Judy and Paul collect river life in a net.

See fall colors and help us find the river bugs that tell how healthy the river is. Join the River RoundUp on Saturday, Oct. 2. Please register here by Sept. 15! Details about the event are here.

A trained leader (see photo) will take you to the stream where you search through stones, leaves, and water. Only our leaders go in the water, so you will not get wet. You will be amazed at the amount of life you find in our fresh water! The activities are suitable for all ages, from children (each with their own adult) to retirees.  HRWC volunteers make the Huron the best studied river in Michigan!

The Roundup will take about five hours on Oct. 2 and you choose whether to start at 8:45 or 10 AM. You must register by Sept. 15^th in order to be put on a team. The event is free.

Learn about the river creatures at ID Day on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 10.

Want to help in other ways?  Email Joan ONLY if you can help with set-up (10am on Oct.1), posting fliers (now) or welcoming people to this event (8:30am on Oct. 2).

IMPORTANT! Register by Sept. 15!

Barry Lonik and Mike Penskar enjoy the Huron River

HRWC members have been enjoying a series of fun, relaxing, and educational paddles down the beautiful Huron River this summer. Our  intrepid river guides Barry Lonik, Rob Sell, and HRWC staff have led groups down the river in three legs, starting at Kent Lake, in Oakland County, and so far reaching Dexter Huron Metropark, in Washtenaw County.  The last trip, on September 11, will pick up there and finish near Barton Dam.

The trips have provided a cool respite from the heat of the summer, as well as great encounters with blue herons, kingfishers, kingbirds and hawks over head, turtles basking on logs all along the river, fish of all kinds, and great company and conversation.

Join us on the next and final trip on September 11.

Each trip is 3-4 hours long, and includes discussion regarding that river section, its water ecology, history and unique features. HRWC will arrange shuttle transportation. Bring your own watercraft, gear, food, drinking water and appropriate dress for the weather. Every boat must have flotation devices, and every paddler must wear one. Register with msmith@hrwc.org

Making fish prints with HRWC at the GREEN TENT.

Last weekend I spent three days under the GREEN TENT in beautiful Riverside Park talking with the people of Ypsilanti about the Huron River.  HRWC sponsored an exhibit and thanks to several wonderful volunteers we demonstrated stream monitoring or “bug catching” as it is fondly called by the younger crowd; we hosted an art activity for kids making prints of Huron River fish using an old Japanese technique that fisherman used for recording their catch; and we raffled off a brand new three person canoe generously donated by REI Ann Arbor to help raise money for our work.

I am happy to report that the winner of the CANOE RAFFLE, Marc Davignon, is a young man from Ypsilanti who is a passionate canoer and thrilled that he now has his own canoe with which to navigate the Huron.  I was able to reach him at home within minutes of the drawing and his parents helped transport the canoe right from the Festival.

I am equally happy to report the enthusiasm and interest I heard and saw  from the people at the Festival about the Huron River.  So many of you shared your favorite places to canoe, asked questions about the stretch of river in the park, expressed an interest in joining us for River RoundUp in October, helped your kids make fish prints, and asked if we planned to come back again next summer with another canoe to raffle.

Thanks also to the GREEN TENT sponsors, Eastern Michigan University and the City of Ypsilanti, that work hard each year to draw interesting exhibitors from Southeastern Michigan who can share information on how to protect the environment, conserve energy, and provide healthy locally grown foods.  This year they made a special effort to bring the birds of prey from the Leslie Science & Nature Center to the tent.  Let me just say that in spite of the rainy weather on Saturday, the bald eagle stole the show!

Mark your calendars for next year’s Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, most likely the third weekend in August, and be sure to join us.  You don’t want to miss the fun!

The Michigan Conservation Steward Education Program starts, Saturday, September 11.  Register by September 2.

People interested in the outdoors, natural resources, natural history, and the area’s environmental issues are encouraged to enroll in the Michigan Conservation Steward Education Program in Ann Arbor, September 11 through November 3 hosted by Washtenaw County MSU Extension.

