Get Involved in Local Government
This from the Township website. Click on the word “application” below for more information.
“There are also openings on Zoning Board of Appeals, Historic District Commission, Planning Commission and Safety Paths and Trails this year. These positions are appointed, not elected. Please contact mail@oaklandtownship.org with questions or to submit an application.”
Run for Parks Commission In August
There will be an election in November to decide who gets the Parks and Recreation Commission position currently held by Judy Workings. But the August Republican primary will most likely decide the election. Township voters will likely not vote for an independent or other party candidate. Judy Workings was appointed by the Board of Trustees when Maryann Whitman resigned shortly after beng elected in November 2020. The law required the Board of Trustees to appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the next election. See 41.426, Section 6 (5) below of Michigan code.
41.426 Township park commission; petition; election; membership; terms; increase or decrease in number of members; vacancy.
Sec. 6.
(5) A vacancy in the township park commission shall be filled by appointment of the township board for the period prescribed in sections 370 and 370a of the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.370 and 168.370a.
If you want to run, click on link below for instructions on the Township website. I’m sure Deputy Clerk Roxanne Thatcher will help you with any questions at 248-218-6953.
Click to access UPDATED%20Candidate%20Info%20Parks%20and%20Rec%20Comm.%20PARTIAL%20TERM%202022.pdf
Here is a link to entire elected parks commission law-
Controlled Ecological Burns Coming to Parks in March & April, October
On Saturday, eight volunteers, including me, spent 5-1/2 hours learning to do controlled ecological burns. We got classroom and hands-on instruction from Dr. Ben VanderWeide, OTPR Natural Areas Stewardship Manager, assisted by Grant VanderLaan, Stewardship Specialist. The program of prescribed burns is in its twentieth year. Volunteers do the smaller burns while contractors do the larger ones. I observed a large burn last spring at Charles Isley Park. The volunteer program started in 2015, after Dr. Ben was hired in 2014 with extensive experience with such burns.
According to our training materals the reason for such burns is:
“To reintroduce fire into fire-adapted ecosystems to stimulate native plant and animal populations and give them a competitive advantage over invasive, fire-sensitive species.”
One of the volunteers was Pat Falle. He and his wife have purchased the former Iafrate property that borders Paint Creek Trail, Paint Creek, and Gunn Road. You may recall this property as the one with the large pond, large home with a lot of large glass windows and many fenced-in exotic animals. The large house had been removed before the property was sold to the Falle’s. They will be doing ecological restoration to the property, making it a private ecological park. The plan to build a house and barn. Please don’t trespass.
According to pages 2 and 6 of Dr. Ben’s recently approved (by Parks and Recreation Commission) “2022 Field Work Plan” , burns will be in March and April if wind and atmsopheric conditions cooperate. October will be used to complete what could not be done in the spring. See the full “2022 Field Work Plan” for this and other Stewardship work in the 2/23/22 PRC meeting packet starting on page 14. https://ecode360.com/documents/OA3183/public/646332345.pdf
Volunteer Crew Prescribed burns
Bear Creek Nature Park
Paint Creek Heritage Area – Wet Prairie
Nicholson Prairie
Paint Creek Trail Art Project
Lost Lake Nature Park parking lot planting
Gallagher Creek Park plantings
Contractor Prescribed Burns
Charles Isley Park
Draper Twin Lake Park
Lost Lake Nature Park
This page on the township website describes more details about prescribed burns. http://www.oaklandtownship.org/boards_and_commissions/parks_and_recreation/prescribed_ecological_burns.php I arrived at that page by this route – Township Departments/Parks and Recreation/Stewardship/Prescribed Ecological Burns
Even more comments about reasons for prescribed burns and their strategy are contained in this two page “Dave’s Fire Creed” written by Dave Borneman, Ann Arbor Natural Areas Preservation Burn Boss. Ann Arbor was the first in the state to use prescribed burns.
You can get a further idea of the complexity of planning for and safely doing a burn from the 25 page manual we received at the volunteer training. It was supplemented by Dr. Ben’s many, many slides and video clips and of course answering our many questions.
Follow the Votes of your Michigan Legislature Representative and Senator
The Michigan State Senator for Oakland Township is Rosemary Bayer (D)
The Michigan Representatives for Oakland Township in the House are:
John Reilly (R) – northern part
Mark Tisdel (R) – southern part , precincts 4 and 7
A database set up by the Mackinac Center allows you to look at all their votes, or votes on specific topics.
Search Voting Record – Michigan Votes
I found this data interesting.
There have been 718 House votes from 1/1/2021 to 2/26/22. Reilly missed 44 votes. Tisdel missed zero.
Reilly voted against the majority of his Republican Party on 237 votes; Tisdel on only 7.
Senator Rosemary Bayer (D) missed 47 of 539 votes and voted against the majority of her party on 40 votes.
You can go to this website any time and see a list of votes with most recent at the top and a description of the bill.
Budget Hearing, March 8th, Your Chance to Speak Up, Generally No One Does
This notice is in 2/27/22 Oakland Press.
Letter to Parks Commission Chairperson
February 26, 2022
Emily Barkham,
Chairperson, Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC), Oakland Township
cc: PRC Commissioners, BOT
Subject: February 23rd PRC Meeting
I thought that allowing several public question and answer periods during Dr. Ben Vanderweide’s 159 slide presentation “2022 Natural Areas Stewardship Overview and Update” was extremely helpful. I hope this will set the pattern for future annual presentations and more residents will attend and ask questions about the complex Natural Areas Stewardship program. It was gratifying to see Township Trustee Dave Mabry in attendance and asking questions. Public Q&A, in my view, is a very effective way to increase public understanding of any township issue and to increase a board or commission’s understanding of the public views. Increased mutual understanding, in my view, leads to better decisions by government bodies and voters.
I also thought the round-table seating format should be considered for all meetings. It allows PRC members to hear each other better and to see each other’s expressions and body-language when communicating; which in my view, sometimes constitutes 50% of the communication.
Bob Yager – Resident
Oakland Township Sentinel 