About Sweetwater
Return to homepage
 

Latest News

Background

With destruction of over 80 acres of wetlands near Traverse City, Michigan to his credit, residential developer Bill Clous has been labeled one of the  "most egregious" eco-criminals in Michigan's history. For more than a year, Clous' clear-cutting on the East Bay Township site went unnoticed.  But when the activity drew the attention of the county drain commissioner and state DEQ, it soon become clear that Clous' path of destruction had been blazed without permits and had severely damaged streams and wetlands.  Both agencies issued stop-work orders on the site in late 2002. Clous, however, ignored those orders, citing exemptions under Michigan's "right to farm" law, a claim that would later be judged untenable in court.

With state and county officials alerted but slow to move to enforcement, a coalition of citizens, including Sweetwater Alliance North, led the charge to pressure state and county officials to prosecute Clous. Just weeks into the campaign, County Prosecutor Dennis Labelle filed two cases against Clous, with the DEQ following with its own charges just weeks later. After a disappointing District Court settlement in late March 2004, citizens are again on the move to make sure Clous is held accountable for his crimes. At stake is not only restoration of the ravaged property, but setting a precedent that eco-crimes of this nature will not go unpunished.

More Background
2003 Traverse City Record Eagle three-part special on the Clous violations
Part 1 | Part 2 (N/A) | Part 3

Recent Headlines

Resources