Climate Action Alert

ACTION ALERT TO SAVE VALUABLE OPEN SPACE
Many of you will have seen the news stories and the op-ed Viewpoints in the Kalamazoo Gazette these past few weeks concerning Western Michigan University's plan to expand the "Business, Technology, and Research Park" already occupying much of the former Lee Baker Farm between Parkview and US-131 in Kalamazoo. WMU proposes to use what is known as the "Old Colony Farm Orchard" on the west side of Drake Road between Parkview and Stadium for this expansion.

The "Orchard" property was part of the farm and orchard for the original state mental hospital or "Asylum" that was moved to its present location on Oakland Drive in Kalamazoo. The majority of the old Asylum property, 274 acres, is now the Asylum Lake Preserve, a dedicated preserve for public use and recreation, including major prairie and savanna restoration projects.

What remains of the "Old Colony" or "Asylum" property is the 54 acres west of Drake Road that, like the Asylum Lake Preserve, was deeded to WMU by the state, with the restriction that it be used solely "for public park, recreation or open space purposes, except that the legislature, by statute, may authorize Western Michigan University to utilize the property for some other public purpose."

WMU and their allies in the legislature are now resolved on passing a statute (HB 5207) that will allow the land to be privately developed, for what is not in any strict sense a "public purpose."

We, Tom and Nancy Small, along with many others more knowledgeable than we, fought long and bitter battles in the past over the Asylum properties and the Lee Baker Farm. Sometimes we lost; sometimes we won. We succeeded in protecting the Colony Farm Orchard and the old Gibbs farm house, and we succeeded in keeping the Asylum Lake Preserve intact as open space for public use. Now the battle is on once again. We urge that you write letters of protest to the public officials and legislators most responsible for this projected subversion of the original legislative restriction on the property. You could also write letters to the editor of the Gazette.

Letters, emails, or calls. to any or all of the following would be helpful:

• WMU President John Dunn: john.dunn@wmich.edu; 387-2351; Office of the President, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo 49008.
• Member of the WMU Board of Trustees Kenneth Miller (and any other WMU Board members, especially Bill Johnston): Board of Trustees, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo 49008.
• Senator Tom George: SenTGeorge@senate.michigan.gov; (517) 373-0793; Room 320 Farnum Bldg, PO Box 30036, Lansing MI 48909
• Representative Larry DeShazor (the Orchard is in his district): LarryDeShazor@house.mi.gov; (517) 373-1774; Room N995, Anderson House Office Building, PO Box 30014, Lansing MI 48909.
  Representative Robert Jones (he's been the bill's sponsor and the prime mover in this affair): robertjones@house.michigan.gov (517) 373-1785; Room N994, Anderson House Office Bldg; PO Box 30014, Lansing MI 48909.
• Former state Senator Jack Welborn was responsible for the legislative language that protected the Asylum properties as "open space" and was largely responsible for stopping cold in the state Senate previous WMU attempts to get the legislation changed. If you feel Senator Welborn might be prevailed upon to address the issue once again (he wrote a powerful attack in the Gazette on WMU as "land barons"), his address is 6304 North Riverview, Kalamazoo 49004; his phone is 345-4456.

Professor Richard Brewer, a founding member of Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones, is the single person most familiar with the ecology and history of the Asylum Lake area. Here is his summary of the "most pertinent" points to be made:

1. The Colony Farm Orchard in Oshtemo Township is protected by a restriction for open space/public park use contained in the original conveyance bringing the land to WMU. The land was bought with tax dollars. WMU is seeking to toss out this restriction by means of a bill introduced by Representative Robert Jones. Although termed a BTR Park expansion, the result in plain language will be to sell off the land.
2. The Colony Farm Orchard functions as an integral part of the Asylum Lake Preserve, producing a bigger, hence more diverse and more stable sanctuary. The Colony Farm Orchard adds vegetation types and wildlife unavailable on the preserve proper. Without it, the Asylum Lake Preserve is poorer.
3. Other equally suitable lands are available. WMU owns land in Kalamazoo and Oshtemo Townships that could be readily used. Other, private lands are available. There are brownfield sites that the city of Kalamazoo has readied for just such uses.

