The Thornapple River Clean-up was held Saturday, September
14th from 8am-noon.  Coordinating  clean-ups were held in
Middleville, Hastings, ADA, and more.  The Eaton Conservation District organized the Nashville/Vermontville site.  Community members and Maple  Valley Jr/Sr High School Students cleaned up in river, on the river banks,  parks, ball fields, and parking lots to help protect the Thornapple River.   Over 40 bags of trash were collected. The event was made possible by a Great  Lakes Commission Grant, and support by the Village of Nashville and Good Time  Pizza.  For more information, please visit http://thornappleriver.org/ 

Fall Agriculture Tour focusing on Cover Crops and Hops on
  September 10


The Eaton, Barry, Ingham and Ionia Conservation Districts will be
hosting a fall tour on Tuesday, September 10, 2013. The day will feature a bus  tour through the Eaton Rapids area in the morning, with stops featuring  innovative uses of cover crops including an example of cover crops being used as  forage for livestock. The afternoon will include a lunch stop near charlotte and  a bus trip over to Hickory Corners to visit Hop Head Farms where participants  will get to tour the state-of-the-art processing facility and the hop yard while  harvest is in full swing. 

The tour will also feature informational presentations from MSU
Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and is a Michigan Agriculture and Environmental  Assurance Program (MAEAP) phase 1 event. 3  RUP credits are available for certified pesticide applicators who attend this  event.      

Those interested in participating in the tour should contact the  Eaton Conservation District (517) 543-5848 ext. 5 no later than September 6 to register. Registration is $10.00 which includes lunch and busing.  
 
CleanSweep September 12th,  2013

 Do you have unwanted agricultural pesticides or mercury that you  don't know what to do with?  Bring them to the Clean Sweep event in Sunfield on September 12 from 8am to Noon for free, safe, disposal. 
  Location:  Crop Production Services warehouse 9845 W. Grand Ledge  Hwy. Sunfield, MI 

 For More  Information:                           
      Brad Wurfel, 517-373-7917,wurfelb@michigan.gov                                                                   
  Dawn Roush, 517-335-3307,roushd@michigan.gov


The DEQ awarded five water quality monitoring  grants today, totaling $197,115.89, to assist universities, local governments,  and nonprofit organizations to monitor the quality of Michigan’s waters.

 The recipients of the grant funding announced today are:

Eaton Conservation District has been awarded $40,982.60 to monitor and track sources of E. coli in the middle Grand River. Sampling will be performed in the western  tributaries where limited monitoring has taken place, and canine tracking will  be performed in the current total maximum daily load reach.

Grand Valley State University, Annis Water Resources Institute, has been awarded $32,707.40 to assess the presence of the cyanobacterium, Gloeotrichia, in Silver Lake, Michigan. Silver Lake has suffered the past two years from outbreaks of Gloeotrichia, which can overwinter in sediment. This project will complement other studies to determine stressors to the lake and put into place best management practices to improve and protect the lake.  

The Kalamazoo River Watershed Council has been awarded $70,335.60 to monitor water quality improvements in Lake Allegan. The role of phosphorus release from the sediments is not known for this system and was not considered as a source in the TMDL. A better understanding of the nutrient contribution from the sediment will
allow TMDL partners to better address the issue of excessive phosphorus in the lake, as well as better determine the time it will take to meet the goals of the  TMDL.

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council has been awarded $35,828.50 to perform aquatic invasive species surveys on 14 lakes and connecting tributaries in the Elk River Chain of Lakes watershed. The results will be used to control the spread of AIS. Project findings will be provided to stakeholders to increase awareness of AIS in the watershed and to implement management and control strategies for AIS.

Timberland Resource Conservation and Development has been awarded $7,261.79 to monitor and track sources of E. coli in Tyler Creek,  a tributary in the Lower Grand River watershed. This project will direct efforts towards influences of stream discharge and total suspended sediments on E. coli concentrations, with an ultimate goal of targeting riparian restoration efforts to areas where contaminated runoff and sediment input are greatest.

 Funding for these grants was made available through the Clean Michigan  Initiative-Clean Water Fund.