H2O Hero, John Dingell, Laura Rubin
Friend of HRWC, Congressman John Dingell is now the longest standing member of Congress.

In this edition of our river news round up, read about river heroes from young to old, take a look back at your community through time using a new Google tool, learn what you need to know about ticks.

Muir Middle School Students Participate in Project GREEN, Clean Up Huron River Getting children out to the river is such a great way to build a connection to our environment.  A group of middle school students spent a day in the Huron cleaning up trash and taking water quality measurements.  Thanks to Mrs. Gustafson’s class at Muir Middle School in Milford for helping protect the Huron River!

A look back at modern-day John Dingell in Ann Arbor  As a clean water advocate and good friend of HRWC, we want to say congratulations to John Dingell for becoming the longest serving member of Congress.  He has been a strong advocate for the people of his district and has helped communities of the Huron River Watershed on many issues important to our quality of life.

Watch Michigan change over time using Google’s ‘Earth Engine’  Do you remember “how it used to be?” Take a look back in time with this cool new tool from Google that lets you look at your community and how it has changed over the recent decades.  Notice anything interesting, fun or sad?  Let us know in the comments.

There’s a tick boom in Michigan – Here are 5 things you should know  As many of our field volunteers can tell you, it is a bumper year for ticks in this area.  Don’t be alarmed.  Just be aware.  And use this resource and others to make sure that any ticks you may encounter did not leave behind more than an itchy bite and creepy feeling.

Preparation begins for $3.16M reconstruction of Madison Street in Old West Side  A new road project is set to include features that reduce stormwater impacts to the neighborhood residents, city infrastructure and the river.  Features like larger storm pipes and rain gardens can keep water out of our streets and basements.  The gardens, in particular also help keep pollutants and detrimental flows from reaching the Huron.  A large portion of this project is funded through Ann Arbor’s stormwater utility – a steady source of funds for proactive projects that help protect the river from stormwater impacts.