Hot Issues Updated on February 10, 2007

First, make sure you register to vote.

Land Use Planning

Attend your local Planning Commission, Township Board or City Council meeting.  On the way in, get an agenda (usually in a rack just inside the door).  Speak during "Call to the Public" or just sit and listen.  (This writer found that after sitting through three meetings quietly, I can no longer sit through a meeting without commenting on something.)

Critical mass:  just one environmentalist attending just some of the meetings provides education for some of our public officials, and political cover for others ("I am just doing what our residents want").  Many of our boards have gone green in the last few years.  But some are teetering on the edge, and can use some backbone.  And education is an ongoing process for all of us!

Meeting schedules are usually taped to the door of your Township or City Hall.  Links to your local governments may be listed here or here.

Contact your Legislators

There are plenty of special interests out there contacting our elected officials.  Might as well hear from us interested in preserving and protecting the environment, too.  Here are some links to get you started.  Some issues that we are following are listed on our Conservation page.  And remember to Think Globally, Act Locally.
cities and townships
State Rep. District 47 Joe Hune, or 66 Chris Ward (he reads and answers his email personally!)
State Senator (most of us have Valde Garcia)
Governor Jennifer Granholm
Sierra Club (State) District Watchdog program
Rep. Mike Rogers
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Carl Levin
President George W. Bush
Vice-president Richard Cheney
Sierra Club (National) Activist
Sierra Club (National) Politics

Contact Your Papers

Decide on a topic, and set pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).  It is surprising how many people read the Letters to the Editor every day.

Letters should be 200 words or less.  The paper may edit for brevity or clarity.  All writers must provide full name, full home address and day and evening telephone numbers.  For email submissions, put the letter in text of the email, not an attachment.  This writer writes in my favorite word-processor, spell-checks, then Select-All/Copy Ctrl-A Ctrl-C and Paste into my email Ctrl-V.

• Letters to Editor of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus 
                                                                         323 E. Grand River, PO Box 230
                                                                         Howell MI 48843, 517-548-2000.
• Letters to Editor of the Milford Times            405 S. Main, Milford MI 48381
                                                                         248-685-1509, fax 517-223-4177.
• Letters to Editor of the South Lyon Herald   101 N. Lafayette, South Lyon MI 48178
                                                                         248-437-2011,  fax 248-437-3386.
• Letters to Editor of the Novi News                104 W. Main, Northville MI 48167
                                                                         248-349-1700.
• Letters to Editor of the Northville Record     104 W. Main, Northville MI 48167
                                                                         248-349-1700.
• Letters to Editor or here of the Livingston Community News (Ann Arbor News)
                                                                         420 W. Main St., Brighton MI 48116
                                                                         810-844-2000, fax 810-844-2040.
• News Director of WHMI radio.
• The Oakland Press                                        48 W. Huron St., Pontiac MI
                                                                         248-332-8181, fax 248-332-8885.
• Letters to Editor of the Detroit News—Livingston County Edition
                                                                         615 W. Lafayette, Detroit MI 48226.
• Letters to Editor of the Detroit Free Press    600 W. Fort St., Detroit MI 48226.

If your letter is published, please email Melissa Damaschke and this Webmaster, so you can be recognized in the Bec 'n Call email newsletter, and our Conservation page.

Find other ways you can get involved to help protect the environment by contacting Sue Kelly 810.227.9563.  Other helps to get started are here and here.