Governance
Governance and Administration
One of the key components of sustainable land use planning is the area of governance.
How shall the Four Parks be governed?
This is a big topic, and my background is real estate, not politics and administration. But here are my ideas:
First there should be a guiding motto for the Four Parks. May I suggest “Preserve, Protect, Love” or less suggestive of the police, “Care for, love, respect” or “Preserve, Respect, Cherish”.
With this motto as a guide, a unique charter or contract or agreement will be agreed upon by the Upper Peninsula and the Michigan Legislature. This charter must be hammered out by the Yoopers and the Legislature–it must contain the ground rules, the foundational precepts of the Four Parks.
Importantly and perhaps uniquely, this document will grant governance of state land largely to the people amid whom it is located. Given past history, this must be done to give the Yoopers a sense of ownership, which will encourage the local caring, respect, and love so crucial to sustaining these precious legacies.
The charter will spell out that this is undeveloped recreational land in perpetuity, and all rights therein are held in perpetuity: mineral, water, timber, road-building, etc. Any non-recreational uses will be dealt with here, I assume. The use of state agencies must be decided upon. Some, I believe will naturally be present, such as for fire prevention or spraying for insects.
This charter will grant control of the Four Parks to an elected Board of Directors. Most of these directors shall be elected by the people of the Upper Peninsula, although a few will be appointed by the Governor or Legislature.
Each of the Four Parks will have its own governing council, much like a zoning board or city council. Anyone may bring up an issue at regularly scheduled, public meetings.Each park will individually decide on recreational uses: snowmobile trails, ATVs, wilderness camping, berry picking, etc. Will there be a certain portion of Four Parks set aside as wilderness as opposed to recreational land, as opposed to timber harvest?
The charter will allow flexibility within its parameters, much like the US Constitution. Judicial authority will remain as is.
This is admittedly a rough picture of governance, but I believe the details can be worked out with experts lending their aid, and always with the guiding motto held in mind.