Michigan is Cougar Country! A six-foot-tall sign with pictures of the big cats greeted me as I hurried into the Bengel Wildlife Center's stone and log great room for our annual membership meeting last week. Cougar protection hadn't figured into my plans for the coming year, but the sign did remind me that whatever our best plans are today, a year from now we'll be looking back on work we'd never anticipated. And I hoped we'd have the resources to meet the challenges.

Twelve months ago, when we met at this rustic retreat and education center to set the Michigan Environmental Council's budget and agenda for 2004, no one expected repeated trips to Escanaba would figure into our work plans. But fortunately, when multinational Kennecott Mining turned up to exploit the mineral wealth beneath some of our planet's most pristine streams, we had the expertise and resources to respond. Not a single negotiation was held without Brad Garmon or James Clift being there to assure environmental protections were imbedded in the legislation. While no one complained about this unexpected intrusion, it did mean we had to juggle other issues still too important to ignore.

Fortunately, the Granholm Administration is basically committed to protecting Michigan's natural resources; MEC is not being whipsawed as we were when Engler's DEQ chief delighted in springing new actions to eliminate protections for Michigan's land, water and air. Only once (when it filed a brief to support a stay on the Nestle water ruling) has the Granholm Administration short circuited the process with an unnecessary action antithetical to Michigan's environment. MEC's response to that was quick, very public and highly critical, resulting in the Administration better understanding the political costs of stiffing your friends.

Today we recognize that while the Governor's perspectives are not consistently the same as ours, we can count on her DEQ to give our views a fair hearing. And a range of other state departments-from DNR to Labor and Economic Growth-also have open doors and positive environmental programs.

However, even in Lansing's more earth-friendly political environment, MEC must be able to turn on a dime. Unfortunately, Washington's attacks on fundamental protections have taken up any slack we've enjoyed with the change in state administrations. Besides, even the best administrations or legislatures won't faithfully represent the public's environmental interests. That responsibility falls to individuals and advocacy organizations like MEC and our member groups. To successfully meet these responsibilities, MEC needs to be nimble and prepared for the unexpected. And that's a tough challenge when 85% of our budget comes from foundation grants obligating us to work on issues we had the prescience to anticipate as much as three years earlier.

Today, facing our 25th anniversary, it's time for MEC to grow up and recognize the need to rebalance our financial support. To meet the greater expectations we've set for ourselves and others have bestowed on us, we need greater flexibility that for us can only come from major donor participation.