• The 40-hour course begins Saturday, September 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a look at conservation heritage. It continues with evening sessions every Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m., beginning September 15 and ending November 3.  Saturday sessions are also set for October 9 and 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sessions offer hands-on education focusing on ecological foundations, making decisions for natural resources, forests, grasslands, stream ecosystems, wetlands, and land use. 
• This certificate program also has a volunteer component where participants are required to volunteer 40 hours of conservation related service.
• Course fee is $250 and is due by September 2. 

Applications are available online along with a program brochure at http://extension.ewashtenaw.org or can be picked up at the Extension office at 705 N. Zeeb Rd.

For questions contact Bob Bricault at 734 997-1678.

Conservation Stewards is sponsored by MSU Extension partnering with Michigan DNR, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, MSU Dept. Of Community Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies, Natural Area Preservation, Stewardship Network, Legacy Land Conservancy, U of M Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Huron River Watershed Council, and Washtenaw County Departments: Parks and Recreation, Conservation District, and the office of the Water Resources Commissioner.

HRWC is advertising to educate watershed residents on the connection between storm drains and the Huron River.

Look for our ad series to appear in the upcoming editions of the Ann Arbor Journal, Dexter Leader, Chelsea Standard, Ypsilanti Courier, the Ann Arbor Observer and on www.heritage.com.

Pictured left, ads feature our famous tagline:  “Small actions make a BIG difference” and a link to a special “Take Action” area of our website where readers can get simple tips to protect the Huron River right in their own home and yard.

Stand by for more ads to run in the fall featuring pet waste, fall yard care and leaf raking!

The ad series is sponsored by the Middle Huron Stormwater Advisory Group which includes the City of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Public Schools, the Village of Dexter, Eastern Michigan University, Pittsfield Township, the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner, the Washtenaw County Road Commission, the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township.  These communities are required by law to educate residents regarding their individual impacts on rivers, streams, and lakes.

Contact Pam Labadie at plabadie@hrwc.org or (734)769-5123 x 602 for information on the HRWC ad program.

Catching river bugs at the Green Tent 2009.

HRWC along with a whole group of GREEN organizations and companies is heading to Ypsilanti this weekend.  We’ll be under the GREEN TENT in Riverside Park at the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, Aug 20-22. 

The GREEN TENT highlights organizations working in Southeastern Michigan that protect the environment, conserve energy, and provide people access to healthy locally grown foods.  Festival attendees can participate in a variety of fun activities including catching river bugs in the Huron, seeing birds of prey up close, or buying locally grown seasonal fruit. Come on down show your support and enjoy all that the Festival has to offer. 

Special HRWC-sponsored activities include:

Saturday, 11am-5pm — Catch river bugs in the Huron with Adopt-A-Stream.

Sunday, Noon-5pm — Make your own print of a freshwater fish, children’s art activity.

All weekend — Enter our “Canoe Raffle” for a chance to win an “Old Town Rockport Canoe” valued at $539. 

We’ll see you there!

The Peninsular Paper dam in Ypsilanti, MI on the Huron River

With funding from River Network, I traveled around Michigan this summer talking with the river and conservation community about the state of the state’s dams. Our experience with dams on the Huron River is revealing what’s working with the dam program in Michigan, and what’s broken. After talking with our peers also working on dam removal or repair, it’s clear that there’s much to improve if we’re going to protect Michigan’s rivers and citizens from unsafe, unproductive dams.

As the DNRE restructures itself, it’s the perfect time to make the voice of the river and conservation community heard on this critical issue. I’m preparing a summary of the regional meetings that will include a set of recommendations from the river and conservation community for how Michigan can become a leader in river conservation through selective dam removal. The recommendations will be presented to DNRE management and staff.

Ninety-three percent of Michigan’s 2,600 dams will reach or exceed their design life within the next 10 years and only a handful of them have funds for repairs, so there’s much work to do and bold steps must be taken to limit the fiscal, environmental and public safety toll.

I’ll blog here with updates on this initiative.

Volunteers Measure Stream Flow

The Livingston County Watershed Advisory Group, coordinated by the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC), is seeking volunteers to collect data at local streams for the remainder of this summer in the Chain of Lakes region.  HRWC is launching a new stream monitoring program in this area, expanding the number of monitoring sites in Livingston Co. to include locations from Kent Lake to Chilson Creek. 

