Group members say the campaign was launched in response to rising concerns in Michigan over the loss of open space to strip malls, suburban subdivisions and other types of development. In the last decade, the group said, Michigan has lost over a million acres of farmland, wetlands, and natural areas to sprawl, and is on track to lose another million acres over the next 10 years.
"We know the public wants to protect our open spaces, and this summer, we're helping to make their voice heard," says Annie Pilbeam, a campaign coordinator.
Every hour, the state loses about 10 acres of open space to new developments, leading to more traffic, more infrastructure, and more pollution running into streams, rivers, and lakes, said the group, quoting a recent study that found that urban storm water runoff is the leading cause of water pollution in the metropolitan Detroit area.
In neighborhoods throughout Rochester, the activists will ask for support by asking the public to sign petitions, call their representatives in Lansing and to join the group.
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