Editor's note: This story was reported and posted on Friday, April 28, 2023. The audio is from an on-air conversation the morning of Monday, May 1.
Opposition groups are still fuming after the state Department of Natural Resources chose to deny a 162,000 acre expansion of Camp Grayling.
In the same news release that denied a lease agreement, the agency said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Michigan National Guard that allows land use permits to conduct exercises on up to 52,000 acres for training purposes.
The MOU, signed by DNR Director Shannon Lott and Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, director of the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, went into effect April 21 and allows:
- Small formation activity involving less than 500 National Guard members and up to 100 affiliated partner members
- Controlled trials of cyber and electronic warfare technologies
- Low impact or light maneuver training
Since the Guard announced its intention to expand Camp Grayling’s footprint last year, residents, conservation groups, local governments and tribal communities have issued statements expressing concern and distrust in the Guard’s activities.
For Jim Knight of Bear Lake township, the MOU that allows special use permits is “a cloak and dagger effort” to achieve the same goal.
“I don't think the DNR actually considered the things that we were concerned about,” Knight said. “It’s one of those deals where you ask big and see what sticks…. The question is, what happens if something is not done in the right way by the military? How will the DNR hold them accountable?”
Knight and a team of northern Michigan residents amassed over five-dozen resolutions and letters of opposition from local governments inside and outside the expansion area. He said he’ll continue those efforts by urging bodies to oppose the terms outlined in the MOU.
The agreement involves less acreage of state forest than the original ask of 162,000 acres as well as a shorter time frame — five years, with five-year extensions possible, compared to the proposed 20-year lease.
DNR spokesman Ed Golder says about 1,500 special use permits are distributed every year for a variety of events.
“We don’t typically have a MOU as we do in this case but we thought it important to put that on paper so that the public had assurance that their access to the land wouldn't change,” Golder said. “Regardless of whether the military is out training during any particular time during the year or not … public access will not change.”
The MOU also restricts use from protected or sensitive habitat and from within 3,000 feet of any inland lakes or designated trout streams.
The DNR made the decision to deny the 162,000 acre lease after it met with tribal authorities from around the region on April 6.
Many indigenous leaders worried treaty rights were violated by the lack of effort from the DNR to engage in government-to-government consultation.
David Arroyo, Tribal Council chairman for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians said he’s still wary about the new terms outlined in the MOU.
“I’m glad our treaty rights were protected,” Arroyo said. “We have profound respect for our military but the request to expand potentially impaired our treaty rights. That permit does raise some questions on what this means for the future. We hope that government-to-government consultation continues.”
Arroyo previously told IPR News that his concerns stem from the Guard’s history of contamination from toxic chemicals known as PFAS, traced back to Camp Grayling in 2016.
Local and state-wide conservation groups have said they worry about further destruction of natural resources and contamination in nearby water bodies.
“It’s very disappointing," said Joe Hemming, president of the Anglers of the Au Sable. "As I walk into the river tomorrow and fish the opening of trout season, I have a lot to reflect on. It looks like we continue to have a long road in front of us,”
Lott, the DNR director, said backlash against the proposal prompted the pivot, and that the eight-month comment period since the June 2022 proposal was "longer than typical."
The DNR received over 10,000 public comments on the proposal.
"Public concerns and feedback from Tribal governments, coupled with our own review of the proposal, led us to decide against a 20-year lease on such a significant portion of state-managed land,” Lott said in the release.
Most recently, up-north lawmakers chimed in on the DNR’s decision. Reps. Ken Borton of Gaylord, Cam Cavitt of Cheboygan, and John Roth of Interlochen issued a joint statement praising the DNR for denying the proposal, but did not comment on the new terms outlined in the MOU.
In a statement, the Guard says while the agreement does not meet the full vision of the original request, the special use permits still provide the distance for some “low-impact training.”
“For us, this is all about taking care of our service members who have made the commitment to put their lives on the line in support of our national security,” said Col. Scott Meyers, garrison commander at Camp Grayling. “We can do that and honor Michigan’s environment. Ultimately, the National Guard is here to serve and defend the homeland that the citizens of our state and nation hold dear. We have heard the concerns offered by many private individuals and groups, as well as from several federally recognized Tribes, and are taking them into account. We will strive to uphold both these commitments: to offer the readiest combat force possible, and to serve the people of our state responsibly and with gratitude for all they do to support us.”