Imagine this: A billboard appears in the historic section of your hometown. The insult to this precious place is met with outrage.

When, however, one more billboard is added to any other part of our hometown, we might be so desensitized by the 14,000 already lining Michigan's corridors that we don't bother to make a fuss.

Scenic Michigan still makes a fuss. If maintaining places worthy of our affection is worth our time, then Scenic Michigan's mission is your mission.

On April 22, the Michigan Senate focused its Earth Day spotlight on Scenic Michigan. Sen. Tom George (D-Kalamazoo) hailed the organization's work to restore and protect the natural beauty of Michigan by observing, "What better day than Earth Day to recognize the accomplishments of an organization dedicated to preserving and restoring the scenic beauty of Michigan."

Scenic Michigan, affiliated with Scenic America, is a charitable organization focused on preserving and enhancing the aesthetic character of Michigan's communities and corridors. It understands the need for tourist information, so it promotes the use of Logo Signs and Tourist Oriented Direction Signs (TODS). These signs are helpful as placed near highway exits without intrusive blight. Scenic Michigan also provides communities with tools to develop scenic roadsides, community identity and alternative highway design.

Communities interested in controlling billboards must be mindful of extensive regulations in this field. Billboard companies often try to hide intrusive signs behind First Amendment protections. To assist in cautiously navigating the treacherous regulatory terrain, Scenic Michigan, with a grant from the Frey Foundation, has arranged for a team of lawyers and planners to develop: Recommended Elements of a Sign Ordinance. This document is freely provided to municipalities.

Scenic Michigan also offers a Scenic Resource Inventory Guide to communities. With a grant, a cookbook on corridor protection was developed. More information on any Scenic Michigan document is available at http://www.scenicmichigan.org or by e-mail at: rick@scenicmichigan.org.

Tourism runs hand in hand with respect for the place. We can treat our motoring tourists with a trip through the Yellow Pages, or we can dignify their visit by demonstrating respect for them and for our land. The billboards lining Michigan's roadways intrude upon our landscape and devalue our greatest asset.

Alaska, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont are billboard free. They recognize the relationship between a land ethic and tourism. When Vermont banished billboards, tourism increased by 50%. Maintaining and enhancing the vistas, whether urban, rural or vacation land, is good business and a good long-term investment for Michigan.