The Michigan 4-H Youth Conservation Council (M4-HYCC) provides a unique opportunity for students to experience how a bill becomes a law. This organization has taken a hands-on approach to researching, writing and presenting a bill proposal to the State Senate and House of Representatives. Their primary goal of promoting the development of water trails in their state was to encourage community action and to increase interest in protecting and enjoying local water resources.

In December 2000, the Michigan 4-H Youth Conservation Council had the opportunity to meet and discuss several environmental issues with natural resource professionals. After establishing a consensus, the group decided to research and work to establish a Michigan Water Trail Program. Over the next six months, five different teams researched the proposal from several different local, state, and regional perspectives. Based on their research and testimony presented before the State Senate in April 2001, Senate Bill 415 was introduced. This bill gave a directive to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to begin implementing a Michigan Water Trail Program.

The council then worked to incorporate the additional dimension of creating "Heritage Water Trails". After presenting testimony to the Senate Committee of Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs, Senate Bill 415 passed out of committee in April of 2003. Later, the bill was passed in the State Senate and House of Representatives and approved by the Governor as Public Act 454. This new act directed the Center for Maritime Studies at Western Michigan University, the Department of Natural Resources and History, Arts and Libraries and the M4-HYCC to create a Michigan Heritage Water Trail Program. Their work will establish interpretive signage along the state's historical water trails, highlighting the importance of water as a natural resource. The group also proposed the development of a Michigan Clean Marina Program and announced a partnership with the Michigan Boating Industry, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and Michigan Sea Grant in the summer of 2003.

In April 2004, the students will present testimony to the Senate Committee of Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs regarding their recommendations on the issue of recycling and waste minimization in Michigan. In the end, the students involved in the M4-HYCC have learned that they can affect and change public policy.

Conservation International stated, "Conservation International (CI) supports the Michigan 4-H Youth Conservation Council in its work to identify and research current environmental issues and to use these efforts to affect public policy to benefit conservation. CI's founding cornerstones are science, policy, economics and awareness and this program builds strong skills in scientific and policy research, critical thinking, problem-solving and communications. It is an innovative program that focuses on identifying opportunities where a single action can affect conservation at a landscape scale.

M4-HYCC is clearly replicable to other regions and has already demonstrated efforts to catalyze programs across Michigan and the United States. The national 4-H network offers a unique opportunity to promote the concept in other states. Additionally, the youth conservation council could encourage local 4-H clubs to implement hands-on projects that build on key issues investigated by the M4-HCC."