CCL Michigan volunteers and other community members pose with Sen. Stabenow

Rooted in our relationships: A tree planting for Senator Stabenow

By Flannery Winchester

In CCL, we put a big emphasis on relationships — not just with each other and in our communities, but with our members of Congress, too. And in any strong relationship, you take time to honor the milestones and the big moments. 

One of those moments came for Sen. Debbie Stabenow when she decided not to seek re-election in 2024. CCL leadership in Michigan wanted to celebrate her climate efforts, after working with her for more than 10 years.

“The group decided that planting trees in the newly named Debbie Stabenow Park in Lansing would be an appropriate, long-living, public testament to her environmental legacy,” said Linda Racine, co-State Coordinator for CCL Michigan.    

Volunteers across the state raised money to plant a cluster of trees and to commission an engraved stone that will provide a lasting tribute to “her climate advocacy and her tireless work to build a safe, sustainable future.”

The official dedication was held earlier this year, on Saturday, May 17. In addition to CCL volunteers and Sen. Stabenow herself, attendees included the mayor of Lansing, Andy Schor, and staff from the offices of current Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin. 

Sen. Stabenow’s remarks

At the event, Sen. Stabenow spoke about the progress she’s seen on the bipartisan climate conversation over the years. 

She shared that in her early days in office, she held a hearing on “severe weather” rather than climate in order to make the topic more accessible to her colleagues across the aisle.

She said, “We’ve come a long way since then, and all of you have been really important in this process.” As evidence of that progress, she mentioned the Growing Climate Solutions Act, a bill she led with then-Senator Mike Braun of Indiana. 

“The Growing Climate Solutions Act was the only bill that has ever passed the Congress with the word ‘climate’ in the title,” Sen. Stabenow highlighted. The bill enjoyed broad bipartisan support and CCL supported it at every step of the way.

Sen. Stabenow closed her remarks telling the CCLers, “What you do is very important. Don’t give up on it. It’s easy right now to think it doesn’t make a difference, but […] I’m just urging you to keep it up.” 

She acknowledged the wider political context of climate and clean energy under the current administration, saying, “The only thing that’s going to slow this down is engaged citizens. And the Citizens’ Climate Lobby has been at the forefront.”

A CCL-supported climate legacy

Sen. Stabenow’s climate action didn’t stop — or start! — with the Growing Climate Solutions Act. 

She produced a 2019 report, Climate Crisis and Michigan, which called attention to the impact of a changing climate on agriculture, the state’s economy, the Great Lakes, and public health. Her report also described how Michigan could lead the way in clean energy, boosting the economy and creating jobs. 

Then, as Congress worked on the Farm Bill, Sen. Stabenow’s staff met with CCL volunteers who have agriculture and forestry expertise, including three members of our Agriculture and Forestry Action Team and another CCLer who works as a forestry manager.

Sen. Stabenow also joined the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus in 2020, fostering better dialogue on climate among her Senate colleagues.

Her engagement on the climate issue was steadily supported and encouraged by CCL Michigan volunteers who, over the years, have generated at least 8,599 letters and 2,758 calls to her office. (We say “at least” because the numbers are likely even higher — CCL Michigan’s relationship with Sen. Stabenow goes back even further than CCL’s current action tracking system!)

Michigan CCLers also held at least 64 meetings with Sen. Stabenow or her staffers in her Michigan offices, on Capitol Hill, or virtually.

“During COVID (2020), she met with 150 Michigan volunteers from our 17 chapters across the state on Zoom, and we had a chance to hear her thoughts on various climate policies being considered at the time and how we could help,” Linda said.

Several of CCL’s former liaisons to the Senator were in attendance at the tree planting, including Lisa DelBuono. “The whole event was warm, despite the temperatures, wind, and mist. I think it touched the heart of the Senator and all those who attended,” Lisa said.

Another former liaison to Sen. Stabenow, Sue Holcomb, said, “Planting trees in Sen. Stabenow’s honor at a park where she raised her children and now takes her grandkids — her park — is beyond words fabulous. It is a forever commemoration of her work, CCL’s work with her, and the power of natural solutions like trees to heal our planet.”