A Bi-Weekly Publication Friday December 19, 2003

				Dear Wetlands Advocate, Happy Holidays! We hope this e-newsletter continues to be a valuable resource for Michigan's wetland advocates. Please forward this on to those you think would be interested. If you would like to be added to or unsubscribed from this list, please email Chris Grubb. SILVER LINING? In the last MWAC e-newsletter, we hailed Judge Root's decision in the Nestle/Ice Mountain case, in part because of his understanding of the connection between this particular groundwater withdrawal and wetland impacts. This week the DEQ, along with the Department of Labor and Economic Growth, asked the Attorney General to file an amicus brief with the Michigan Court of Appeals requesting a partial and conditional stay of the Mecosta Circuit Court decision ordering Nestle/Ice Mountain to stop pumping water from the "Santuary Site." The Court of Appeals granted Nestle an emergency appeal that allows the company to continue pumping. Although the environmental community is very dissapointed in the administration's decision to file an amicus to support the stay, this action may actually create a golden opportunity to implement comprehensive water use protections. In the official press release, the Governor has expressed a commitment to developing comprehensive water use legislation. Wetland advocates need to ensure that Granholm delivers on this promise and be at the table and behind the scenes during this process. We will keep you up to date as the process, content, and players develop. DEQ's Press Release on the amicus brief Environmental Groups Joint Response BUSH BALKS ON GUTTING CLEAN WATER ACT In a victory for wetlands across the nation, newly appointed EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt anounced that the Bush administration has abandoned plans for regulatory changes that would have removed protections for millions of acres of wetlands. Michigan's wetland advocates should be proud of their tireless efforts to oppose these changes. But there is a need to step up to the plate once again to encourage EPA and the Corps to withdraw the directive that was issued to their staffs along with the proposed regulatory changes in January. If allowed to stand, those directives could result in removing protection from an estimated 20 million acres of wetlands. Please visit the MWAC Action Alerts page to find out more. REQUEST FOR GREAT LAKES ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION STORIES Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council has joined a coalition of environmental and conservation organizations dedicated to restoring the Great Lakes Ecosystem. To support these efforts, Tip of the Mitt will publish a “Great Lakes Restoration Success Stories” document in the spring of 2004. This publication will feature success stories from a variety of ecosystem restoration projects including contaminated sediment cleanup and streambank, shoreline and wetland restoration. Celebrate your success! If you have been involved in an ecosystem restoration project in the Great Lakes Basin, we would like to hear from you. Please visit the MWAC Website, download the Request for Restoration Success Story Ideas document, fill it out and email back to chrisgrubb@watershedcouncil.org.			Website Input Needed The MWAC website is in need of your help! We could use the expert input of Michigan's wetland advocates to help us build a more effective website. Please take some time over the holidays checking out the site, and email your thoughts about content or form to Chris Grubb. Thanks Midwestern Ephemeral Wetlands – A Vanishing Habitat This publication, produced by The Conservation Foundation, provides an excellent overview of ephemeral wetlands in the Midwestern United States. From the changes that occur through the seasons and the importance of protecting surrounding upland habitat to reasons for concern and things you can do to protect ephemeral wetlands, the publication is packed full of useful information. Check out this publication online
	Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council 426 Bay Street , Petoskey, Michigan 49770 Phone: (231) 347-1181 x 118 Fax: (231) 347-5928 Email: chrisgrubb@watershedcouncil.org Web: http://www.michiganwetlands.org