<p><em>By <a href="mailto:payettepc@interlochen.org">Peter Payette</a></em></p> <p>The battle over public land in Michigan has been passed down to local governments. Now townships and counties are being asked to weigh in when the state wants to buy land. Some conservationists say the requirement is not well thought out and will make it harder to manage state land.</p> <p>The requirement emerged out of an ongoing debate in Lansing. Some state lawmakers think there's too much public land and they don't like how conservation decisions are made. They think the state favors environmental goals over uses like logging and ORV trails. Some suspect the state is <a href="http://ipr.interlochen.org/ipr-news-features/episode/northern-lawmakers-fight-united-nations-report/2012-10-24">motivated by a global agenda</a> to deprive Americans of their property rights.</p> <p>In November, Governor Snyder announced local townships and counties would need to approve projects before the state could buy more land with the Natural Resources Trust Fund. The trust fund has been used to purchase beaches and forests all over Michigan. It too has been the <a href="http://ipr.interlochen.org/ipr-news-features/episode/michigans-land-preservation-system-questioned/2012-09-04">subject of debate</a> in Lansing during the past year. Snyder says the goals of the fund need to align with "local visions".</p> <p>Townships in particular have complained about property being taken off the tax rolls when purchased by the state. And Michigan has not always made the payments it promises in place of some tax revenue.</p> <p>That was one reason why Otsego County commissioners last month rejected a proposal to add a couple hundred acres to the Pigeon River Country State Forest. They also want more details about how the land will be managed. They'll reconsider that decision next week.</p> <p>Paul Rose says what is happening in Otsego could signal more of what is to come and is not good. He's a member of the Pigeon River Country Advisory Council. Rose says it's problematic when the sale of private property becomes a political issue in a community.</p> <p>"The state's ability to conduct negotiations with the land owner is deeply compromised because all of that's now public." </p> <p>Rose expects new public boat launches to be especially rare under this rule. He says there's almost never a boat launch built on a lake that's welcomed by the homeowners there.</p>
Otsego County Becomes Test Case For New Public Land Requirement
