Highland Conservancy

EARTH DAY POSTER CONTEST WINNERS

 First place winner Shaina Parks accepting her award from Conservancy member Katheryn Krupa

The Highland Conservancy sponsored a poster contest for elementary students in Huron Valley to promote earth day and Highland’s Earth Friendly Family Fun Festival this Sunday noon-4 at Carls Y in Milford.  The theme of the contest was: Protecting Animals and their Habitat for a more diverse, ecologically healthy earth.  The first place winner was Shaina Parks of Kurtz Elementary who won $50.  The second place was Andrew Kovanda of Spring Mills and third place went to Alaina Maxwell of Kurtz.  Both won $25 each.  CONGRATULATIONS!

 

  Second Place winner Andrew Kovanda
 
 

 

Earth Day Family Festival by Katheryn Krupa

Sunday, April 25, 2010
Earth Friendly Family Fun Festival
Carls Family YMCA, 300 Family Drive, Milford, MI
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Carls Family YMCA and the Huron Valley Green Team offer the Earth Friendly Family Fun Festival featuring environmental learning stations, nature adventures, unique and inspiring GREEN arts and activities for everyone like building race cars from recycled materials! You are invited to join in some FUN family activities and then maybe go for a bike ride along the new bike path leading from the YMCA to Kensington! The Highland Conservancy will have a booth with beautiful tame snakes (and hopefully turtles) for children to hold and enjoy.  We will have additional information about invasive plants, the frogs and toads of Michigan, and upcoming conservancy activities and events.  For more information please call the Y at 248-685-3020 or email bigskyfarm@gmail.com.  If it rains, the event will still be held indoors in the Y.  COME JOIN IN THE FUN!

HELP SAVE HIGHLAND by Linda Foran

 

What is the problem?

The King Rezoning Project is proposing a senior care housing development on the land bordering Hickory Ridge, Dunham Road and adjacent to Dunham Hills Subdivision. Access to this sprawling complex of senior housing will be made from either Hickory Ridge Road or Susan Drive. The housing project includes:

• 76 attached condos

• 180 senior apartments

• 150 assisted living units

• 244 single-family units

• 75 units in a nursing facility

• A sewer treatment plant

How can this happen?

Although his previous request was denied, Mr. King’s team of “community planning consultants” has now modified his original request by purchasing additional land and creating access using Susan Drive (more traffic on Tipsico). There is also a new tactic for zoning approval.

A request to the Highland Planning Commission for “conditional zoning” regarding the property in question has been made.  According to the Michigan Townships Association (MTA), a property owner seeking a rezoning of land may voluntarily propose conditions, in writing, regarding the use and/or development of land as part of the rezoning request.

Why should I care?

If the conditional rezoning is approved, the immediate impact will include;

• Loss of the rural atmosphere we sought when we moved to Highland.

• Loss of the natural open-spaced areas provided by the Master Land Use Plan.

• Increase in taxes to pay for the support necessary for this project.

• Staggering environmental impact including: the loss of woodlands, impact on our water table, noise and air pollutants, and the natural increase in vehicular traffic on our rural roads.

When can I speak out against the rezoning?

This should be a concern for all Highland residents. What can we do as a community?

1.   Take our voices to an open Planning Commission meeting (to address ideas for possible specific conditions) on Thursday, January 21 2009 at 7:30 at the Township Hall. 

2.   Write letters to members of the Township Planning Commission or the Board of Trustees expressing our concerns.

December and January are centered on activities with our families and it’s difficult to find the time to become involved in a community rezoning request. Make the time to use your voice to protect Highland. Remember, if this zoning change is made, our families will live with the consequences forever.

Where's the Beef? by Katheryn Krupa

Highland is an amazingly beautiful township!  I know I was hooked when I first stumbled upon Highland with its rolling hills, parks, lakes, woodlands and horse farms.  A recent survey showed that the majority of Highland residents resoundingly support protecting the natural beauty and rural character of our township.

