Common Groundwater
Michigan is defined by the Great Lakes that surround it. But there's a so-called sixth lake that’s critical to our state, too: our groundwater. It flows deeply through every community and to every corner of our peninsulas. Yet, we have so much more to learn about this natural feature.
Like groundwater, this podcast shows environmental issues felt deeply, widely and personally across the state. It tells stories around those issues and the solutions to them. It goes beyond the headlines to bring listeners and viewers something grand yet personal to us all.
Common Groundwater
Where Are We Now? - Gears in the Sand
Last year, dozens of folks came to Saugatuck to hear the plans of legislators to restore protections for dunes and their neighboring communities against destructive, risky development.
Michigan's globally unique dunes are nearly universally loved. So was that love met with new laws? Can consensus be found? Our Michigan Environmental Council teammate Emily Smith has more.
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Common Groundwater is hosted by the Michigan Environmental Council and Beau Brockett Jr.
Our music is "The Four Seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi, arranged by Derek Zhang and performed by Jackson resident Taj Wallace.
Our series is sponsored by Kalsec, a global ingredient company headquartered in Kalamazoo that meets the highest recognized social and environmental standards through its B Corps certification.
The Common Groundwater Podcast is brought to you by Kalsec, an international company headquartered in Kalamazoo that provides expertly crafted ingredients that help food and beverages look better, taste better, and last longer, all naturally. Kalsec has set aggressive goals to send zero waste to landfills by 2030 and to create net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. You can learn more at kalsec.com Hey folks, you are tuning into Common Groundwater, a podcast by the Michigan Environmental Council, where we talk about issues of the environment that are felt widely And deeply across the state. We tell stories around them, and in the case of today's episode, we talk about solutions or maybe Lack thereof to them. Joining me today is Emily Smith, a familiar face in the podcast. Emily, you work in land and conservation and water management and protection here at the Environmental Council. Great to have you back.
Emily Smith:Thank you. Glad to be back.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yeah. Thank you. I wish we had better circumstances today to go over some things. But you joined us a few months ago. We talked. We were actually very excited at the time because legislation had just been introduced to help better protect dunes while also still making sure that duneside communities were preserving like their integrity and their image in many ways and today we'll be doing an update on that.
Emily Smith:Yeah.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Before we begin as we start all podcast episodes, we got to have a fun, related question to the topic at hand. Mine for you was about the lakes of Michigan and beaches I feel like Michiganders always have one lake that they're, they'll strongly defend. Do you have a lake and a beach that, that you're all, ramped up or amped up about?
Emily Smith:I gave it lots of thought.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Okay.
Emily Smith:And honestly, it's impossible. Yeah. I, would have to preface that I've only been to three of the five great lakes. I haven't been to Erie or Ontario. and maybe also. I've never been to a bad beach on Lake Michigan. Yeah, maybe that's what I'll go with.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Honestly, that's a great argument in defense of Lake Michigan itself. There's no bad beaches out there. Yeah, I'd have to, yeah. That is true, I've never come across a bad beach on that lake. I think I might have mentioned this in a past podcast, but. I grew up near Lake Huron. I went to it a lot, so I always feel the need to defend it. My favorite beach though might get me fired from the Environmental Council because it's actually in Canada. My family vacations over, used to vacation over there every year. We just go 30 minutes to the Blue Water Bridge and then drive a little bit farther to the beach. And on that side of Lake Huron, it's all sandy. So it's like a really nice beach, lots of nostalgia.
Emily Smith:Yeah, your quintessential beach.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yes, yeah, yes. My backup beach might be somewhere like up in the Thumb though because we'd also sometimes take a day trip up to the thumb and go on a beach there. So yeah,
Emily Smith:I took lots of family vacations on Lake Huron as well we have a family cabin in Black River
Beau Brockett Jr.:Oh, okay. Gotcha. And that's Northern Michigan on the east side?
Emily Smith:Okay. Yeah. It was just south of Alpena.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Oh, very cool. Okay. So, we have at least a Lake Huron supporter next to me.
Emily Smith:Yes.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Very nice. I can't deny, though, that Lake Michigan really is great for vacationing. To get more serious, As you mentioned at the top of this episode, when we last spoke a few months ago, we had some really great legislation introduced, as a way to help protect Michigan's dunes. They're globally unique, very beloved. could you give us a bit of an, just like a quick recap of sorts as to what this legislation, was and why we were so excited about it?
Emily Smith:Yeah. We had introduced House Bill 6165— so that's 6165 of 2024— to protect, critical dunes. So that bill would have restored some of the lost protections, that were gutted back in 2012 would have implemented some common sense construction guidelines, would have had better guidance, to protect homes on the lake shores and, also to protect our globally unique and rare dunes themselves. We also had mining legislation in the works, to better define what mining is, to protect the dunes from, dangerous destruction and mining operations of sand mining in the areas.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Gotcha. And the thought being with both those pieces is, if development gets too rampant or too destructive, that's obviously really bad for dunes, which are fragile and need to move, things of that nature.
