The Inaugural Tribal Trek

The Rural Partners of Michigan (RPM) and the Michigan Outreach Council co-sponsored a three-day bus tour, September 18 - 20, 2001, to visit three American Indian communities in Michigan: the Saginaw-Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. The tour is intended to educate participants about the unique history and culture of American Indian communities in Michigan. The goal was to heighten participants’ awareness of each tribal community’s unique culture so that they can work more effectively with them. The RPM is hoping that this tour will serve as a catalyst for additional partnerships and projects with the Native American Indian Tribes throughout Michigan. RPM is excited to team-up with the tribes on future housing, infrastructure and health care issues in the future.

RPM Sponsors 7^TH Ultimate Preservation Tour

Rural Partners of Michigan (RPM), with the support of 28 partners, is sponsoring the 7^th Ultimate Farmland Preservation Tour on September 6-10, 2001. Tour participants traveled to Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania for a first-hand look at how communities have implemented successful strategies for urban redevelopment, innovative new development, land use planning, agriculture development, urban growth boundaries, and purchase and transfer of development rights. The tour provides a unique opportunity for participants to visit with other community leaders and to learn how various programs can be adopted in their communities.

Past tours have been highly successful, attracting more than 800 participants. These tours have resulted in formation of county land use planning committees that implement farmland preservation efforts, development of year-long Leadership Training courses, and education of community leaders nationwide in the use of farmland and open space protection.

2001 Partnership Conference

The Rural Partners of Michigan (RPM), formerly known as the Rural Development Council of Michigan, with the Michigan Association of Regions and the Michigan Association of Resource, Conservation, and Development, hosted the 2001 Partnership Conference, "Building Sustainable Communities," on March 19-20, 2001, in Battle Creek. Thirty-two sponsoring organizations partnered with RDCM and its co-hosts for this event, which drew over 260 participants. The partnerships formed in supporting the conference further extended RPM’s participation base and partnership capacity.

The conference kicked off with an afternoon workshop dedicated to grantsmanship and helping local community organizations tap into funding opportunities; the Council of Michigan Foundations coordinated and sponsored this workshop. The conference then focused on many of the issues important in building thriving, sustainable communities. Workshop sessions included Community Visioning and Capacity Building, Strategies for Brownfield Redevelopment, Facilitating Business and Community Development, Transportation and Infrastructure Planning, Agriculture Development, Facilitating Coordinated Planning and Cooperation Between Communities, Master Planning and Zoning—Surviving the Legal Challenges, Community, Natural Resources Inventory, and Natural Resource Protection and Innovative Designs for Development.

The 32 additional sponsoring organizations of the 2001 Partnership Conference - "Building Sustainable Communities" include Michigan Townships Association, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Michigan Society of Planning, Detroit Edison, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan Farmland & Community Alliance, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Saginaw-Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, Gove Associates, Consumers Renaissance Development Corporation, USDA - Rural Development, Michigan Family Independence Agency, Wade-Trim, Inc., Consumers Energy, USDA - Farm Service Agency, Webberwoods Communications, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Economic Developers Association, City of Battle Creek, Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Council of Michigan Foundations, Potawatomi RC & D Council, Calhoun County Community Development, McKenna Associates, Inc., Michigan Integrated Food and Farming Systems, Battle Creek Community Foundation, USDA - Natural Resource Conservation Service, Dairy Farmers of America, Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, and American Farmland Trust.

Land Use Leadership Training Program

For the second year, a 12-month leadership training program was implemented, in partnership with the Michigan Farmland and Community Alliance and Michigan Farm Bureau, to increase land use knowledge and understanding and to provide leadership training for those who wish to affect positive change in their communities. The 24 participants ranged in background from farmers, members of the real estate community, and urban leaders to local and county officials. The training program provided in-depth training education on various land use issues as well as leadership development. Sessions focused on formulating messages, partnership building, communicating with the media, communication skills, planning and zoning issues, farmland preservation strategies, agriculture development, urban redevelopment and collaborative efforts between rural and urban initiatives. Participants were also required to complete various community action assignments, which were tailored to their community, during the year-long program.

Farmland Preservation Regional Workshops

Five "Creating a Legacy for Generations to Come" local workshops were held across the state in late February to provide options for Michigan communities to find ways of accommodating growth while protecting their agricultural base.  Over 1600 farmers, planners, elected officials and local citizens attended the two-day workshops and learned of various techniques used to address land use issues in Michigan.   The workshops were a huge success due to the efforts of nearly 140 state and local organizations who sponsored the two-day event.  The workshops highlighted   farmland preservation strategies, programs in other states and an overview of Michigan’s new law (Public Act 262), which provides the framework for local farmland preservation programs.  The  workshops, were held in Grand Rapids, Imlay City, Lansing, Adrian and Kalamazoo, included a general evening session and a morning session and hosted a number of the best farmland preservation experts in the country.