We welcome all experienced volunteers to join us, however no prior experience is needed as training will be provided.  Volunteers will work in teams to measure stream flow, collect water samples and monitor other water quality parameters.  The information collected is analyzed and presented to elected officials and decision-makers from local units of government, Wayne, Livingston and Washtenaw counties, MDNRE, University of Michigan and other organizations.  The data collected will be critical in evaluating progress from projects designed to reduce eutrophic conditions in streams and lakes in the Chain of Lakes region. 

Program introduction and training will be held August 14th at 1pm in South Ore Creek by the Department of Public Works Building in Brighton, MI. Directions and map can be found here.

Please contact Ric Lawson, Watershed Planner at rlawson@hrwc.org or Debi Weiker at dweiker@hrwc.org for more information or to sign up.

Attendees brain-storming ideas about a Huron River Water Trail

In several parts of the watershed, people are interested in improving recreational access to the river, adding interpretive, way-finding and historical signage, creating linkages from city to village, and creative economic development opportunities.  These ideas are at the heart of a “Water Trail.”  Water Trails take on many forms, but in general they are trails in (and on) the water to foster an interactive recreational, historical, cultural, and tourist experience.

Building on this interest and the existing parks and canoe and kayak liveries, the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) held a half day seminar this past Wednesday with stakeholders and partners interested in developing a Huron River Water Trail.  HRWC wants to develop a trail that connects communities in Oakland, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties to the Huron River and its recreational, economic, historic, and cultural values.  This trail will provide increased recreational opportunities, improved access, restrooms and portages, highlight historical significance, and link community hubs to the river for increased economic opportunities such as food and overnight accommodations.

At the Dexter Library 40 people met to learn about water trails and brain storm ideas about the Huron River.  Barbara Nelson-Jameson with The National Park Service and Anita Twardesky from Riverside Kayaks shared their experiences with water trails throughout the state. Norm Cox with the Greenways Collaborative brought it back to the Huron with some terrific preliminary maps of what currently exists.

Great ideas were generated and will be compiled and posted to the website under “seminars” when complete.

We need your help to get this off the ground.  Contact Laura Rubin (lrubin@hrwc.org) if you want to get involved.

Michiganders are having a hot summer and the NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center reports global land and ocean surface temperatures in the first half of 2010 were the warmest January-June on record!

Keep in mind that scientists predict that, without changes in energy policy to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, we can expect many more days more akin to gulf coast weather than north country weather.  Summer air temperatures could rise by 7 – 13 degrees F, and extreme heat will be more common.

Additionally, we’ve seen one of the wettest years with some intense storms. This year we don’t seem to get showers but deluges….big storms.

Besides just making this a less comfortable place to live and the incidence of flooding on the rise, it will also impact the watershed.  For instance, the warmer air will increase evaporation and water temperatures will rise. For our lake systems, this dynamic increases the risk of anaerobic “dead zones” that kill fish and other aquatic organisms.  Fish populations are expected to change as cold-water species give way to warmwater species, and non-native species expand their territory while native species, which are adapted to a narrower range of conditions, decline. As a result, Michigan will be far less diverse ecologically.

To find out more about climate change and our watershed, take a look at our special climate change newsletter issue.

What can you do?

This week’s announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the Senate will not consider a comprehensive climate bill in the immediate future is disheartening.  Please call your senators’ Michigan offices today to urge them that this crisis will not wait.

Call:

• Debbie Stabenow – (517) 203-1760
• Carl Levin – (313) 226-6020

… And deliver these simple messages: 

• My name is _________, and I’m from  ______ and I’m calling today to urge [YOUR SENATOR] to work to pass climate and energy legislation.
• The devastation continuing to unfold in the Gulf  and now in the Kalamazoo River is a daily reminder that we must end our dependency on oil and move to a new, cleaner energy future.
• Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to human communities, wildlife habitat, and the natural resources we all rely on for clean air and water, and recreational opportunities such as hiking, camping, boating and wildlife watching.
• Please pass comprehensive climate legislation that caps carbon emissions, protects wildlife from the impacts of climate change and prohibits any new drilling off our coasts.