The Most Important Election You Haven’t Heard About, Or, an Honest-to -Goodness Chance to Actually Vote for the Environment

If you care about the environment and live in Van Buren County, the most important election this year is not in November. Instead, on Tuesday, August 2^nd, voters in Van Buren County will get a unique opportunity to vote for their local environment. On the ballot that day is a small millage request by the Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD). Normally, a millage request might not get nature lovers very excited but this one is different because it is absolutely the best chance environmentalists have had in a long time to maximize their bang-for-the-buck at the local level.

Recently, the Board of Directors of Two Rivers Coalition (TRC) voted to endorse the millage request by the VBCD. Some people might wonder why a local environmental group focused on water quality is taking this action. The answer is actually very simple. Even though we live in a representative democracy, when was the last time any of us actually had the opportunity to vote on an environmental proposal?  Maybe it was the bottle ban bill back in the 1970’s. For environmentalists, the only vote we usually get to cast is between the lesser of two evils, in the forlorn hope that the victorious candidate might vote the way we want if an environmental issue arises. All too often, when an issue of clean water or clean air does come up, all we can do is contact our legislators and remind them that the environment matters. That is what is so amazing about the upcoming election in Van Buren County on Tuesday, August 2^nd; voters in this county will actually get the chance to vote on something that should have a real and immediate impact on our local land, air and water resources.

For many years, Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD) has been at the forefront of conservation efforts here in the county to protect our environment and help create a more sustainable agriculture. The programs that VBCD is involved in are too numerous to list completely but include:

• Household hazardous waste collection/recycling
• Education about agricultural best management practice,  such as no-till, cover crops, and buffer strips
• MI Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP)
• Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program
• Road Culvert/Stream Crossing Survey Program
• Invasive Species Awareness and Control
• Inland Lake Protection
• River Rescue-River/Stream Trash Clean-up

TRC has partnered with VBCD on some of these programs and provided volunteers for the River Rescue, Stream Monitoring and Stream Crossing Survey programs. Therefore, TRC has experienced firsthand the expertise, professionalism, and dedication of the VBCD staff. It is not an overstatement to say that every resident of the county has benefitted in some way from these conservation programs.  But did you know that we don’t actually pay for the vast majority of these programs and services? Except for the hazardous waste collection/recycling program, VBCD has struggled for years to run all the other programs (and several more) without being supported by local tax dollars. For far too long, VBCD has been forced to rely on grants from private, state, and federal sources to fund these programs. The bad thing about grants is that they are not permanent; most only last 2 to 3 years then they are gone. When the grant runs out or a particular government program ends, VBCD staff and programs are in jeopardy. Just a few years ago, VBCD lost an employee when a state program suddenly ceased being funded. This means that the employees of VBCD not only have to do the conservation work we depend on them for, but are also constantly searching for new grants to replace the ones about to run out. Look at it another way; instead of being able to deliver the environmental programs and services that are most needed here in our county, VBCD is limited to whatever grant programs are available coming out of Lansing or Washington, D.C..  What is even worse is that several current grants on which VBCD relies are in their final stages, which means some programs and staff members will be terminated if new funding is not secured. Wouldn’t it be much better to have a stable source of funding for our pre-eminent local environmental agency so it could focus on local problems and protecting the natural resources we have here in our county?

 Sure, you say, but what is that going to cost?  Surprisingly, providing all the above listed programs and services, plus several new ones, would cost less than six dollars per year on average. Yes, you heard me correctly, about the price of a McDonald’s Big Mac and fries, or a Double Latte at Starbucks. VBCD is requesting a millage authorization of only one tenth of one mill. This means that for a residential property with an assessed value of $59,060 (which is the county average in 2015), the tax would be about $5.90 per year. Remember, assessed value is usually one half of market value. While no one likes taxes, we can all agree that some things are important and worth paying for. Schools, libraries, firetrucks, roads and bridges quickly come to mind. But what would you pay for clean water? How about a pristine environment where hazardous waste was cleaned up and properly disposed of?  What would you pay to preserve the beauty and natural character of rural Southwest Michigan? I am willing to bet that each and every one of you would gladly give up one Big Mac a year to make our environment a better place to live and raise a family.

 If you agree with this analysis, then first you need to make sure you are registered to vote. Do it immediately, there is a deadline of 30 days before the election. Then, make sure that you, your environmentalist friends and family members, all get to your local polling place on Tuesday August 2^nd to make this millage request happen. Remember, this may be the only opportunity you have for a long, long time to actually cast a vote for the environment, so you need to make this one count.

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