To protect Highland, the Planning Commission has been working hard to draft the new Natural Features Preservation ordinance (Article 15) as part of revisions to the Master Zoning ordinances. For the full text, follow this link: http://www.highlandtwp.com/page/Twp+PlanningZoning-130.html   Highland Conservancy members have been attending Planning Commission meetings for almost three years, voicing their concerns and providing input as the ordinance has gone through various drafts to carefully craft language with the goal of protecting Highland's natural resources as well as individual landowner’s rights.

 

Unfortunately, the current version has removed specific requirements for tree preservation, grading, and penalties for non-compliance.  Requiring a natural features/tree inventory is important but it needs teeth by establishing a required percentage of tree canopy or establishing specific replacement tree percentage requirements. 

 

The Highland Conservancy is asking for two basic requirements for new developments in Highland:

 

1.  Preserve the trees as much as possible.

2.  Stop wholesale grading of an entire construction/subdivision site.

 

Simply put, keep the lots in their natural condition thus allowing the individual lot owner to design their own landscaping.  There is no reason why trees and top soil need to be stripped off building lots before there is any plan for the home that might be built there.  When the trees and topsoil are removed, all plant and animal life is eliminated from the site.  

 

Stopping these practices will allow for subdivisions with green meadows and mature trees, home sites that fit the gently sloping land with crystal clear rivers and lakes as opposed to tract homes on a barren flatland stripped of all topsoil, vegetation, and wildlife.  We already have several of these unwanted wastelands in Highland with hundreds of lots still unsold.  This is not the legacy we want to leave for Highland. 

 

There will be a working session of the Planning Commission to review this ordinance on Thursday, February 18 in the township auditorium at 7:30 pm.  The Highland Conservancy is urging the Planning Commission to reword this ordinance to protect the natural beauty, woodlands and watersheds in Highland.  Please email your concerns or comments to the Planning Commission and to the Highland Township board asking for the following:

 

1.  A return of the specific requirements protecting woodlands such as minimum tree canopy requirements.

2.  Requirements preventing topsoil removal except for road construction and installation of public utilities.

3.  Requirements to use native plants and trees in roadside beauty buffers and native vegetation in storm water protection.

 

Highland Township needs your support!

Highland State Recreation Park Plan by Katheryn Krupa

The old sheep barn before it was destroyed by winds

On Thursday, November 12th, a variety of interested citizens met to review the proposed master plan changes for Highland State Recreation area.  Interested citizens included equestrians, conservancy members, hikers, bikers, DNR officials, members of the Oakland County Planning Department, Highland township officials and area residents.  We reviewed a master map of the park and most everyone in attendance agreed with the overall plan while making some recommendations.  These included possibly moving the equestrian campgrounds to an area adjacent to more trails, expanding the current camping area, extending bike trails to connect up (and eventually meet) with the new Milford trail, and creating additional equestrian and hiking/biking trails to provide better access to the park.  The overall goal is to protect the natural beauty of this unique area rather than change it into a high-impact, heavy-use type park.

FROM FIELDS TO FOREST By Katheryn Krupa

Over 40 people showed up on Sunday, October 11th to plant trees along White Lake Road near Eagle Road in Highland as part of the Faith in Action initiative at Highland United Methodist Church.  Working with the Highland Conservancy and other local groups, the church set out to "be the church" by planting trees, picking up trash from the Huron River and helping out throughout the community.  It was exciting to see little children work alongside moms and dads to regenerate a healthy ecosystem from land that had previously been destroyed by a developer.  The children learned the importance of planting a variety of pines, oaks and acorns and how we need to be good stewards of our planet.  Kid's church teacher Mary Lloyd taught them the names of the seedlings and acorns, then showed them how to plant and water the trees.  Over 2,000 acorns and over a hundred saplings were planted, mulched and watered.  Wow!  Thanks to all who turned out to make a difference.

