2008 Cheers and Jeers 2008 was a big year on the Au Sable River and for Anglers. Here are a few of the highlights and lowlights for the year: In December, he ruled against Savoy’s motion to intervene at the 11th hour: “During all this time, Savoy was not heard from, although the case received considerable public attention, and the preliminary injunction prevented Savoy from proceeding with its drilling project. Then, once the smoke of battle cleared, Savoy emerged from the woods on September 4, 2008 to file its motion to intervene, seeking to urge an appellate court to walk through the battlefield, as the saying goes, and shoot the wounded.” A big jeer to Savoy Energy for a number of things; trying to desecrate a sacred spot, tying up our time in court while sundry other matters needed attention, and attempting to join the dance as the clock struck midnight. Their short sighted and stubborn approached to this issue – Savoy refused a reasonable compromise to move the drilling pad long ago – seems to have backfired. A big cheer to 46th Circuit Court Judge Dennis Murphy for his decisions on the Kolke Creek matter. His major work was in 2007, but the Judge did rule on the status of the original permit earlier this year. So far, he has supported our arguments not to discharge treated waste water into Kolke Creek, part of the headwaters of the Au Sable. To allow this to happen would turn the Au Sable River corridor into a lifeless salt flat. These are serious rulings that will affect oil and gas remediation all across Michigan. Kolke Creek along with Bradford Creek is the mother of the river... the beginning, from where all waters flow. To compromise here is to jeopardize the entire river system. A big jeer to Steve Sutton, Coordinator of the Michigan Natural Rivers Act, for taking 20 years to finally implement user fees into the Act – AND HE GOT IT WRONG! The fee limits are too low in comparison to the impact of each unit, way too low! An annual user fee of between two to four dollars per canoe does not begin to address to the wear and tear on the river by these vessels. After 20 years of waiting we sure expected better, Mr. Sutton! PS – And you don’t think rental inner-tubes are a vessel? Better check out MCL 324.44501(a); 324.44501(k); and 324.44501(u). A big cheer to the Sierra Club and the Mason Family for standing shoulder to shoulder with us on the Mason Tract. A big jeer to all those others who cut and run over these past five years of the Mason Tract lawsuit. A big cheer to DNR Director Becky Humphries for having the wisdom to reconsider the proposed trout regulations below Mio Dam. While we do think there was ample evidence to support No Kill or at least an 18 inch one fish limit, Director Humphries decision to freeze the regulations for 2009, pending further research, was a step in the right direction. There will be an even bigger cheer if they make the right decision next fall. A big jeer to DNR Fisheries Division Kelley Smith for not listening to the public or even reading his own report regarding the fishery below Mio. It was a stone cold no-brainer and he managed to blow it. Time for regime change? You betcha! A big jeer to Grayling Township Supervisor Terry Wright for pulling the Huron Pines stream habitat improvement crews off the river. Despite the fact that Huron Pines has permits from DEQ to conduct these activities “Mr. Wrong” feels that they need a special use permit from the Township. The clock is running on this valuable activity because if not finished in 2009 the money goes away. There are 200 property owners waiting to offer their trees. Shame on you, Mr. Wright! Your tax base comes from anglers and this is how you treat them? A big cheer to Howard Johnson for the continuing the Cedars for the Au Sable project. A decade ago, Mr. Johnson saw a problem and dedicated himself to fixing it. The result: thousands of young cedars along the North, South and Main branches of the Au Sable. He’s not done yet, next up is the river below Mio. A big jeer to the folks who turned an otherwise beautiful Au Sable boathouse into a “party barn.”. Au Sable boathouses are like the covered bridges of New England or “stiltsville” in the Florida Keys. They are part of the unique charm of the area. A big cheer to Dr. Brian Burroughs for his work as Executive Director of the Michigan Chapter of Trout Unlimited. In his short tenure, Dr. Burroughs has significantly changed the spirit of MCTU with his work on the water withdrawal bill, Pigeon River Dam disaster and Mio Trout regulations. We are seeing positive results in many areas. Happy Holidays! Dr. Burroughs, and congratulations on your new son, we look forward to working with you in 2009. A big jeer to DEQ for slowing the pace on the Hoskins-Perry Creek cleanup. They have done yeoman work at the site by removing over 1000 tons of contaminated soil and all the buildings, but have done nothing but monitor the seepage of toxins into Perry Creek, a major tributary to the Au Sable, since. The river is still threatened. Lack of funding is not a good enough excuse. A big cheer to Glenn Shepard and The North Woods Call. Shep keeps plugging away with his efforts to protect our woods and streams. Where would these drumlins be without his work all these years? While we’re talking about the press, a big cheer to the Traverse City Record-Eagle for its environmental/conservation reporting. Keep up the good work! A big jeer to all the river abusers out there who continue to show disrespect for our resource. Jerks that trash the banks, show no etiquette or courtesy and generally act like irresponsible hooligans. It is our solemn hope that better days are coming for enforcement on the system. A big cheer to all of those folks who give back to the river. Either by collecting trash, planting cedars, gathering bugs for stream monitoring, restoring river-banks, releasing trout or any number of other activities you are the key to the health of the Au Sable. Thanks!!!! 
A big cheer to the Honorable David M. Lawson, Judge for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division. In July, Judge Lawson basically accepted the previous findings of Magistrate Judge Charles E. Binder and ruled in our favor regarding the Mason Tract Oil Drilling case. Summing up the case, Lawson believed the project would impose a significant cumulative impact on the environment as well as endangered species while reasonable and prudent alternatives to the proposed site were not even considered.
