Michigan Politics
Lobbyist Turned Outdoors Advocate May Boost MUCC
By George Weeks

Decades ago, when burly Tom Washington was the legendary executive director of the 100,000- member Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC), he was a booming voice that helped hone the state's reputation as a leader in protecting natural resources.

He had the ear of Governor Bill Milliken, President George H.W. Bush, and, for the most part, the Michigan Legislature.

But when state lawmakers got wobbly on Washington's call for a bottle/can deposit law, he launched a successful ballot drive that now makes us all soldiers in the war against litter.

When Washington died in 1995, the Detroit Free Press headlined: "Voice of state conservation falls silent." Freep columnist Hugh McDiarmid said he had "roared like a lion" for the cause.

"A mountain of a man," who brawled for the cause, opined editor Glen Sheppard of the Charlevoixbased North Woods Call.

Where, oh where, is such a voice now? Where is grassroots clout for outdoor Michigan when:

The Legislature just failed to face up to the need to hike hunting and fishing fees; the Department of Natural Resources now faces layoffs of conservation officers; closing of state parks that are among the jewels of Michigan tourism; and closing of fisheries research stations at a time when Great Lakes fishing faces evasive and other threats; Governor Jennifer Granholm last week vetoed funding for forestry programs in soil conservation districts; President George W. Bush last week vetoed funding for Great Lakes projects that included the absolutely critical barrier to entry of Asian carp into Lake Michigan?

Possibly, a much-needed voice will be that of Dennis Muchmore, who upon taking over at the MUCC several months ago, vowed a "major uplifting to bolster its influence and membership" - membership that fell to about half of what it was under Washington.

Muchmore, founder of a top shop of lobbyists, is hardly a burly brawler. He is, however, a highly effective Lansing operative whose appointment has been widely welcomed.

President Bill Rustem of Lansing based Public Sector Consultants, a former Milliken environmental aide who has headed projects for Granholm and was the driving force for the MUCC's bottle deposit drive, hails Muchmore as a strong champion for conservation:

"He knows Lansing. He cares about the issues. He's not as far to the right as the NRA (National Rifle Association) or to the left as the MEC (Michigan Environmental Council)."

Muchmore's prominence on the Lansing scene is underscored by his being subject of the cover story of the sprightly new online Dome Magazine (www.domemagazine.com) launched by Tom Scott, former press secretary to ex-Governor Jim Blanchard and now editor of the Michigan Retailer publication of the Michigan Retailers Association.

The magazine said Muchmore, a pheasant hunter and fly fisherman, "sees hunting and fishing as an economic necessity for the state, something that should be encouraged not just for the tradition, but for the dollars that it brings to Michigan."

As Muchmore told the North Woods Call: "The need for a strong voice for Michigan's outdoors has never been greater."

Let it be heard.

George Weeks retired last year after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.