From a Particular Place

BY FRANK RUSWICK

INHERENT IN THE SPACE GIVEN TO ME IN THIS COLUMN IS THE OPPORTUNITY, AND PERHAPS EVEN RESPONSIBILITY, TO PROVIDE A PERSPECTIVE FROM A PARTICULAR PLACE IN OUR ORGANIZATION.

And that is why I want to tell you about an unglamorous, but nonetheless crucial action the Board took at its December, 2022 meeting, an action that will foster the long-term success of our organization. We adopted comprehensive amendments to our bylaws.

Bylaws are the principles underlying how an organization operates. They are a foundation. And like most building foundations, they are largely unseen and thus unappreciated. Yet we all know that any edifice requires a firm footing.

I am confident that our new bylaws provide that footing for HeadWaters by, among other things:

Dear Director Lott,

The HeadWaters Land Conservancy opposes the expansion of Camp Grayling before and until after consideration of a full and comprehensive review of all relevant factors including, but not limited to: 1) The need for, and 2) the environmental, social and economic impacts of, the proposed expansion.

The proposed action cannot be adequately considered in the context of site-specific environmental impacts as is currently described as the next step in the decision-making process. The proposed expansion of Camp Grayling would likely have significant impact on the overall nature of northern Michigan. It is this level of impact that must be described and considered by the people of northern Michigan (and Michigan as a whole) before further steps are taken to proceed with this project.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources should deny any further action on the proposed action unless:

1 The Michigan National Guard prepares a comprehensive review of the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the proposed expansion with reference to a detailed justification for the project, including the underlying need therefore.

2 That review is subject to a lengthy public review process including public hearings throughout the impacted area and the opportunity for the written submission of comments.

3 The Michigan National Guard should publish and respond to all such comments.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources should take no further steps to facilitate or proceed with decision-making on the proposed expansion until the comprehensive review and public comment thereon is available and considered.

• Clearly specifying the Board’s responsibilities for managing HeadWaters’ affairs, including doing “all things necessary for the successful, proper, and continuous operation of [HeadWaters] consistent with its purposes”

• Selecting Board members that provide “balanced representation of the Corporation’s geographical service area and its population”

• Outlining specific responsibilities for Board Chair, ViceChair, Treasurer and Secretary

• Providing detailed roles for the Executive, Finance, Development, Lands, and Governance Committees

• Detailing procedures for decision-making, transparency, and member involvement in HeadWaters programs While these issues were addressed in our previous bylaws, they were somewhat general and reflected the early organizational age at which they were drafted.

But the Board recognized that HeadWaters has matured and that strengthening the principles upon which we operate would foster further growth and success. Together with the additions to staff and increased funding outlined elsewhere in this newsletter, I think there are multiple reasons we can all be excited about the future of the HeadWaters Land Conservancy.

If you are interested in reading the revised bylaws, they can be found on our website.