewer systems, protect water quality and create local and private sector jobs in GSI implementation and maintenance.

While we have secured a House (State Rep. Natalie Price and twelve co-sponsors) and Senate (State Sen. Kevin Hertel) sponsors, we have a long way to go to make sure our request ends up in the final budget appropriation this year.

Learn more about rain gardens, one of the nature-based solutions promoted by the Rain Catchers Collective.

Recreation Passport Program

As you might know, HRWC and the other ten State Water Trails have had access to funding in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources FY 2025 budget ($500,000) to spend on key projects within each water trail’s service area. Each organization can submit for reimbursements up to $50,000. HRWC has used the funding so far to update and reprint our Paddler’s Companion map flipbook and to install a new kiosk in the City of Flat Rock along the Huron River. We have until September 2026 to spend the funds.

While it’s one time funding, we have been working with State Senator John Cherry on a permanent funding allocation going forward. Last week, Sen. Cherry and Sen. Jon Bumstead introduced Senate Bills 280 and 281, respectively, that would revamp the Recreation Passport program. Currently, it assesses $14 per vehicle, and you must ask for it when you renew your license plate tabs each year.

Under Sen. Cherry’s plan, the fee would be rolled back to $10, and all personal vehicles would have to purchase the Recreation Passport. That change is estimated to generate $43 million in new revenue for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources – while also setting aside $2 million/year for the State Water Trail program. We are working with the Michigan Association of Parks and Recreation Association advocating for the adoption of SB 280 and 281. We’ll be in touch soon about Action Alerts if you would like to help.

HRWC Policy Priorities

We have updated our State Policy Priorities for the 2025-2026 Legislative Cycle. We expect the re-introduction of several bills we supported in the 2023/2024 cycle on polluter pay, statewide septic code, banning nuclear waste from being shipped into Michigan, increasing the tipping fees on outside waste coming into Michigan landfills, etc. Our priorities now also include legislative funding requests and federal legislative priorities.

Opportunities to Serve

The townships of Ann Arbor, Dexter and Scio are seeking residents who are interested in serving on their local land preservation boards. These are appointed positions made by the Board of Trustees for each community.

Ann Arbor Township’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board

The board meets typically on the 4th Monday of each month starting at 7:30pm as needed. If you are interested being considered, please send a cover letter/resume via email to Diane O’Connell, the township supervisor at supervisor@aatwp.org.

Dexter Township’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board

The board meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm at Dexter Township Hall. If you are interested being considered, please send a cover letter/resume via email to Lonnie Scott, the township supervisor at supervisor@dextertownshipmi.gov.

Ann Arbor Township’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board

The commission meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 4pm at the township hall. To apply, please visit Scio Township’s website to apply and upload both a cover letter and resume.