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We are excited to announce that the Michigan Water Stewardship Program (MWSP) website has finally been released! MWSP is a program of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Environmental Stewardship Division. Broadly speaking, this grant funded program is made possible by the state of Michigan’s Groundwater/Freshwater fund. MWSP is a partnership of organizations that provide educational assistance to Michigan’s residents to identify and reduce contamination risks to water and other natural resources. The program encourages individuals to take voluntary proactive steps to protect Michigan’s water quality – our drinking water – as well as protect our other valuable natural resources while caring for our family’s health. The new website features a Water Story that has three characters or 'paths' that users can navigate. They can choose between Professor Dew, Droplette, and Trickle. Each character explores different aspects of the water cycle and will help students and adults make important connections to our water resources and why its important we care for them. Please see attachment below for official press release. 
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Water quality has been popping up on the news a lot lately and it may have you wondering what is being done to protect your water locally. The Barry and Eaton Conservation Districts were awarded a grant through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to fund Thornapple River Watershed Management Plan implementation starting back in 2017. We are now nearing the end of the grant, which will be wrapping up in November. This grant provides the funding for the Conservation Districts to be able to assist farmers and landowners in implementing agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) and proper septic system maintenance to improve the water quality in our community. Given the predominately rural nature of the two counties, the main focuses of the grant are agriculture and on-site waste water treatment (septic systems). On the land management side, we have money available to help farmers and landowners implement practices such as grassed waterways, filter strips, cattle fencing along streams and planting of cover crops just to name a few. Alternatively, at the home owner level, we are offering funding to cover the costs of voluntary septic system inspections to look for failing septic systems as well as a cost share option to replace or repair any problem septic systems to help ease the financial burden of such a task. The funding for both aspects of the project could cover up to 100% of the costs of repairs and replacements. The project scope covers over 57,000 acres in three of the most impaired sub-watersheds in the Thornapple River watershed: Mud Creek, Fish Creek, and Milbourn Drain. The main goal of this project is to reduce pollutants within the watershed such as nutrients, sediment and E. coli. By accomplishing these goals, we will be contributing to better water health not only locally but downstream as well. This eventually leads to positive impacts all the way up to the Great Lakes level. With voluntary community support, we hope to work together with farmers and landowners to ensure clean water for many generations to come. If you live in one of these sub-watersheds, please feel free to contact David Comeau at 269-908-4099 to discuss ways in which we can work together to improve water quality in our community. See maps below to see if you live in one of the eligible subwatersheds.
We are so excited to celebrate Conservation District Day on Friday, July 17 with the recognition proclaimed by Governor Whitmer. Click below to view the official proclamation!
BOARD MEETING NOTICE: Eaton Conservation District’s regularly scheduled Board meeting for Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 9am has been changed to an electronic meeting, held via phone teleconferencing, in accordance with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Directive #2020-48. This is being done to continue social distancing efforts and limit in-person contact due to COVID-19 concerns. Both the general public and members of the public body may participate, and will be considered present and in attendance at the meeting, and allowed to participate as if they were physically present at the meeting. Executive Order 2020-48, the April meeting agenda, February meeting minutes, and the district's financial reports can be found below. If you would like to participate in the meeting, please follow these steps: To join phone meeting:
We've got you covered!Please join us Thursday, January 30th from 5:30-8:00pm at the Eaton Area Senior Center for our annual meeting, "We've Got You Covered". See flyer below for additional details. RSVP to the office by Friday, January 24th at (517) 543-1512 x5. This is a free event, with dinner provided, but space is limited. Get your RSVP in today!  Currently, Eaton Conservation District has two board member positions open. Board members are elected at the District's Annual Meeting in January, and serve 4 year terms. However, these terms may range from 1 to 3 years. A 2-year term and a 4-year term position are available. If you are interested in joining our board, please fill out a nominating petition and have it turned into our office no later than Monday, December 2nd. Please make sure you choose the correct petition that corresponds to the term you are looking to fill. Nominating petitions, along with a complete description of the positions and board member duties, can be found at the links below. Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions, or email our Executive Director, Sue, at sue.spagnuolo@macd.org.
 Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) On The Water (OTW) program has teamed up with the Eaton Conservation District, Charlotte Public Schools, City of Charlotte, and Well-Head Protection Team in beautifying your hometown river!
On Saturday, October 5th at 9 am volunteers will meet at Bennett Park Pavilion, we will then proceed to the worksite. Lunch will be provided by MUCC at noon and volunteers will receive a reusable water bottle and stickers to take home at the end of the event! Personal protective gear(such as gloves), buckets, trash bags, sunscreen, bug spray, trash grabbers, and waders will be provided on a first come first serve basis. There will be a water station so please remember to bring your own reusable water bottle! Please RSVP by September 27th. Call us at (517) 543-1512 x5 to reserve your spot! 
 The Science Adventure Camp is an opportunity available to students entering 4th-6th grades in the 2019-2020 school year. At this camp, students will get fired up about science! The camp is open to students throughout Eaton County.
When: Tuesday, June 25th-Friday, June 28th Time: 9am-12:15pm (AM session) and 1-4:15pm (PM session) Where: Bennett Park, 1305 South Cochran Avenue, Charlotte, MI 49913 Based on the number of reservations, we are hoping to offer both an AM and a PM session. Students will need to check in 15 minutes prior to the session start time to pick up name badges and learn the site for the day. The event will run rain or shine. There are pavillions and Camp Francis available in the event of inclement weather. Topics include: geology, rocket science, ecology, biology, chemistry, and more! Cost for the full week is $15. To register for Science Adventure Camp, please go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/science-adventure-camp-2019-tickets-53646148073?err=29  Join Barry Conservation District, Eaton Conservation District and Eaton County Parks for a fun outdoor water festival at Crandell Park! There will be bank fishing, free kayak and canoe rentals, water safety education, stone skipping contest, water and nature education fair, games and activities, local food vendors and more! Head over to https://www.facebook.com/events/1955820477870103/?active_tab=discussion for more information. |
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