Further information is available at Richard Brewer's web site: richardbrewer.org.

Here's an excellent summary recently prepared by Ladislav R. Hanka for the Asylum Lake Preservation Association.

POSITION: ALPA has a narrow focus of responsibility to the citizens of Kalamazoo and Oshtemo, to the Environmental Council and to its sister environmental organizations to safeguard the agreement we as a community made on the ultimate disposition of the state hospital grounds at Asylum Lake. The debate lasted from 1990 until 1993, was bitter and repeated itself in 1999 with the development of the BTR Park at Lee Baker Farm. We see no compelling reason to disregard the compromise to which all agreed, in order to begin that acrimonious decision-making process anew.

HISTORICAL ABSTRACT: The 1977 legislation (public act 158, section 3) conveys all the Asylum Lake properties (including the Orchard) to WMU but limits the University to using the property solely "for public park, recreation or open space purposes, except that the legislature, by statute, may authorize Western Michigan University to utilize the property for some other public purpose". Sale of the property to private developers is an idiosyncratic interpretation of public purpose, but in the great compromise of 1999, we all agreed to allow development of the engineering campus and BTR Park to proceed at the Lee Baker Farm uncontested and without further interference in exchange for an end to the battle and long-term protection of the remaining open space. To abrogate that compromise unilaterally, would be an unacceptable breach of a contract made in good faith, and changing the open space status of any of the remaining land is only acceptable by consensus - with the agreement of all interested parties.

THE CURRENT PROBLEM: HB 5207, sponsored by Rep. Robert Jones, has been reported out of his committee and could come to a vote in the House at any time. The bill would lift deed restrictions on the Orchard and allow the BTR Park to extend onto protected open space. The bill has been prepared in secrecy, coupled with public denials that the process has been taking place, and then submitted during the summer recess when it is difficult to assemble a quorum to hold meetings and public discussions. The bill is being purposely rushed through without proper input or agreement of the interested parties to the original compromise. There is, however, no compelling need for taking precipitous action, as the BTR park is not filled to capacity and the potential for infilling of the substantial open spaces there is substantial. The process is being manipulated in ways that are undemocratic, against the greater interests of the community, and completely unacceptable.

Linkage of dissimilar issues: The lifting of deed restrictions on the Colony Farm Orchard is furthermore being tied together with two dissimilar properties, Noble Lodge, formerly a part of the Kalamazoo State Hospital on Oakland Drive, and Fairmont Park. The other two properties both involve unoccupied and potentially hazardous structures whose repair is not controversial - neither is their disposition constrained by agreements with city, township and citizens' committees. Tying these properties together in "linked" bills is improper.

Location: There are many alternatives available which would engender no controversy. The Bronson Biotech Campus and Kalamazoo's riverfront development are excellent projects, which need these very kinds of high quality employers as anchor organizations moving in. There are plenty of available brown-fields and established industrial parks in need of paying tenants, both in Kalamazoo and in Oshtemo townships. Many of these areas have nearby working class and minority neighborhoods in need of employment opportunities. There is therefore no need to break new ground and very compelling social/economic reasons to look at alternative sites.

Size: The proposed parcel is only 54 acres and would house few new businesses if developed in a similar fashion to the low-density Lee-Baker Farm. Springs, wetlands, buffer strips and the extensive leaf composting station would reduce that usable acreage even more. Better to build infrastructure on land that can accommodate many years of growth and which is uncontested in its assigned use.

Environmental value of the Orchard: The Colony Farm Orchard is important to the integrity of the rest of the Asylum Lake preserve across Drake Rd, as a sound and sight buffer against US-131. It serves as a significant water-source with springs and seeps that feed clean water into Asylum Lake. The Orchard also constitutes about 16.5% of the 328 acre Asylum Lake preserve and though separated by Drake Rd from the larger body of the preserve, it has significant biological richness which contributes to the genetic flow within the whole preserve. Asylum Lake would be a smaller and more isolated island of biota and more vulnerable to local extinctions if its size were reduced once again.

