Life After Delisting: Sustaining Environmental Stewardship in Michigan Areas of Concern

Abstract

Michigan’s Area of Concern (AOC) program has made great strides in recent years with the influx of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding. As delisting increasingly becomes a reality for more AOCs it is imperative to identify from a programmatic perspective how to best prepare communities for long-term success beyond delisting. In recent years, the AOC program has encountered challenges with the speed of change, the program’s narrow scope, a lack of long-term planning, and uncertainty about the roles of both the Public Advisory Councils (PACs) and the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) moving forward. To address these challenges, this research provides recommendations for how the OGL can support PACs in creating mechanisms to continue the momentum of environmental stewardship up to and beyond delisting. The findings of this research and subsequent recommendations are a result of semi-structured interviews with PAC members from Michigan’s 12 current and two delisted AOCs. This report, which is both informed directly by the voices of PAC members and considers the AOC program landscape across the entire state of Michigan, provides a comprehensive set of program-wide recommendations to the OGL. Recommendations to the OGL include: (1) Facilitate dedicated “life after delisting” meetings with PACs, (2) Develop long-term delisting frameworks, (3) Create communication strategies intended to change negative public perceptions of the water bodies, (4) Increase OGL staff presence at PAC meetings, (5) Support PACs in building fundraising capacity, (6) Support local champions within PACs, (7) Assist PACs in developing a network of partners, (8) Institute a phased approach to delisting, and (9) Prioritize projects with potential for broader economic and social impact. Through the implementation of these recommendations, the PACs will be better positioned to sustain environmental stewardship and related community revitalization. This set of recommendations is applicable to other government programs wishing to integrate community perspectives and increase the durability of programmatic outcomes.