It is not what we say, but that we talk

Commentary on the planning workshops hosted last spring by Citizens for Land Stewardship.

by Bob Kellum

n an age of continuously unfolding news and quickly developing issues, it is difficult to keep sedentary issues like land use at the forefront of our attention. No they haven’t gone away and yes they are just as problematic as ever. However, life goes on and we cannot afford to focus on one issue to the exclusion of others. Hence there is a need to renew old issues, to see them in new light and to give them new dimensions that rekindle the hope of resolution. When the Citizens for Land Stewardship (CLS) set about holding a series of five planning workshops around Lenawee County last March, they had just such a goal in mind. They sought to crack the standard mold by which the same people ask the same questions to confirm the same answers, which they already knew.

Those workshops were held in areas defined by cultural, geographic and economic factors rather than by political boundaries. Participants were first asked to broaden the time and space context in which they viewed the Lenawee area. They were then presented with information that depicted the area in terms of its history, agriculture, natural and human infrastructure, transportation, health department policy and development trends. Finally, they were encouraged to regard their own perspective as a critical ingredient in a process capable of assimilating a diversity of thought.

The comments gathered from the workshops were then reviewed and grouped into categories to give them structure. That information has been submitted to the county planning commission and will be included in the updated county land use plan tentatively scheduled for public review this December. (For further information contact Tim Anderson of the Region II Planning Commission at 517-768-6703 or tanderso@co.jackson.mi.us)

By encouraging participants to talk and think in ways different from what they were accustomed, the intention was to invigorate a land use dynamic that has become unresponsive to broadly held opinion. While many antithetical points of view were expressed, the majority voiced concern about land use trends and welcomed the opportunity to address them. There was a healthy curiosity, a willingness to listen and openness to innovation.

Innovation, whether by an individual or a group, cannot be staged or mandated. One simply gathers the available resources into an environment conducive to change and relies on the creative spirit to transform them into things dreamed of. The political environment, in which land is taxed, regulated, held, exchanged and developed does not encourage innovation. Land use politics are among the most fervent and are largely defined by tactics that appeal to our lowest common denominator.

While the CLS workshops were low budget and modestly attended affairs, they were also innovative and dynamic interactions. It can be said of the workshops, like many meetings we attend, that it was less important what was said than that we talked freely. Lessons were learned and expectations modified, but the underlying premise was sound: if a desire to change land use dynamics is to be realized, we must embrace a standard that welcomes innovation. With the onset of the winter meeting season, this is an important lesson that all area citizens can carry with them as they go about lives inextricably linked to the land.

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