by Bob Frye, President, Michigan Waterfront Alliance
Legal Aspects of the Public Trust Doctrine as it Pertains to Michigan’s Lakes and Streams
Conference attendees will be apprised of their legal rights under the Michigan Environmental Protection Act and Public Trust Doctrine by noted attorney-at-law Bill Carey of the firm Carey & Jaskowski PLLC and Dane Carey of the Law firm of Kuhn Rogers PLC.
This session is intended to provide an overview of the legal remedies that can be used to compel a response to the misuse of water rights in the State of Michigan. An example being the Nestle water withdraws in the Reed City area. The discussion will focus on the viability of bringing a legal action against the abusers of water rights to pre-vent the resulting environmental impairment.
An Update on Critical Aspects of the Forty Year Starry Stonewort Bio-Invasion
Workshop attendees will receive an overview of the natural history, biology, morphology, reproductive capacity, the eco-physiological prerequisites of starry stonewort as well as a review of the number and distribution of inland lakes and other water bodies in Michigan that have been invaded by starry stonewort. The three hour session will also feature presentations regarding on-going efforts to develop bio-chemical means of effectively controlling the highly invasive macro-alga species, in addition to a presentation by the manager of the Finger Lakes Institute Starry Stonewort Collaborative, an EPA funded project intended to assist water resource managers and aquatic biologists in the Great Lakes region in developing exotic invasive starry stonewort specific management strategies.