Should We Want What We Get,
or Get What We Want?
Most of us are in it for the
long haul. We bought our homes/property on Woodland Lake to enjoy lake
living: the boating, swimming, fishing, water skiing, snowmobiling, etc. We
chose not to live in a cookie-cutter subdivision, seeking out instead an
open backyard with fresh breezes, a beautiful view and endless activity.
A few are here only to turn a
fast buck in the real-estate market. To them the lake environment is
secondary.
Whatever our motives for
being here, we form a unique community inside Michigan, inside Livingston
County and inside Brighton Township. Our lake’s needs, and thereby our needs
as riparians and property owners, are unlike the hundreds upon thousands of
other property owners who do not have a big puddle in their back yard.
Nobody else and no other
group has as much to lose or gain or reason to be concerned over events
happening to or around Woodland Lake as we residents do. Big Brother”
(state, county or township) simply doesn’t give a damn and won’t unless we
make him listen.
We chose to live on and/or
invest in a living, changing dynamic environment - Woodland Lake. The
environment which bonds us together is not an inert criss-crossing of
asphalt or concrete. Our adhesive (our lake) is alive and has its own
lifespan. It is sensitive, as a living creature is. to what is done to it.
put in it, built around it, etc. And it is sensitive to exploitation, abuse
and neglect. It’s lifespan can be lengthened or shortened depending on what
we. its custodians. allow to happen to it... and to our investments.
There are many who prey upon
a lake: the developer who wants a quick in-and-out, disregarding wetlands,
housing density. runoff controls; the politician who professes
understanding and concern but who post-election cannot be found; the Road
and Drain Commissions, which find a lake as a cheap and easy solution for
their short-term projects’ problems; the unconcerned visitor who jettison’s
bottles, cans and other trash; and the neighbor who burnt leaves at the
water’s edge, who overfertilizes his lawn or uses high-phosphorous
fertilizers and who postpones the repair of a leaky septic system.
As a concerned citizenry, we
have clout. But we must use it to make it effective. We have to have the
will and determination to use it. We have to make time, to reprioritize, to
get off our often lazy duffs to tell the violators of our environment and
investment that we want (and eventually will have) a clean, safe and
uncluttered lake. And we want our investments protected.
There are no quick fixes to
get us that solace. This goal cannot be reduced to a 30 minute T.V. episode
with a catcy beginning, dramatic build-up and climactic conclusion. Sorry,
protecting a lake is long-term and real-life.
We get what we are willing to
consider important. We get what we value. We get only what we are willing to
spend time on and to fight for. The politicians, the commissioners, the
visitors, the thoughtless neighbor will usually ignore initial pleas and
requests to be responsible. They feel the protester will tire, go home and
keep quiet. Their strategy is calculated ... the public doesn’t have the
determination to keep up the protest which will eventually die down. And
then they will get what we give them.”
