Field assessor Mark Gawronski gets muddy at Mud Lake Bog in Northfield Township

Bioreserve Project staff have completed reports on over 100 natural area properties that over 77 volunteers assessed over the last two field seasons!  Volunteers found 290 different ecosystems and identified over 500 different plant species!

Here is an example of one of the reports we have shared with property owners, conservancies, and local governments.  We will be working with them on restoration and protection of the highest scoring properties.

HRWC is preparing for our third field season, to begin this May.

If you are interested in participating, join us for the next field assessment training:

Assessing Natural Areas: Rapid Ecological Assessment

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2010

Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Room 125

Join Kris Olsson of the Huron River Watershed Council to learn how you can help identify high-quality natural areas for protection, as part of HRWC Bioreserve Project . At this workshop, volunteers will learn to conduct a rapid ecological assessment of grasslands, forests, wetlands, and aquatic habitats. Trained volunteers are then certified to be sent out in groups to work together on site assessments throughout the spring, summer and fall (an expected time commitment of four hours per site). Participants will gain broadly applicable skills in ecological assessment. Please bring a sack lunch. The workshop includes hands-on practice outdoors, so please come prepared for weather and mud.

Register here

If you cannot attend but would still like to participate, check out the web site to find out how to get involved.

The stormwater rate system bills properties based on the flows that they generate that make use of the stormwater system, as represented by impervious area. Impervious surfaces do not absorb water. Examples of impervious areas include roofs, pavement, sidewalks, patios, and gravel or crushed stone surfaces.

Now that you know, please come to a seminar, Providing Communities with Tools and Resources for developing and implementing a Stormwater Utility, to learn more about why HRWC thinks they are so effective and successful in watershed management.

Sponsors: Huron River Watershed Council and CDM Michigan

March 26, 2010 – 8:30-12:00 pm – The NEW Center, 1100 N. Main St. Ann Arbor. This seminar is free but advance registration is required.  Please send an email to lrubin@hrwc.org.

Program
8:30am Welcome and Seminar Overview
Laura Rubin, Executive Director, HRWC
Mark TenBroek, Vice President, CDM

8:45am What is a Stormwater Utility?
John Aldrich, Senior Vice President, CDM

9:30am Case Studies- Issues and Opportunities
Molly Wade and Jerry Hancock, City of Ann Arbor
Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, NE Ohio Regional Sewer District
Discussion

11:10am Break

11:20am Statewide Legislation
Amy Mangus, Coordinator, SEMCOG Environmental Programs

11:50am Closing Remarks

12:00pm Adjourn

Save money and water with WaterSense products

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Program has a new website packed with information on WaterSense products, partners, rebates and the many benefits of water efficiency, including energy savings.

According to EPA’s website, products with the WaterSense label will:

• Perform as well as or better than their less efficient counterparts
• Be about 20% more water-efficient than average products in that category
• Realize water savings on a national level
• Provide measurable water savings results
• Achieve water efficiency through several technology options
• Be effectively differentiated by the WaterSense label

In order to be considered for the WaterSense label, products must be tested and certified to meet the criteria in the WaterSense specification for water efficiency and performance.

The website features interactive educational materials, a water-efficiency rebate finder, and tips on how to on how to start using water more efficiently around the home. The WaterSense Program URL is: http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/.

Look for WaterSense labeled products and start saving money, water and energy!

Many smaller streams, lakes, and wetlands are now unprotected under the Clean Water Act

Two court cases have left major loopholes in the Clean Water Act, leaving many tributaries and wetlands within the Huron and Great Lakes watersheds, and national rivers, lakes, and wetlands unprotected from polluters and regulation.  HRWC has been working with federal legislators over the past 3 years to limit the impact of the cases, including the introduction of the Clean Water Restoration Act.

On Sunday February 28, The New York Times published “Rulings Restrict Clean Water Act, Foiling E.P.A.” a great article that describes how the Clean Water Act has been gutted. We highly recommend you read it.

A Michigan Wetlands Meeting, hosted by the Michigan Wetlands Association, Agriculture and Natural Resources Week, Kellogg Center, Michigan State University.

Are You Interested in Wetland Science, Policy and Stewardship?

HRWC has been involved in discussions about the possible formation of a Michigan Wetlands Association. This meeting will provide a great opportunity to hear about this new group and about current wetland issues. The meeting will be of significance to those interested in wetland science, policy and stewardship in Michigan, including:

• Wetland professionals
• University faculty and students
• Environmental and conservation organization staff
• State, federal, local and tribal agency staff
• Interested individuals

The meeting will include presentations from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment and other wetland professionals on current wetland issues, including recent amendments to Michigan’s wetland law, changes in wetland delineation methods, and new wetland monitoring and assessment efforts.  A session on the formation of a new Michigan Wetlands Association will also be included.

