LANSING – State Representative Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) today commended the Saginaw Bay Coastal Initiative for its achievements during its first year and urged all Thumb residents to support the group's goal of improving the Saginaw Bay area's natural and economic environment.
"The Saginaw Bay Coastal Initiative is working hard to protect the health of our shoreline and the massive tourism income that relies on it," said Brown, who is a member of the House Tourism Promotion Subcommittee. "The initiative is seeking solutions to important problems such as the algae and muck that have been plaguing our shores for so long. This type of collaboration is essential as we fight to protect our Great Lakes while also creating more jobs for our workers and attracting more investment to our communities."
The Saginaw Bay Coastal Initiative was formed last year to bring together citizens, local government officials, and regional, state and federal agencies, including the state Department of Environmental Quality. Its purpose is to support innovative approaches for expanding tourism and economic development while restoring natural resources and improving the ecology of SaginawBay.
Brown said monitoring the quality of the water remains a top priority because of the implications for residents' health. He worked with the DEQ earlier this year to obtain $10,000 from the state to test the shallow waters at public beaches in Huron and Tuscola counties for E. coli. The DEQ normally provides funding only for communities to test waters at a minimum depth of three feet.
"We all have to work together to make Saginaw Bay cleaner and healthier," said Brown, who pointed out that the bay is Michigan's largest watershed. "As much as we want to attract more visitors, we also want to make sure that our own residents can swim safely in the water and enjoy a beautiful shoreline."