Michigan Environmental Council

Michigan
Environmental Report

Volume 22 . Number 6
December 2004

PURPOSE
Founded in 1980, MEC is a coalition of over 60 environmental, public health, and faith-based organizations with nearly 200,000 individual members. For over 20 years, MEC has provided a voice at the State Capitol. In addition to serving as a clearinghouse of environmental information, MEC develops public policy, educates elected officials and the public, and provides training and support to member organizations.

SUBSCRIBE

OFFICERS

Chairperson
Chris Graham,
Michigan Natural Areas Council

Vice Chair
Vicki Levengood,
National Environmental Trust

Vice Chair
Terry Miller,
Lone Tree Council

Treasurer
Tom Leonard,
West Michigan Environmental Action Council

Secretary
Brian Imus,
PIRGIM

MEC STAFF

President
Lana Pollack

Policy Director
James Clift

Associate Director
Patrick Diehl

Land Programs Director
Conan Smith

Special Projects Coodinator
Brad Garmon

Office Manager
Judy Bearup

Member Services Director
Michele Scarborough

Policy Specialist
David Gard

Policy Advisor
Dave Dempsey

Environmental Campaign Coordinator
Wendi Tilden

ECCO Field Director
Stephanie Anderson

Land Programs Assistant
Ben Stupka

MER Design & Layout
Rose Homa

Tribes gather at the Soo
to oppose Annex 2001

It was called "historic" as over 150 representatives of Tribes from the United States and Canadian First Nations gathered in Sault Ste. Marie on November 22 and 23. They came from as far as the Arctic because of the importance of protecting the Great Lakes Basin waters. They spoke in their own language as they thanked Grandmother Earth and Grandfather Sky for the bounty of their gifts. They offered traditional blessings for their bounty.

The First Annual Indigenous Great Lakes Basin Water Meeting was called by Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians' chairman Frank Ettawageshik. It was called in reaction to release of the 1985 Great Lakes Charter, Annex 2001, Interstate Compact and International Agreement, draft implementation documents. Tribal and First Nations governments were left out of the process until documents were issued for public comments. The participants discussed the flaws in the process that resulted in flawed documents, documents that fail to protect the waters from diversion.

Meeting attendees endorsed the Tribal and First Nations Great Lakes Water Accord, in which they insist that no plan to protect and preserve the Great Lakes waters move ahead without their equal and highest level of participation. In return, they pledged to share in the rights and responsibilities, and in the interests and concerns, of the Great Lakes waters; and to work together with each other and with other governments in the basin to secure the water's healthy future.

The importance of water transcends the time that current political boundaries were drawn. Tribal peoples' ancestors passed down their traditional teachings about how their spiritual and cultural connections to Mother Earth are through the women that protect her water. They teach that the water is a treasured gift to be passed down to children of the next seven generations.

The Tribes and First Nations observed that the states and provinces involved in the agreements fail to recognize that Tribes and First Nations are not political subdivisions of the states or provinces. These governments also fail to recognize that the water of the Great Lakes Basin knows no state or provincial political boundaries, and that agreements entered into by some governments, rather than all governments, afford the waters no protection at all.

The Tribes and First Nations concluded the meeting by insisting on fully protecting the waters. They insisted on involvement as equal governments in protecting the waters. And finally, they insisted that no governor or premier sign onto an agreement that excludes Tribal and First Nation governments.