The records of the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club document the activities of this state affiliate of the national organization as well as the general environmental movement in Michigan. The series in the record group are: Executive Committee Records, Administrative Records, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Health Issues, Land Issues, Legislation, Topical, and Audio/Visual Materials.
Founded in California in 1892, the Sierra Club was originally organized by John Muir and a small group of San Francisco professionals and businessmen concerned with preserving the natural features of the Sierra Nevada region. Over the next 70 years, the Sierra Club promoted the establishment and extension of national parks and forests and opposed activities that would alter wilderness areas such as the construction of hydro-electric dams and the cutting of old-growth forests. After years of battle and many regional successes, the Sierra Club was buoyed by congressional passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964. This act prohibited development in specific wilderness areas and established procedures for designating other such areas in the future.
While wilderness protection continued to be a major area of concern, the Sierra Club gradually became more involved in a wider range of environmental issues after the mid-1960s. In 1969, the San Francisco office won a suit to stop pollution in Lake Superior and, aligned with other national environmental groups, the Sierra Club fought successfully to ban the domestic use of DDT in 1972 and called for the closure of all commercial nuclear reactors in 1979. In 1980, the national office supported "Superfund" legislation designed to clean up toxic waste dumps. In that same year, the Sierra Club became involved in electoral politics for the first time and, during 1981 and 1982, the club organized a petition drive to oust Interior Secretary James Watt. Throughout the 1980s, the Sierra Club continued to encourage wilderness preservation and to strengthen clean air and water standards.
The history of the Mackinac chapter began in 1964 when a group, composed mainly of those hailing from Ann Arbor, gathered to establish a Michigan chapter of the Sierra Club. First organized as the Michigan Section of the Great Lakes Chapter (1964-1967), the national office gave formal approval for the establishment of a separate Michigan chapter in 1967 and the Mackinac Chapter was born. At that point, the chapter included 420 members, most of who lived in southeast Michigan.
During the early years, the business of developing a fledgling organization preoccupied the chapter. Outings and educational programs were popular and attracted new members. However, issue-oriented activity was not neglected. In 1968, the chapter urged the establishment of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and fought against the construction of the Presque Isle power plant in the Upper Peninsula.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the dual agenda of the Mackinac Chapter was similar to that of the Sierra Club nationally: to protect wilderness areas and to urge the state to control pollution more effectively. The chapter lobbied for the Michigan Wilderness Act that in 1987 finally resulted in the designation of some 90,000 acres as wilderness area. Members were keen supporters of legislation designed to protect wetlands and the fragile sand dunes along the Great Lakes. The Mackinac Chapter also supported restrictions on some types of activities within national and state forests such as off-road vehicle use and mineral exploration.
Aligned with other Michigan environmental groups, the chapter pressed for more stringent pollution controls. Whether dealing with the construction of new paper mills or the disposal of low-level radioactive waste, the Mackinac Chapter urged sensitivity to the environmental impact of such activities. Several issues absorbed the chapter throughout the late 1980s and into the 1990s, including the incineration of municipal waste (namely the Detroit Incinerator, the chapter urged the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Natural Resources to monitor more closely air emissions and the disposal of the toxic ash from this facility), the reorganization of the Department of Natural Resources by Governor Engler, and the land and resource management plan of the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
The Mackinac Chapter of the Sierra Club has expanded from a small, local group of conservationists to a statewide organization representing over 18,000 members. Current campaigns of interest include forest biodiversity protection, concentrated animal feeding operations, urban sprawl, healthcare without harm, and restoring state environmental stewardships. The chapter continues to take action on these issues through lobbying, litigation, grassroots organizing, public education and political action. The Mackinac Chapter is headquartered in Lansing and several local groups campaign for environmental issues throughout the state. Groups include Central Michigan, Central Upper Peninsula, Crossroads, Huron Valley, Kalamazoo Valley, Nepessing, Southeast Michigan, Three Lakes, Thumb Valley, Traverse Group, Wakelin-McNeel, and West Michigan. More information about the chapter can be found on its website at www.michigan.sierraclub.org.
In 2006 the chapter changed its name from the Mackinac Chapter to the Michigan Chapter. The chapter celebrated its 40th anniversary in October 2007.