Emily Smith:Yeah. Yeah. They are ever changing. And so just to have basic guidelines there and how to develop in the area, but also we're not to develop in the area.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yes. Yeah. Cause we've seen those pictures and stories of, as we talked about, I think in our last episode, of homes getting swept up by dunes or by waves, if there's erosion,
Emily Smith:A whole town.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yeah. Yeah. again, it's been a few months since we last spoke about this legislation. We were really excited at the time. Yeah. Could you give us an update as to where things are now in early 2025 with that progress?
Emily Smith:Yeah, so we had a very lackluster lame duck last session. not much moved through the legislature on, anything. Elections came and went. We now have an entirely new, structure for the house. we no longer have the trifecta that we had last session and so now we're just need to reach across the aisle a little bit more to get things introduced and get things done.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yeah, I feel like that has been the common refrain as we've done these sorts of like"where are we now" episodes of the podcast We had great legislation introduced that, like the public, I would say, would largely love. People love dunes in this case. And we had legislators who are all for getting that legislation through, but politicking ultimately, took precedence these past few months. Which I think is a shame. I was thinking before this podcast, was filmed, I was thinking about how, dunes are in largely in conservative leaning areas of the state of Michigan, up and down the west coast and in the UP. And the people from all over, including liberal leaning areas are going to these places. So the really, even from a political level, you would think there'd be a lot of love for them.
Emily Smith:Yeah. And also, on, on the politicking front, one of our bill sponsors is no longer in the Legislature and, part of our hurdle then is to look for new sponsors for the bills.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yeah, okay. So that maybe sets us up really well for the next question I had, which is where do we go from here? It sounds like there's still, some hope then that we can get similar legislation introduced despite the House and the Senate of Michigan being split by party.
Emily Smith:Yeah, we really have to focus on shared values. As you said, there's, a lot of love for the dunes, and the coastal communities that they affect and that they're in, and not just for the legislators or the communities on the lake shore. There's lots of fun stories from, many legislators or people, from all across the state. they go and travel there. They've got stories like we shared of how we visit. and so just educating on our globally rare and unique, critical dune areas, I think will help, build momentum in getting different sponsors and getting the legislation introduced.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yeah. I like that. A great way to think going ahead, and correct me if I'm wrong too, this is just coming from a communications person. But I feel like. in these past few months or so that like land protection really has taken a forefront, whether that's like from a, very concerned, legitimate standpoint or maybe one that's sometimes a little bit more misinformed, but if you think about like mining issues, we had a big mining project that was right along Lake Superior get shot down. We've had, just recently, like lots of concerns around like solar development and where that's placed on land. anyway, I only mentioned that to say that it seems like people have land protection on the forefront of their minds collectively here, and hopefully that bodes well for mines... Or not for mining, I'm sorry. For dunes.
Emily Smith:I agree.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yeah. Of course, Emily, you work on more than just dunes legislation. You're working on other issues of water and of land. Are there any other priorities that you or that other, folks in the movement are particularly excited about, for this next year or two?
Emily Smith:Yeah, I think, personally some projects that I'm working on right now that of course it can change as the legislature ramps up and issues that you know, it looks like that they want to focus on. But for now, we are focusing on pollinator habitats and protections for pollinators, which includes regulation of certain pesticides that are really harmful, not just to these pollinators, but also to humans. We're finding that they're in our water supply, that they're in our bloodstreams, and, it's just not, a very healthy environment or, anything of the sort. So we're, focusing on, on that, on pollinators, and also, protecting fragile ecosystems. So one project is to protect the Jordan River Valley, from ORV use in certain areas.
Beau Brockett Jr.:That's off road vehicles?
Emily Smith:Yep.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Gotcha. Okay. Very interesting. I didn't know about that. That's a new one for me, even as a staff member with you. Very cool.
Emily Smith:Yeah.
Beau Brockett Jr.:So a little bit of the sort of statewide settings but then also like getting into some more localized areas whether it be dunes or with the Jordan Valley.
Emily Smith:Yeah. Yeah,
Beau Brockett Jr.:I like That's great. with that, Emily, anything else that you want to share for the better of the, podcast?
Emily Smith:I don't think so. Yeah. Just a little update and yeah, things that we're looking ahead.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yeah. I appreciate not, not only you taking your time, but also, giving us an update, one that like. obviously stinks to have to share and I think"stinks" is like a euphemistic word. I think we are very thoroughly upset about how the past, late 2024 went, but, I am glad that we have a new game plan in place and not just us, but other folks fighting for the cause too,
Emily Smith:Yeah, we definitely had to regroup.
Beau Brockett Jr.:Yeah, with that, thanks again. thank you to our sponsor, Kalsec. for sponsoring us this past year. Kalsec is a spice company based in Kalamazoo. That, is grounded in sustainability principles through its B Corporation status. So lots of love to them. And then finally, thank you to the audience members for sticking with us, not only through the dune series but other topics that we've covered over this past year or so. I'm really excited to be able to share some new updates to the podcast starting with our next episode. So stay tuned, for that. And, we'll see you soon. Thanks.
