Each year more and more landowners contact the District for assistance with no where else to turn. Statewide there are approximately 400,000 non-industrial private landowners that control 70% of Michigan's land base. They also own 57% of the total forested land, yet the state departments charged with the management and protection of this resource spend less than 1% of their budgets on this large sector.

Each year our state agencies cut more of the assistance service to the public, with the excuse of not enough money. Our state agencies are given allocations of state money and the ability to accept other revenue to provide a service to the citizens of this great state. The state budgets of our natural resource agencies are:

• DNR - $288 million
• DEQ - $371 million
• MDA - $106 million

Now factor in additional federal money, license and service fees, foundation and private contributions, etc., and there is a large amount of money being spent on a small piece of Michigan's natural resources.

Your local Conservation District is concerned with the present trend of these agencies requesting more money through larger allocations and/or fees and providing fewer services to the public. Each time an allocation, new and/or increased fee is requested, the public seems to be threatened with approval of the request or the agency will be forced to cut services; provide less wildlife management; less timber being available to the forest products industry; no more fish stocking; reduced park services; etc. Never once have we heard any indication of cutting expenses by reducing top administrative over-head or bureaucrat administrative processes. These have increased, while on the ground services have been cut.

There also seems to be a definite trend from common sense local management, to power based Lansing management from individuals with their own hidden agendas. We have observed over the last twenty years hundreds of local examples in Delta County alone.

The Delta Conservation District wants to know who, what, when, where, why, and how. We feel that the current system is broke and will only get worse in time. We believe that the current direction of more money to solve our natural resource problems is not correct. All of the states natural resource and environmental issues must be looked at first and then a price tag can be established. We believe in a more efficient and cost effective way of managing the state's natural resource base and providing a better service to its citizens. This is why we have requested freedom of information act material form the DNR, DEQ, and MDA. The only ironic part is that this information is not free.

Currently the District is building statewide momentum to introduce an efficient and effective cost-savings program to address this neglected resource. Our goal is to unite those with the same interests and values and achieve a statewide program by September 30th, 2008.
If anyone wishes to help in this endeavor, please contact our office at (906)428-9469 ext. 3.