Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior

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Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior

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The mission of Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior is to protect and improve Lake Superior.

CSCLS opposes the proposed vertical rocket launch at Granot Loma in Marquette County.

10/14/2026

Doing less is more! Save yourself the hassle and leave native plant stems and seed heads standing in your garden through fall and winter. This helps to provide food, shelter, and habitat for wildlife during the harsher months of the year. With time, the spent plants will decompose and feed your soil with rich organic material. By leaving stems in place, you're contributing to a healthier ecosystem!

09/30/2026

Coastal sand dunes are some of our most unique ecosystems here in Michigan. They will change and move naturally over time, but how we adapt to that change is especially important.

Shoreline hardening, mostly in the form of seawalls and breakwaters, has often been used as a "one size fits all" method of slowing erosion and waves along our coastlines. But these techinques can actually worsen dune erosion and deny people access to the water.

Preserving native dune vegetation, building structures as far inland as possible, and implementing living shorelines with natural materials can protect Michigan's sand dunes while preserving water access.

Bridge Michigan is out with a new article covering these unique ecosystems and how experts across the state are dealing with them. Find the article at the link in our bio!

09/21/2026

Do you own property that you want to see preserved for the long-term? Do you own a slice of wilderness that you’d like others to be able to hike, camp, and enjoy? Or do you own a deer camp
that you don’t spend much time at outside of hunting season? If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, a conservation easement may be a good fit for you.

Conservation easements are powerful tools for protecting land and water. These legal agreements permanently limit certain land uses, like major development, in order to protect property for
conservation.

Conservation easements can balance the needs of landowners with long-term environmental protection. Find a link to local land conservancies that offer conservation easements in our bio!

09/14/2026

Citizens for Superior will be tabling at the Big Bay Fall Fest on Saturday, September 19th! We'll be spreading the word about what HB 5536 would mean for Big Bay and Powell Township's wetlands, sharing wetland management resources for landowners, and handing out free native plant seeds.

See us at Draver Park from 11 AM - 4 PM!

09/02/2026

Over a million acres of Michigan's wetlands are at risk of deregulation if Michigan House Bill 5536 becomes law.

HB 5536 would dismantle Michigan's wetland protections by imposing the federal government's narrow interpretation of the Clean Water Act. It would require wetlands to have a direct surface connection to federally-regulated "Waters of the United States" in order to be deemed worthy of the state's protection.

If HB 5536 becomes law, wetlands without a year-round direct connection to a "Waters of the United States" (such as vernal pools) or wetlands that are connected only seasonally or via groundwater (which wetland science tells us many are) could be deregulated. That means they could be drained, filled, and destroyed without any permit or environmental oversight.

According to analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council, 3 of the top 10 Michigan counties with the most wetlands at risk of deregulation due to the federal "Waters of the United States" standard are in the U.P. Over 200,000 acres in Delta County alone could be deregulated!

HB 5536 is currently being considered in the Michigan Senate Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee. Please contact members of the committee and urge them to oppose HB 5536!

Chair: Sen. Sue Shink
517-373-2426
[email protected]

Majority Vice Chair: Sen. John Cherry
517-373-0142
[email protected]

Minority Vice Chair: Sen. Kevin Daley
517-373-1777
[email protected]

LINK TO FULL COMMITTEE LIST IN BIO!

08/10/2026

What originally began in October 2024 as a miniseries of community presentations on wetland protection, Superior on Tap ended up flourishing to cover topics including citizen science, tourism, coastal resiliency, and wildlife conservation in the Lake Superior watershed.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end (no matter how much we'd wish otherwise)! On July 23rd, Citizens for Superior held our last Superior on Tap at Ore Dock Brewing Co. in Marquette. We were grateful to have Brian Noell give us an inside look at the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve's efforts to monitor exploratory mining in Marquette County.

We want to sincerely thank all of the community members, organizations, and speakers who helped make Superior on Tap an incredible space for learning and connecting! We hope that somewhere along the way, you found a new niche passion, felt inspired to get involved, or simply enjoyed an evening with friends!

07/08/2026

Our last Superior on Tap of the season is coming up on July 23rd, and you won’t want to miss it!

As demand increases for domestic sources of “critical minerals,” mining companies operating in the U.P. are ramping up activity. Last year, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve launched a monitoring program to track new mining activity in the vicinity of the Yellow Dog Watershed and further west in the Huron River Watershed.

Join us at 7pm on July 23rd at Ore Dock Brewing Co. to hear from project organizer Brian Noell as he discusses the program and new developments in the mining industry.

As always, Superior on Tap is free and open to all ages!

07/01/2026

Are you a resident of Chocolay Township, or know anyone who is? Please speak up for wetlands on July 20th!

The Chocolay Township Planning Commission will meet on Monday, July 20th at 6pm. At this public meeting, Citizens for Superior will propose an amendment to adopt a 25-foot vegetated wetland buffer in the township Zoning Ordinance. This would effectively preserve wetlands and vegetation within 25 feet from development.

If you're a resident and able to attend, please make a public comment in support! If you're not able to attend, consider writing an email or letter to the township expressing your support for a 25-foot wetland buffer. Find a link to suggested verbiage in our bio!

Meeting location: 5010 US-41 South, Marquette, MI 49855

Send emails to: Greg Elliott, Zoning Administrator, [email protected]

Send letters to:
Max Engle
Township Clerk
5010 US-41 South
Marquette, MI 49855

06/25/2026

Looking for a way to protect wetlands on your land or in your community? Consider wetland buffers.

Wetland buffers are strips of natural vegetation that surround wetlands and riparian areas. Buffers help protect these critical ecosystems from pollution, erosion, flooding, and habitat disturbance. They act as natural filters, sometimes trapping over 85% of sediments and excess nutrients before they reach wetland waters!*

Landowners and local governments can help protect wetlands by including vegetated buffers as part of their land management practices, or by requiring buffers in zoning and building regulations. Science-based buffers help balance responsible development with conservation and stewardship.

Whether it's 10 or 100 feet wide, every buffer makes a difference!

*Sweeney & Newbold, 2014

06/16/2026

🚨 ACTION ALERT! Several bills that would gut Michigan's wetland protections are making their way through the Michigan Legislature.

HB 5082 would force the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to prioritize rapid wetland determinations over careful review. HB 5502 would exempt human-created wetlands from state protection, even if they are functionally identical to natural wetlands. HB 5556 would make it easier for developers to satisfy mitigation requirements through ""mitigation credits"" rather than local restoration.

The most damaging, HB 5536, would require that a wetland must be directly connected to federally-regulated waters in order to be protected by the state. Let's be clear: thousands of acres of wetlands across Michigan could be destroyed under this bill.

The next stop for these bills is the Senate's Natural Resources and Agricultural Committee. Please contact members of the committee and tell them to oppose HB 5082, 5501, 5502, 5536, and 5556:

Sen. Sue Shink (Chair)
(517) 373-2426
[email protected]

Sen. John Cherry (Majority Vice Chair)
(517) 373-0142
[email protected]

Sen. Kevin Daley (Minority Vice Chair)
(517) 373-1777
[email protected]

Find links to the full committee list and a fast action form to contact your personal state legislators in our bio!

Address

P. O. Box 83
Marquette, MI
49855

Website

https://citizensforsuperior.org/, https://citizensforsuperior.org/links, https://bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch

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