A retired Grand Haven man who fought tirelessly for a ban on oil and gas drilling under the Lakes passed away August 23.
Paul Parks, an active member of the Lake Michigan Federation and a retired engineer, was 84.

Paul first came to the attention of MEC when he contacted us to urge our opposition to the Engler Administration's proposed leasing of oil and gas drilling rights under the Great Lakes. "Are they out of their minds?" he asked in one conversation. "We shouldn't tamper with the Great Lakes for any reason." Partially at Paul's prompting, MEC joined the fight to stop oil drilling under the Great Lakes.

Paul went into action on other fronts. He called state legislators, asked the Grand Haven City Council to pass a resolution supporting a ban and publicized the dangers that drilling would pose to the shoreline. He was tireless in his advocacy, phoning, speaking at public meetings and using e-mail to communicate his strong opposition to putting the Great Lakes at risk.

"We've got to protect our Great Lakes," Parks told the City Council in 2001. "The Great Lakes are our greatest asset, besides the fact they keep us all alive with drinking water. Are a few drops of oil worth more than the Great Lakes are worth to us?"

In April 2002, over the objections of former Governor Engler, the Legislature enacted a ban on leasing oil and gas rights under the Great Lakes.

Parks' love of the lakes reached back to childhood. His family owned a cottage in the Lake Michigan dunes at Grand Haven.

Born in Chicago in 1919, Paul received a mechanical engineering degree after attending the University of Michigan and MSU. He was a sail and power boater and a past commander of the Grand Rapids Power Squadron, an avid fan of big band jazz and a strong supporter of the Chicago Cubs and Green Bay Packers as well as the University of Michigan.

His family described Paul as a "tireless advocate for public education and for liberal political, social and environmental causes." He was an active member of the Lake Michigan Federation, an MEC member group.

Said Tanya Cabala, director of the Michigan office of the Lake Michigan Federation: "Paul loved Lake Michigan and did what he could to protect it. He was a model citizen activist-he followed his convictions and never gave up. The answer to the question of how to protect our beloved Great Lakes is simple. More people like Paul."
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