A Resolution Commemorating Scenic Michigan Day, April 22, 2003
WHEREAS, it is with great respect for the natural beauty of our state and those who help preserve it that we commemorate April 22, 2003 as Scenic Michigan Day, recognizing the vital contributions that this organization has made toward improving and protecting the picturesque vistas which define this state.
WHEREAS, Scenic Michigan was founded in 1995 as a non-profit organization to preserve, protect, and enhance the scenic and aesthetic character of Michigan’s communities and roadsides. Scenic Michigan, an affiliate of Scenic America, helps citizens and elected officials guide their communities future.
WHEREAS, Scenic Michigan serves as an education resource to assist communities in the quest to preserve and enhance their distinctive character. Among the important contributions made by this statewide organization are the following:
- Making Michigan roadways scenic
- Protecting our communities and landscapes
- Aligning “smart growth” with scenic growth
From their humble beginnings as a billboard control task force of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs in 1989, Scenic Michigan has grown to become an independent 501(c)(3) organization.
WHEREAS, Scenic Michigan’s efforts have resulted in measures that outlaw the destruction of trees or shrubs within a highway right-of-way, ban new construction of double-decker billboards, increase billboard permit fees, and promote the use of Tourist Oriented Direction Signs (TODS) and logo signs to efficiently promote businesses in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
WHEREAS, Scenic Michigan provides Michigan’s communities with tools that focus on conserving scenic roadsides, roadside vegetation, saving community identity, and protecting highway corridors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED BY THE MICHIGAN SENATE, That we proudly commemorate Tuesday, April 22, 2003 as Scenic Michigan Day, and honor all those who have contributed to the significant accomplishments of this organization. We pay tribute to their past and ongoing efforts to preserve Michigan’s natural beauty for future generations; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to Scenic Michigan as evidence of our esteem.