On a daily basis, we here at HRWC, run across interesting local, state and national news that pertains to water resources. We’ve decided that if we find it interesting, maybe you will too. Beginning this week, and published twice a month, we will share five (or four or six) of our top reads. Inspiration will be drawn from articles, blogs, press releases, media clips and report releases. We will include a brief summary of the article and why we feel it is important.
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Completed Malletts Creek project restores habitat, fights erosion, officials say A restoration of a stretch of Malletts Creek is now complete. Restorations of this sort allow the river and it’s banks to do their job of slowing stormwater movement, reducing soil erosion and filtering pollutants. The project was celebrated recently and included a touching memorial to Wayne Mead who lost his life in an accident during the restoration.
EPA, Others Object to Whitewater Project The Ann Arbor Chronicle published a good piece summarizing the opposition to the development of an additional whitewater project proposed for the stretch of the river below Argo dam and adjacent to the Michcon/DTE clean-up and next to the existing whitewater park. The proposed project has many implications that could negatively impact both the community and the health of the river. To learn more about HRWC’s position on the issue and the concerns it raises for ecosystem health, see the letter to the Department of Environmental Quality provided in the article.
Editorial: Let the Grand River roar back to life Grand Rapids is joining the ranks of communities considering dam removal in Michigan. Dam removal is one of the most powerful tools in river restoration. It is becoming more popular as aging infrastructure is costly to maintain and many dams are no longer used for their original purpose. Grand Rapids is considering the removal of several dams in their downtown and restoring the rapids for which the city was named. We have had a successful dam removal right here in the Huron River Watershed on Mill Creek in downtown Dexter.
Visualizing Water Where does your water come from? What is it used for? How is it allocated among uses like agriculture, industry and domestic consumption? This article published in National Geographic’s Water Currents shares some new graphics to help shed some light on these questions for water use in the United States. While use varies from place to place, this is an excellent primer on the sources and uses of freshwater.
Finding the Elusive Volunteer There is an art to volunteerism. Finding, retaining and nurturing volunteers requires some savoir-faire. HRWC Stewardship Coordinator Jason Frenzel shares a few principles that are key to developing a successful volunteer program.
Happy reading!