Not only has it been a while since I last posted, it's been a really, really long while since I last posted about the controversy surrounding development of the Colony Farm Orchard in Kalamazoo.
This is an issue that became centrally important to me 5 years ago because I was spending a ton of hours photographing wildlife in the Orchard and was concerned that WMU and legislators were looking to absolve the deed restrictions that were protecting the Orchard from any significant development or public disturbance. It was one of Kalamazoo's most unique wild spaces.
Well, the Orchard is back in the news again because WMU is very close to actually breaking ground on the property and beginning their expansion of the BTR Park. But their developments have not gone unnoticed. Protestors, organized in large part by the Kalamazoo Peace Center, marched outside the gates of the Orchard on April 3rd, 2015 to voice their opposition to any future development. You can read the Mlive article by clicking HERE.
My response to the controversy five years ago was the creation of a 20 minute documentary about the Orchard and WMU's plans to develop it. I recommend it as an educational primer for the issue. Given where the video leaves off, it comes as no surprise that we're now facing WMU's subsequent plans to finally move ahead with expansion. They're pretty much right on schedule. The question is what happens next?
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