The first township farmland protection plan in Washtenaw County was written by a task force that Jan formed while she was a Superior Township Trustee. She enjoys hiking, swimming, camping and sailing her family's 16-foot “Hobie” catamaran on Michigan lakes. She is an avid hockey fan and player-on travel and house teams, as well as on the backyard pond. Jan is a firm believer in community involvement. She appreciates that the success of the Huron River Watershed Council’s river restoration and protection efforts to date reflect the Council’s ability to attract large numbers of citizen volunteers for hands-on projects. In Pittsfield, volunteers listen for frogs and toads, label storm drains, design greenways, plant native gardens, monitor blue bird nesting boxes, eradicate invasive plants from the parks, and conduct many other projects.

"Every day, I met new people who cared deeply for the river and were motivated to help. People came to be inspired and, in turn, inspired me. Over 30 paddlers donated their time and talent to guide me down the Huron. Alone, I could not have done this swim. But together, we helped changed perceptions of the Huron River and increase awareness for its value and its challenges. The paddlers and I noticed many positive signs of a healthy Huron River

• Abundant wildlife (kingfisher, great blue heron, green heron, night heron, sandhill crane, cedar waxwings)
• Mostly healthy riparian conditions. HRWC stresses to landowners, sportspeople and others that it si important to the health of the river to maintain woody plants, grasses, and other native growth along the river to protect it from the negative impacts of urban runoff.
• Advocates supporting the river. I met many individuals committed to protecting ‘their stretch’ of the Huron River. They use the resource on an almost daily basis and have an intimate awareness of section s of the Huron . Together, these many good and dedicated people can keep this momentum moving forward, improving the Huron through large and small actions.

"Forty years ago, the Huron River was dirty, polluted and misused. Thanks to the efforts of HRWC and many others, the Huron is “on the mend”. People are reclaiming this river, and my swim helped raise awareness. I am proud of that contribution and grateful to all who helped me on this journey. If you were not able to join us on te swim, please consider supporting HRWC now with your donation. Let’s keep building the legacy of stewardship for this abundant resource."

As part of the Adopt-A-Stream program Gary has mapped streams and habitats, surveyed bank shape and erosion patterns and measured stream flow in all kind of weather. Dissatisfied with the inaccuracies in measuring stream bank profiles with the standard equipment, Gary recently created a lightweight, simple and elegant devise that makes it easy for volunteers to be accurate.

Gary's first piece of handcrafted equipment for the Adopt-A-Stream program, called "the Contraption" was created several years ago when volunteers first measured dangerously high storm flows. Gary and Ron Rottiers made a devise that enabled the volunteers to remain out of the water while measuring water depth and velocity. The Contraption is built on a dolly, enabling the team to roll it to the stream site. It can be lowered into the water from a bridge, but can also be set up using trees on both sides of the bank to string a taut cable over a stream that has no bridge. Photo at right shows Gary lowering the "Contraption" that enables volunteers to measure water depth and velocity in deep water without getting wet. PHOTO CREDIT: Marc Akemann

5% of the daily gross donated to HRWC totals $5,446.90!
Photo at right is the Whole Foods Market Team Members with the check presented to HRWC.

Our thanks to Whole Foods Market for this generous donation and to those of you able to shop in the store on that day.

Since moving to Ann Arbor after graduating from Kalamazoo College in 1993, John’s highly varied career has included working as a legal assistant, doing telecommunications work, helping in congressional and senate campaigns, and overseeing media planning and research in markets across the United States. Now he has a construction company which develops and manages various multi-family, highway commercial, retail and industrial developments in Washtenaw County.

John and his family live in a lovely home on an island in the Huron River where the Watershed Council was privileged to hold our “Art on the River” event. He says he has always loved nature and the outdoors, and he has passed that love on to his son who is a volunteer with HRWC. One can understand John’s interest in the river and water quality when you read about his hobbies. They include fishing, sailing, water polo, and scuba diving.

Mary is trained as an accountant but she also enjoys spending her time in other pursuits. She attends township board and planning meetings to keep herself, and the township, informed on watershed issues. She participates in River RoundUps and sets a great example for her 17-year-old son, Alex, who has been active in watershed issues since he was ten. Mary has also been a tremendous help in collecting water samples and monitoring flow rates as part of two innovative stormwater demonstration projects in Wixom, coordinated by HRWC.

Mary is an accomplished quilter and makes both bed and art quilts. She also teaches quilting and belongs to a knitting group and an art group where she designs some of her art quilts.