Big Win for Nature in Scio Township The latest local victory in the struggle to curb sprawl through land preservation ballot initiatives came in the November election. The residents of Scio Township, just west of Ann Arbor, voted by a margin of over 3-to-1 to approve a ten-year millage that will raise $5.7 million to protect open space. This will allow the township to preserve over one thousand acres of natural areas as parks, and to use conservation easements to protect working farms. Half of Scio Township is within the City of Ann Arbor’s Greenbelt area, which was established when voters approved the Ann Arbor Parks and Greenbelt Proposal with a 68% “yes” vote in 2003. This means that Scio and Ann Arbor can collaborate to preserve land in the Scio segment of the Greenbelt area. “Scio residents now have a fighting chance to preserve the natural beauty that’s under attack from sprawl development,” said the Huron Valley Group’s co-chair Doug Cowherd. Cowherd was the co-director of the Parks and Greenbelt Proposal campaign in 2003. Last fall he worked on the Scio ballot proposal with a group of volunteers led by Township residents Leslie Desmond and Bruce Manny. Over the past six years, the Huron Valley Group has been instrumental in backing five winning ballot measures that will raise over $132 million to preserve an estimated 14,000 acres of natural areas and farmland. With five wins in a row, the future looks bright for preserving land at the ballot box. “We hope to help put land preservation initiatives on the ballot all over this area,” said Cowherd. “People should be able to decide for themselves if they want to preserve the natural character of their communities.” Learn more about the Ann Arbor Parks and Greenbelt proposal Photo by Tina Topalian
Last updated by Suzanne Brucker Heiney, January 2005.