__ THE GRAND MERE ASSOCIATION

BOX 140 « STEVENSVILLE, MICHIGAN

 

December 5, 1967

 

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Dear Bob,

T had a call from Glenn Gregg, Conservation Dept., this morning
in response to a recent letter of mine. These are some of the
points he brought out:

1. There has becn a Presidential "hold" order on all funds
for Land and Water Conservation Fund programe —

2, A recent Federal requirement for funds from the Land
and Water Conservation Fund requires that when land is acquired
it must be acquired in Fee Title, that is all mineral rights
must be acquired with the land. In the case of Warren Dunes
where the State has appropriated money to buy some land, they
have run into the problem of acquiring the land and the value
of the mineral rights (they are déaling with Manley here) has
so far made it impossible to acquire the propentye

3, Extend this to Grand Mere and the cost becomes very
high unless we locally can establish that the value of such sand
is offset by expense to mine it, (by, Local restrictions, etc.)

4, He had not heard anything about a Federal Survey of the
area, but would check this through with Mr. Bdmunds of the
Department of the Interior. é

5. Some seven months ago Mr. Gregg discussed Grand Mere
with Wr. Joe Hunky of the Chicago Chapter of Nature Conservancy.
Mir. Hunky was going to make some contact with the Shapiro people.
lr. Gregg has heard nothing and asks if we have been in contact.
with Nature Conservancye

An important point here is this:

Under the best of conditions, the State is faced with soaring
land values and speculations when they move in to buy property.
In the case of Grand Mere, with hostile owners and hostite pol-
itions (my words not nis) the problem is greatly complicated.

Mature Conservancy, operating privately, is often better equiped
to acduire land. They then sell it to the State, or some agency
such as the Kalamazoo Nature Genter, for their cost plus. a nom-
inal interest chargee

(con't)

CONSERVATION @ RECREATION @ WILD LIFE PROTECTION

 

oh

_ THE GRAND MERE ASSOCIATION

BOX 140 ¢ STEVENSVILLE, MICHIGAN

 

 

 

(Bob Melcher, page 2)

6. Grand Mere does not appear on the State's list of
projects for next year, or for the long range recreational
plan. The reason is a very practical political reason. Sen.
Zollar remains hostile (in the view of Mr. Gregg) to any men-
tion of Grand Mere, and he is a very powerful man in the area
of fund availability. If we can persuade him to support us,
Grand Mere will auickly get a good billing on any list of land
acquisition. ‘

So much for my conversation with Mr. Gregge

I expect, within a month to set up a meeting with Sen. Zollar
and our committee of Bert Lindenfeld, Vern Snyder, Judy Larsen,
you and me. Prior to this the group should meet without Zollar.

I also hove to have a representative of the Area Resources
Development Council with this committee.

i, Best regards,
Frank

f1/el

a CONSERVATION @ RECREATION @ WILD LIFE PROTECTION