The orchard property is largely returning to savanna and has typical old-field biota. It is a remnant of the Genesee Prairie, which has been declared by Oshtemo Township as an area of interest concern. Although little remains of the original Genesee Prairie and none of it is untouched, there are several areas where local genetic variants of the indigenous species should still be found. Railroad beds, roadsides and graveyards are typical places to find native grasslands species, yet in Oshtemo twp, one must assume that these have all been subject to repeated herbicide/pesticide applications. The Orchard is by far the largest expanse of Genesee Prairie that is in a relatively natural state, and because it has not been planted with species from exotic sources, the Orchard is the most likely land of the original Genesee Prairie to harbor significant locally adapted genotypes.

Scientific value of the Orchard: The entomological studies done on the Colony Orchard Farm came at substantial cost to the taxpayers of Michigan and constitute a 45 year-old baseline of data which can never be replaced and which should not be so casually dismissed. MSU scientists tried very hard to gain possession of the properties in 1973, claiming that research being done in the orchard and vineyard was critical to the future of agriculture in Michigan. These claims and the usefulness of an uninterrupted baseline of scientific data to entomologists, agronomists, environmental scientists and ecologists need to be assessed before the property is irrevocably disrupted by building.

Archeological Value of the Orchard: Based upon the archeological assessment presented in 2003 by the Department of Anthropology of WMU, the orchard is predominantly "an area of high sensitivity, with a high potential for subsurface archaeological remains". (Approximately the northern third and the southern third are high sensitivity areas and the central portion is listed as moderately sensitive). According to the survey; "The geographic and environmental characteristics of the areas surrounding the Preserve were attractive settlement locales that are likely to contain evidence of pre-contact, Native American activities in the form of artifacts and features (e.g., hearths, storage pits)". Certainly being within the Genesee Prairie, which had been maintained as a prairie by Native American controlled burning practices for milennia, and close to the lake would raise the issue of pre-settlement archeological sites and possible Native American burial sites with human remains. A thorough archeological survey would be required before any excavation for industrial development could even be contemplated.

The other significant historical connection would be Enoch Harris (1784-1870), an interesting early pioneer in Kalamazoo who knew Johny Appleseed and is said to have brought up plantings from Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and planted the first apple orchard in Kalamazoo. He was a mulatto about whose life little is known, whether he was an escaped slave or born free, involved in underground railway activity or not. There was, however, underground railway activity throughout southern Michigan and very well-documented as close by as Schoolcraft. The Harris family were the first African-American settlers in Kalamazoo and well positioned financially and socially to do what they wanted. Enoch Harris is buried in the Genesee Prairie Cemetery on Parkview. A thorough archeological investigation of the extended site should really precede any thoughts of construction.

Recreational value of the Orchard: The Colony Farm Orchard is furthermore important to the Kalamazoo/Oshtemo community as open space for dispersed recreation - not just today, but in anticipation of the needs of a growing population in a city where open space is already below projected future needs. There are plenty of other areas for industrial development, but contiguous areas are important for wildlife and plant distribution and irreplaceable once lost.

Legacy: The land was conveyed to WMU and its status as open space repeatedly defended by popular local senators Robert and Jack Welborn. This is their legacy. It is graceless and unbecoming of a civilized society to dishonor its former leaders and ancestors.

Summary: The Colony Farm Orchard as open space and as a biological preserve is irreplaceable. It appears to also have substantial scientific and archeological value, which must be more thoroughly assessed and not casually dismissed. In contrast, the economic value of the Orchard as industrial park can easily be met by many alternative locations already zoned for that use. Opting for the socially responsible alternative of redeveloping brown-fields is furthermore appropriate to the university's public mission, in the long-term interest of the greater community and will engender no conflict.

Because state universities are not subject to city laws or zoning restrictions, the current legislative deed restrictions are the strongest guarantee we have that the Colony Farm Orchard will remain in its intended and mutually agreed-upon status.

