Courtesy of Jordan F. Lubetkin, the Regional Communications Manager of the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Natural Resource Center, come these nominations for state "natural landmarks" or "Michigan monuments," which I solicited on this blog a few weeks ago. It's an interesting selection from which the Governor could choose.
Proposed Landmarks, via NWF Great Lakes staff:
Brockway Mountain in the Keewenaw
The Yellow Dog Plains
The Huron Mountains
Jordan River Valley
Headwaters of the Manistee (the Pine and Little Manistee Rivers)
The alvars of Drummond Island
The St. Clair Flats and St. John's Marsh (a freshwater delta)
Portage swamp (headwaters of the Grand River, from M-52 west to Jackson - home habitat for Michigan's sandhill cranes.)
Gravel and limestone reefs of Detroit and St. Clair rivers (spawning habitat for lake sturgeon)
Black, Crooked and Burt lakes (inland sturgeon)
Watersmeet (western UP - where the Mississippi and St. Lawrence River drainages meet.)
At least one landmark of significance to historic tribal culture - maybe lands of the Potowatami in southwest Michigan (near Niles, Three Rivers)
Sand dune complex from Ludington north to Nordhouse Dunes
Whitefish point (maritime and avian significance)
Groundwater (everywhere in MI)
Renovated Ford Rouge plant