Are you passionate about conservation and protecting our natural resources? Are you interested in educating others in the community and making a difference at the same time? If you answered yes to either of these questions, serving on our board of directors might be perfect for you!
The District is looking for a community member to serve on our board of directors. Board meetings are typically held on the last Tuesday of each month and are open for public comments. Elections for this position will be held at the annual meeting on January 31, 2019. If interested, a signed petition must be on file at the District office by December 3, 2018. Please see the documents on the "About Us" tap for more information. For questions or concerns or to get a copy of the petition, please contact the office at 517-543-1512 x5.

It's that time of year again! Send us your photos with a natural resource theme and follow the guidelines found HERE. Deadline for contest entries is November 19th. We can't wait to see all your great photos!

Eaton Conservation District, along with many other sponsors and partners, will be hosting a field day, Thursday September 20th from 2-7pm at Single Tree Farms in Olivet, MI.

The field day will have a jam-packed agenda, with topics being touched on such as: introducing livestock into row crops, grazing cover crop leases, fencing and water considerations, liability and grazing rented land, forage production and much more!

Join us for an informative afternoon and learn about the opportunities for everyone involved in these types of production! Check out the flyer below and make sure to call the office at (517) 543-1512 x5 with any questions!

The Eaton Conservation District will screen well water samples for nitrates and nitrites at this year's Eaton County Fair at the Williams Farm Machinery booth from 10am-2pm. This free screening is available for Eaton county residents who have private wells for drinking water.

Sampling instructions and the Sample Information Form can be downloaded below.

If you have any questions, please call (517) 543-1512 x 5 and speak to Allison Trierweiler, MAEAP Technician.

Since 2016, the Mid-Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) has been working to increase the capacity to manage invasive species by providing resources and assistance to partner organizations and citizens to prevent, detect, and control invasive species in Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, and Ionia counties. So far, Mid-Michigan CISMA accomplishments include:
 

• CISMA and partner organization treatments (chemical and mechanical) that addressed CISMA-priority species of black swallow-wort, Japanese knotweed, invasive phragmites, and other invasive species of interest by CISMA partners, totaling almost 400 acres, including a full lake treatment for Eurasian watermilfoil
• CISMA education and outreach events and presentations that reached over 9400 people directly, and newsletters, articles, social media, and a billboard campaign reached over 1,118,300 people in total
• Six AIS Mobile Boat Wash/Landing Blitz events held in Ingham, Clinton, and Ionia counties that reached over 150 recreationists about aquatic invasive species and washing 45 boats/canoes
• Three Clean Boats, Clean Waters volunteer training sessions and CBCW online modules that trained 36 people in the program
• CISMA municipal invasive species trainings, with four events that trained 58 participants in 2017 and 84 participants in 2018
• Promotion of statewide programs such as Reduce Invasive Pet and PLant Escapes (RIPPLE), Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch and Eyes on the Forest, as well as national invasive species programs including PlayCleanGo, Backyard Bark Beetles, and Don’t Move Firewood
   
  The Mid-Michigan CISMA has grown to a partnership of over 30 local organizations working together on invasive species issues while promoting sustainability and creating structure for the CISMA. Any organization interested in invasive species management, education, and outreach within the four-county area is invited to become a Mid-Michigan CISMA partner organization. Together, we can spread the word, not the species! Please contact the Regional Invasive Species Coordinator via email to erin.jarvie@macd.org for more information. The Mid-Michigan CISMA is funded in part by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program through the Departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Quality, and Agriculture and Rural Development.

Ionia Conservation District will be hosting several Household Hazardous Waste Collection dates coming up. They will ALSO take pesticides/herbicides from any Michigan producer at these collection times. They ask that any producer with loads larger than 2 jugs call ahead of time. There will also likely be a clean sweep event  (no household hazardous waste) for agricultural producers in August. Date and time to be announced. Please see below for a list of the currently scheduled collection times.
**Please Note, all collection times take place from 8:00am until Noon**

Ionia                                                               
April 28, 2018
303 S. Jackson St.

Portland
May 5, 2018
Portland Fire Department
733 E. Grand River Ave.

Belding
May 19, 2018
Old Hospital Lot on M-44
408 W. State St.

Ionia
September 22, 2018
303 S. Jackson St.

Free Wildlife and Pollinator Habitat Workshops for Landowners

We will be hosting our annual Wildlife Workshop on Tuesday, March 27       in the basement of our building at 551 Courthouse Drive, Charlotte.
This year's topic covers wildlife and pollinator habitats. Call the office at
(517) 543-1512 x5 to reserve your spot! See below for details.

Landowners looking to attract deer, songbirds, pheasants and pollinators like butterflies onto their property, while improving air, water and soil quality, are invited to attend one of several free workshops about the programs and tools available to help create quality wildlife habitat.
Michigan United Conservation Clubs – along with local conservation districts, Quality Deer Management Association branches, Pheasants Forever chapters, the National Wildlife Federation, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and many other partners – will hold a series of special habitat workshops around the Lower Peninsula this spring about how to plant, manage and fund grassland habitats on private land.
Grassland habitats provide significant value to wildlife and to Michigan citizens. They filter water, collect carbon to help clean the air and hold down soil to prevent erosion. They also provide homes and food for a variety of wildlife, including deer, songbirds, butterflies, turkeys, pheasants and insects like bees and butterflies that help pollinate important agricultural crops.
These workshops are hosted in part by the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative Coalition. The Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative is a conservation initiative to restore and enhance Michigan pheasant habitat, populations and hunting opportunities on private and public lands via pheasant cooperatives. The initiative works by acquiring state and federal resources to assist landowners in the cooperatives to improve wildlife habitat on their properties and by improving habitat on selected state game areas, recreation areas or other public lands.

ECD will be at the Lansing Home and Garden Show, March 15-18 at the MSU Pavilion. Stop by and see us! Click the image below to receive $2 off your admission!