Please register for this meeting by Friday March 5, 2010.  There is no registration fee but registration is limited.  Box lunches will be provided to the first 100 individuals to register, so register soon!

Funding for this meeting is being provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) Wetlands Program as part of a continued effort to improve communication on wetland issues through workshops and conferences.    ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Registration Form

Attendee Name

Firm Name

Address

Phone                                                               Email                                                                               Vegetarian Meal

Fill out and attach this registration form to an e-mail to MiWetlands@yahoo.com.

Directions to the Kellogg Center are available at http://www.hfs.msu.edu/kellogg/about/location.html

 If you had five minutes on stage in front of 200 people what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds?

We’ll get to hear HRWC Watershed Planner Elizabeth Riggs’ take in “Leave Some for the Fish” at Ignite Ann Arbor on Thursday, March 4, 7pm at the Ross School of Business, Blau Auditorium.  The event is free, but attendees need to RSVP in advance at Ignite Ann Arbor.  Doors open at 6:30pm.

 Ignite was started in Seattle in 2006.  It’s a chance for people who are passionate about something to share it with others.  Since then hundreds of five minute talks have been given across the world.  During this first week in March, designated “Global Ignite Week,” igniters on six continents have answered the call, signing up to speak in nearly 60 cities.  Elizabeth will be one of 17 speakers sharing their passion here at the Ann Arbor event.

 We here on staff at HRWC already know that Elizabeth cares deeply about the Huron River and water protection.  We also know she gives mighty good talks. Now is your chance to know it too!

Donate your favorite cookies to the Millers Creek Film Festival!

HRWC is seeking cookie donations for the reception that follows our Millers Creek Film Festival,
Friday, March 19, 2010,
at the Michigan Theater,
603 East Liberty, Ann Arbor.

From the humble oatmeal raisin to the most decadent chocolate chip and everything in between, we traditionally get some of the best homemade cookies around — something the crowd looks forward to every year!

Bakers planning to come to the festival, which starts at 4:30 and runs until 6pm, can bring cookies with them.

Those who aren’t able to stay should plan to deliver cookies anytime between 3:30 and 4:30pm.  We’ll have a volunteer standing by at the theater entrance to receive your cookies.

Make sure you label your cookies with your name, the kind of cookie, and whether they have nuts.  The crowd will need this information in order to rave about how good they are!  And we’ll want to be able to thank you.

E-mail or call Pam at plabadie@hrwc.org, (734) 769-5123 x 602 if you will donate cookies.

Portage Creek residents learn lake-friendly shoreline stabilization techniques

The Portage Creek Watershed Advisory Group and HRWC just completed the Watershed Management Plan for Portage Creek, also known as Hell Creek, one of the two largest tributaries to the Huron River. The Plan is available for download here by section.

Portage Creek, tucked in a corner of the Huron River watershed, is easily one of the region’s prettiest and healthiest tributaries thanks to the extensive natural areas that protect it from human activities. Read more about this fine creek. The Plan assesses the current condition of freshwater resources, identifies current and future threats to those resources, sets goals for watershed management, and presents a strategy for implementing recommended management practices.

The Plan has been submitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment for a 90-day review to be sure that it meets state and federal requirements as a plan that can be eligible for funding through the federal Clean Water Act. Once approved, local governments, local nonprofit organizations, tribes, local school systems, colleges and universities can apply for grant funding to implement the priority activities of the Plan.

The last meeting of the Watershed Advisory Group during this planning phase will be held on Tuesday, March 2nd at 9:30 AM at Unadilla Township Hall, 126 Webb Street, Gregory, MI. A main topic of discussion will concern moving from planning to implementing the Plan. The public is invited to attend.

Dan Nienhuis reeled in the Millie for best PSA in 2007 with this clever fellow in "Fish School."

The Millers Creek Film Festival will be held on Friday, March 19, 4:30-6pm at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.

Watch this year’s entries on the big screen in the Michigan’s main theater, and celebrate the winning filmmakers at a post-screening cookie reception in the lobby.

We’ll present ”Millies” (our very own version of the Oscars) to the best short films and public service announcements. And HRWC staff will be on hand with information about the Huron River.

This family friendly event is FREE and open to the public.

Click here for more details.

These spread-out development patterns consume large amounts of land, threatening wildlife habitat and water quality

A recent article in the Livingston Daily Newspaper describes the aftermath of development ever expanding out into the countryside — as we build new businesses and homes further and further out, instead of  within existing built areas, natural areas are consumed.  As pavement and rooftops replace trees and soil, rainwater, along with many fertilizers, oil, and other chemicals, runs directly into our creeks, lakes, and rivers.

The article underscores HRWC’s Key Message:

“To maintain the Huron River watershed’s health in the face of increased population, we must change current patterns of development by encouraging higher density where infrastructure already exists, and holding onto our natural areas so they can continue to provide the ecological services necessary to maintain quality of water, air, land, and life.”