Interlochen Public Radio have posted a nice article along with audio of a hot topic among farmers in the Traverse City - Leelanau area dealing with leasing of mineral rights. The full article and audio can be found on their website here: A Drilling Boom: Saving Farms, Or Contaminating? . They have interviewed several Leelanau County property owners and explain the debate over the future of natural gas in our area.
-Jonathan Oltersdorf
The first draft on the 'Final Vision' is now available to the public. The draft is based on Grand Vision workshops and surveys on future growth of our region that attracted close to 15,000 participants. You can view the presentation prior to the Leelanau County planning commission meeting on Tuesday, February 24, at 7:00 PM at the Leelanau County Government Center.
Photo Credit : The Grand VisionThe Grand Vision is a $1.3 Million study to develop a growth plan for the future of our region consisting of Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Wexford counties. The study has been ongoing for over 2 years, and the results are due to come out within the next month. You can view the extensive Grand Vision website by going to the link at the bottom of this post. Their site has tons of information and data and I have linked to a video below describing the process. I will post an entry on the results as soon as they become available.
“Our region has experienced an explosive 26% growth from 1990-2000, and it is anticipated that we will double today's population within 40 years - making this the fastest growing region in the entire Midwest. Experts analyzing volumes of public input from the recent Grand Vision Decision have identified key trends and areas of consensus emerging. The results are based on a preliminary analysis of more than 12,000 Grand Vision scorecards that were submitted by people in the six-county region. Almost one in 10 people across the six-county region took the time to share their ideas and priorities for shaping the future of the area”
Source: http://www.thegrandvision.org/