In addition to casting votes for the presidency and a slew of federal, state and local offices, Michigan voters will be deciding the fate of two statewide proposals sent to the ballot by the state legislature.

Both Proposal 1 and Proposal 2 would change Michigan’s Constitution — one would change how Michigan’s Natural Resources Trust Fund works to allow for more flexibility on funding state and local park projects, and the other would define electronic data as private property, meaning state and local law enforcement would need a warrant before searching a person’s emails or phone records.

Lawmakers already voted these measures out of both chambers, but any changes to the Michigan Constitution must also be approved by voters.

Read on to learn more about both measures and what their passage would mean for the state.

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As absentee ballots are sent to voters this week, Vote Yes for MI Water, Wildlife and Parks, a bi-partisan coalition of land conservation, environmental, business and labor leaders, urges Michiganders to vote yes on Proposal 1.

Proposal 1 is a statewide ballot proposal that would update and expand the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) and the State Park Endowment Fund (SPEF) for land conservation and public recreation without raising taxes.

The expansive effort aims to educate voters on the work of the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and Michigan State Park Endowment Fund across the state and the importance of voting yes to protect our clean water sources, natural areas, and wildlife habitats.Read More…

This week the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance (MTGA) is celebrating Michigan Trails Week. We celebrate over 13,000 miles of state-designated trails because they improve the quality of our lives.

Over 3,000 miles of water trails and 2,600 miles of rail-trails connect us all, and that’s thanks in large part to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF). The MNRTF has invested over $245 million in our trails in all 83 counties.

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Under current law, there is a ceiling to how much funding the MNRTF can receive and it has reached its cap of $500 million. If approved by voters, Prop 2 would remove that cap.

A yes vote would also allow more flexibility in how the money is spent, with at least 25% of the trust fund set aside for parks and recreation areas and another 25% for land conservation, and guarantee the money for the future.

“I think a lot of park systems would breathe a little easier,” VanGinhoven said.

Statewide voters will also decide a second proposal, a constitutional amendment that would require a search warrant to access a person’s electronic data and communications.Read More…

I worry about the future of our country and our continent. I have been spending a fair amount of time in northeast Michigan, and its rural landscape reminds me of the two great threads of American history. On the one hand, we celebrate the individual, the homesteader, the backwoodsman who has claimed a piece of property and found their success. On the other hand, we cherish the village, the church, the school and the other expressions of community cooperation. Both are part of our character, both have shaped our politics, but in 2020 I worry that the differences between the two have become insurmountable.Read More…

MICHIGAN – A coalition of outdoor advocates, business leaders and labor across the partisan spectrum announced the launch of “Vote Yes for MI Water, Wildlife and Parks,” a campaign to encourage Michigan voters to vote yes on a 2020 ballot question that would update and expand the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) and State Park Endowment Fund (SPEF) for land conservation and support of public recreation.

The expansive effort aims to educate voters on the work of the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and Michigan State Park Endowment Fund across the state and the importance of voting yes to protect our clean water sources, natural areas, and wildlife habitats.Read More…

This November, voters in Michigan will be deciding whether or not to update and expand the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund (MNRTF). The fund was created and written into the Michigan Constitution in 1976; helping cities, townships and the state buy and develop public land. Clay Summers, executive director of the Michigan Recreation & Park Association says MNRTF helped…Read More…

The trust fund was established in 1976 and is funded by revenue from oil, gas and mineral lease royalties, not taxpayer dollars.

Now, the Riverfront Conservancy is pushing to have more of the funds go towards outdoor recreation.

“So there’s a statewide ballot proposal that will be voted on November 3rd during the general election and that’s vote yes for Michigan water,” Wallace said. “What it does, it allows for a change to the funding formula. It doesn’t raise tax but it increases the royalties taken from oil and gas industry members.”Read More…

A campaign to amend the state Constitution has attracted a coalition of hunters, fishers, environmentalists, businesses and unions. The group calls the campaign “Vote Yes For Michigan Water, Wildlife, and Parks.” The proposed amendment, the Michigan Use of State and Local Park Funds Amendment, will be on the November ballot. In 2018, the Legislature voted for…Read More…

A ballot initiative, asking voters to approve more flexible spending of environmental funding for improving parks, will be on the Nov. 3 General Election ballot.

A group of advocates and business leaders launched a campaign Monday to inform Michigan voters about the initiative, which would impact Michigan’s Natural Resources Trust Fund and the State Park Endowment Fund. Created in 1976, the Natural Resources Trust Fund has helped communities across the state buy land and develop existing parks for decades.

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