In my own letter to the KALAMAZOO GAZETTE, FEB. 7, 1995, on development of the BTR park on the Lee Baker Farm, I conclude that continued development of WMU properties, with massive loss of public open space, leads to "diminished quality of life, ruined habitat for animals, embittered citizens, and vexation of spirit through the community." --Tom Small

Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones (www.for-wild.org/chapters/kalamazoo)
2502 Waite Ave., Kalamazoo MI 49008
yard2prairy@aol.com

Here's a MESSAGE FROM FRIENDS OF THE EARTH:
The latest round of UN climate talks just wrapped up, at Bonn, Germany. The negotiations over the last two weeks were supposed to lay the groundwork for a strong, fair agreement to be signed in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

But we ran into a big obstacle: the Obama administration stood in the way. Call on the administration NOW to do better.

If you're like me, one of the things you celebrated last November was the end to eight years of go-it-alone policies from George Bush. The election was supposed to mean the U.S. would once again start playing a leadership role in forging consensus solutions to global problems.

But as countries met here this week, we saw something completely different. Instead of leading, the Obama administration's representatives sounded frighteningly similar to what we heard in previous years from the administration of George Bush.

The U.S. has responsibility as, historically, the world's largest greenhouse gas polluter to lead the way in solving the climate crisis. But our country's delegation, led by the State Department, failed to commit to its fair share of global pollution reductions, and failed to provide necessary support to less affluent countries as they address climate impacts and transition to cleaner economies.

Write to Secretary of State Clinton (foe.org) and demand leadership that produces a strong and fair agreement to solve the climate crisis.

Already, small island nations are disappearing as seas rise, and climate changes are causing crop failures all over the globe, making it harder for families to put food on the table. If we don't act quickly, impacts like these will only worsen.

There's still time to solve this problem. We can do it. But we need leadership from the United States, and we need it now, before it is too late for our planet and its people.

Please contact Secretary Clinton today (go to www.foe.org). Thanks for all you do to fight for the health of our planet.

Your ally, Karen Orenstein, Friends of the Earth www.foe.org

New Scientific Report Reinforces Urgency for Strong, Immediate Action on Climate Change
This week, the White House released a detailed scientific report forecasting "major disruptions" and devastating impacts of global warming in the United States if we don't take dramatic steps now to cut our global warming emissions.

"There are in some cases already serious consequences," says University of Maryland Professor Anthony Janetos, co-author of the report. "This is not a theoretical thing that will happen 50 years from now. Things are happening now."

According to Jane Lubchenko, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "This report . . . says unequivocally that climate change is happening now and it's happening in our own back yards and it affects the kind of things people care about."

The report, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, breaks down climate impacts region-by-region. In addition to the human toll, the report reinforces the dire threat American wildlife faces in a warming world.

The Northeast:

• Hartford and Philadelphia could average 30 days of 100+ temperatures per year while Boston could see more than 20 100-degree days per year;
• Native maple, beech, birch, spruce and fir forests could be almost entirely lost;
• The climate of New Hampshire could resemble the climate of North Carolina.

The Southeast:

• Much of Florida and southeast Texas could see more than 180 days in the 90s per year while other southeastern states could see more than 100 90-degree days per year;
• Spring and summer drought has already increased by 12 percent and 14 respectively over the last 30 years. The frequency, intensity and duration of droughts in the region are likely to
  increase;
• Sea level rise and stronger storm surges could inundate and
  ultimately flood coastal communities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

The Midwest:

• The climate of Michigan could resemble the climate of Oklahoma
  and the climate of Illinois could resemble the climate of Texas;
• Deadly heat waves like the one that killed more than 700 people in Chicago in 1995, will become more frequent. Under higher emission scenarios, Chicago could experience up to three such heat waves every year;
• Higher emissions scenarios would cause a water level drop of 1-2 feet in the Great Lakes, threatening shipping, infrastructure, beaches and ecosystems.

The Great Plains:

• Hotter, drier summers will threaten the already overused High Plains aquifer, which irrigates 13 million acres and provides water to 80% of the people in the region;
• Increased temperatures and higher carbon dioxide levels will threaten farming activities with more drought, pest infestations, and faster weed growth;
• Under higher emission scenarios, North and South Dakota, which currently see only a handful of 100-degree days, could see 50 or more days of 100+ temperatures per year.

