Here’s a great example of why Scenic Michigan advocates for thoughtful sign control!
Bon Appétit Magazine recently published an article about dining in southwestern Michigan (one of our most beautiful regions!) and the first sentence of the article pulls the entire focus of the story to one thing: billboards!
“The tree-lined drive along I-94 as it moseys from Chicago up the coast to Michigan is marked with billboards for Kenny G’s next casino performance, the state’s number one deck builder (“yeah, we build in winter”), and countless dispensaries.”
As a Michigander reading this article it may feel like a personal reference that many of us could have made on any number of Michigan highways. There are billboards dotting the coastlines and sticking out of the trees in nearly every county in the State. Which makes the second sentence of the article so crucial when discussing exactly what we need to protect:
“But take Exit 1 for the Red Arrow Highway and a different scene emerges: a lakeside region with beaches that stretch farther than your eyes can follow, idyllic dunes, and water as blue as a tropical postcard.”
Scenic Michigan will continue to advocate for Michigan’s natural resources so that the focus of national publications centers on our natural beauty (and regional cuisine!) rather than billboards.
Read more about dining in southwestern Michigan here!