For six years I have worked with the Washtenaw County Natural Areas Preservation Program, helping to protect some of the most special places in the county. Several things have struck me about this program.

• This program understands its priorities. Acquisitions are made on sound science, and conservation principles such as proximity to other protected properties. This ensures that the lands protected are those that are most important to the future of the community.

• This program is business-like. Many land acquisition programs are faulted for failing to plan for ‘life after protection.’ The Natural Areas Preservation Program has, from the beginning, set aside a fund balance to guarantee that these properties receive proper management in the years to come. • This program is collaborative. Working through the loose partnership of Preserve Washtenaw, the Natural Areas Preservation Program, other publicly funded programs, and local non-profits cooperate to do the best conservation in the most cost effective manner possible.

• This program is important to the future. Consider the places that work - Minneapolis, Seattle, Austin, Madison - one of the things they share in common is a commitment to protecting the important and special places that define them. This is not a result of a confident future, but, rather, a pre-condition.

Please vote to renew this millage. It is a small price to pay for a vibrant future.

Susan Lackey Chelsea