Senior Citizen Complex again proposed for Highland by Katheryn Krupa

 

On September 17, this reporter was in attendance at the Planning Commission meeting when Cleve King returned requesting rezoning of his 120 acre property along with an additional 60 acres off  Susan Drive and Tipsico Lake Rd.  King stated he plans to provide a “continuum of care” in the complex not to exceed 225 units.  The current configuration he presented includes 76 condos, 180 apartments, 150 units in assisted living and 75 units in a nursing home.  Previously, the township did a micro-analysis of the area and recommended leaving the zoning unchanged for the area.  Now, King has done his homework changing his overall plan to include lower density, access in and out of the complex via a road through Susan Drive to Tipsico Lake Road, and additional planting of trees providing more buffer for adjacent properties including Dunham Lake Estates.  King is filing his request under a provision called “conditional zoning” which means the zoning is approved conditioned upon specific requirements for the development that are worked out and agreed to ahead of time.  Some possibilities include: requiring financial guarantees, stipulating specific areas as green space, or requiring phased development.  At the meeting, local residents voiced concerns about the impact the development would have on nearby low-lying homes already prone to flooding, the need to protect as much mature woodlands as possible, inclusion of quality open space not just wetlands, need for a provision to keep if from being sold and then turned into a trailer park or apartment complex, and units being placed too close to the lot lines of residents along Dunham Road. A sewer treatment plant is included in the plan which could have both a positive and negative impact on the area (it might encourage more development depending on its eventual size and capacity and what stipulations might end up being made).  King noted that there is the potential that nearby Dunham Lake residents couldhook into the sewer, depending, again, on how everything plays out. 

For a copy of the preliminary layout plan, click on this link: http://www.highlandtwp.com/uploaded_pics/pdf-20091008153542.pdf

There will be a public hearing on Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.  In addition, concerned citizens are welcome to mail in their comments or concerns to the Planning Commission, or attend upcoming Planning Commission meetings.  For upcoming agendas (or minutes) of meetings, go to the township website at www.highlandtwp.com and click on Government, then click on Planning Commission, etc.

Natural Features Ordinance for Highland

The Highland Township Planning Commission has been reviewing and revising the Natural Features Preservation regulations at recent meetings.  One of the things our Highland residents treasure most is the natural beauty of this area.  We are fortunate to have an abundance of high quality lakes, rivers and parkland.  In the future as developers come in to create new subdivions, it is important to protect the natural features of each site through our ordinances and site plan review regulations.  This creates a win/win situation.  New residents often prefer a site with natural features and mature trees to a site that has been clear cut, bulldozed, stripped of top soil and flattened into a wasteland.  Building sites with intact natural features are more desireable and the developer benefits as such sites command a higher price.  Such regulations do not impact individual landowners who still maintain their individual rights as protected under our current ordinances.       

Highland's Community Garden by Katheryn Krupa

This year will be the second year for Highland's public community gardens.  It is open to any Highland resident or relative who wishes to plant a garden but might not have the space or sun.  Exciting news for this year is the donation of a huge truckload full of compost that has been offered to enrich the soil.  We already have a tractor to till it into the soil so now all we need is someone with a small dump truck or a way to move it to our garden - could that be you? Call Katheryn 248-887-4643 for more info. This garden is an outreach service that originally developed via the green team at Highland United Methodist Church.  Some of the food grown in the garden is donated to Community Share (over at Apollo) and other outreach programs.  Interest has grown as people realize this is a great way to stretch a tight budget, eat healthy and get the kids outside and more connected to the earth.  You are invited to come stake out your family's plot and help get the land ready for May planting.  Join us Saturday, April 18th, 9:00 am to help out. Just park in the church parking lot, 850 W. Livingston Road (next to Highland Elementary) and the garden is on the right, just past the parsonage as you turn into the church driveway.  Bring gloves, garden tools, and your children.  Mine helped move rocks last year (albiet as slowly as snails!)

Vegetable Gardening 101 by Katheryn Krupa

There will be an excellent vegetable gardening workshop put on by the Highland Beautification Committee this coming Tuesday, March 24th 6:30pm at the Highland Township Senior Center.  The speaker will be Janet Macunovich and she will give you some excellent tips and information.  So, if you are interested in planting a successful vegetable garden, just drop by (tickets are $5).  If you would like more information, contact Marie Hewitt at 248-887-5270.  I'll see you there!