The Southwest:

• Under higher emission scenarios, the southern half of Arizona, southeastern California and Las Vegas could see more than 120 days with 100+ temperatures;
• Most of the region could see precipitation levels decline by
  more than 40%, pushing already water-strained areas over the edge;
• Southwestern forests will be decimated with less water, more wildfires and more invasive pests. Under higher emissions scenarios, California's mountain forests could decline by 60-90%.

The Northwest:

• Mountain snowpack runoff, critical water needs, could run 20-40 days earlier, threatening water resources in summer months;
• Declining summer streamflows and warmer water temperatures could push salmon and other cold water fish species, already stressed by human activities, over the brink;
• 100-degree days are rare today in the Northwest. Under higher emission scenarios, much of the region could see 30-40 days of 110+ temperatures per year.

The foregoing information is from the Associated Press and from the Environmental Defense Fund. We urge you to take action through the web site of FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, which has a much stronger position than does EDF.

Issues: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Climate Legislation Moving Forward : Compromise Bill Needs to Be Strengthened Before Approval in the House
From the Newsletter of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, 5/19/2009

After weeks of negotiations, on May 15 the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced compromise legislation to address the urgent energy and climate issues facing the nation. The committee plans to complete work on the American Clean Energy & Security Act (H.R. 2454) before the end of the week and send the bill on to other committees before going to the House floor.

The Committee Chair Henry Waxman and Subcommittee Chair Ed Markey should be congratulated for their efforts at negotiating legislation that could garner enough votes to pass their committee. But the legislation as written includes compromises that threaten to undermine the primary goal -- to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Every member of the House should be urged to:

• Support climate legislation that results in quick, deep, and real cuts in greenhouse gas emissions: The American Clean Energy & Security Act calls for the United States to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 - a goal that falls far short of the recommendations of 25 to 40 percent cut made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) . Any climate change legislation should meet the standard set by the consensus of world scientists and articulated by the IPCC.
• Oppose exceptions that allow pollution to continue for a decade: The legislation includes multiple exceptions that will allow companies generating significant greenhouse gases to avoid deep reductions for over a decade. For example, the draft bill allows polluters to buy their way out of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing almost unlimited "offsets" for their pollution from other companies or countries. The United States should help affected individuals and industries transition away from producing greenhouse gases, but that help cannot delay the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. companies.
• Oppose giving away pollution allowances to industry: Rather than charging companies for the pollution they contribute to our environment, the bill gives over two-thirds of the emission allocations to industry for free and leaves 15 percent to be auctioned for direct consumer compensation. Government should auction, not give away, pollution allowances. Every allowance dollar that is given to polluters frees them to pollute more and takes those dollars away from families and investments in a clean economy.

To send a message to YOUR Congressional representative, go to http://action.fcnl.org/r/73750/30818/0 and click on the "Urge your representative" button.
     
  

   
WHO WE ARE:
Tom and Nancy Small, editors and principal writers for the West Michigan Climate Action Network, are retired Western Michigan University professors who have long been peace and environmental activists. They are the co-founders of the Kalamazoo Area Chapter of Wild Ones, a national organization dedicated to the preservation of native plants and other species and the restoration of native ecosystems and natural landscapes. They believe that nuclear weapons and climate change are the two most immediate threats to life on earth, but that species extinction and loss of biodiversity, stemming from multiple causes, are even greater long-range threats to civilization itself.

Ed Shankman, web person for West Michigan Climate Action Network, has been web person for Kalamazoo Earth Days and for various political and social-justice campaigns. He is the facilitator of Portage-Kalamazoo Freecycle, working to reducing waste and consumption by connecting individuals to gift usable items. "Changing the world one gift at a time."

The rest of the Climate Action Network is ALL OF YOU. Please take your place in this network by telling us what you're doing, and how we can help you.

We welcome your news, your suggestions, your comments.