About the ACWA

Home
About ACWA
Watershed Report
Natural Resources
Info Directory

• Purpose/History
• Meet the Board

Purpose/
History

The purpose of the ACWA,
a non-profit organization, is to:
1. Preserve, protect and enhance the watershed environment in a natural state; promote and preserve water quality and the sustainable uses of the watershed resources for present and future generations.
2. Preserve, protect and enhance the quality of all life dependent upon or having contact with the watershed, with particular emphasis on native wildlife.
3. Promote sound ecological practices in such areas as: land use planning and zoning, development, research, recreation and the elimination and/or control of exotic species.
4. Inform and educate Association members and other members of the surrounding communities of the Association's purposes.
5. Support the purposes of the Association, through partnerships with public bodies, agencies and other persons or groups sharing compatible purposes.
6. Encourage responsible stewardship among citizens and visitors to the watershed, and especially to guard against those actions which are inimical to the general welfare of the watershed.
7. Take all other appropriate action which will further or promote the responsible use and general welfare of the watershed.

The ACWA was organized in 1990 in response to a crisis to keep a sewage treatment plant from being built on Augusta Creek. After convincing engineers that a pristine trout stream may not be the best location in a 140 square mile rural area to locate a sewage treatment plant, the ACWA continued as an organization dedicated to maintaining a vigilance to protect the creek. In an effort to maintain a communication network within the basin the ACWA started a newsletter (approx. 350 circulation), seminar series and sponsored projects to promote sustainable watershed management. Over the years the ACWA has accumulated valuable information and experience in land use planning, building community awareness, dealing with local governments, etc... The ACWA has also made an attempt to work with other organizations in the area which has developed into a network for exchanging ideas and resources, as well as for keeping abreast of local environmental issues. We decided to share our resources and experiences on a Web Home Page in hopes that we could: 1. take advantage of the Internet to communicate with members locally and 2. to expand our own network to include a global constituency.

Meet the
Board

Officers

Wes Knollenberg, President
Mr. Knollenberg moved to Gilkey Lake in 1981 and took a position at the Kellogg Biological Station to study aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. He now owns EcoVision, a communication company which produces videos and web sites. Wes also serves as Vice President of the Four Township Water Resources Council. If you have any questions about the ACWA or this web site you can call Mr. Knollenberg at (616)671-4547 or send e-mail to ecovision@aol.com

Steve Hamilton, Vice President
Steve Hamilton is a scientist and professor at the Kellogg Biological Station (Michigan State University), specializing in aquatic ecosystem ecology. He conducts research on local wetlands, streams and lakes, and is particularly interested in land-water interactions and the processes that control water quality and nutrient supply in surface waters. Steve is also an investigator in the Long-Term Ecological Research Program at KBS, which seeks to develop sustainable agricultural systems, and he has been involved in research on South American rivers and floodplains since 1981. You can reach Steve at (616) 671-2231 or email him at hamilton@kbs.msu.edu

Jeff Fleming, Secretary
Mr. Fleming may best be remembered for his passion for cultivating exotic tomato plants, but we are also thankful for his concern for his community and Augusta Creek. Jeff lives in Augusta Village and works at Pharmacia and Upjohn, Inc. Jeff has an old VW bus for sale which he currently uses to hot bed tomato plants and to dry fruit, but would be willing to consider any good offer. If you are partial to the smell of fruit and interested in a vintage 60's van, call Jeff at (616)731-4924.

Jim Jasper, Treasurer
Mr. Jasper would probably prefer to see large salmon swimming in Augusta Creek, so he wouldn't have to trailer his boat to Lake Michigan every weekend. Jim does enjoy his rural life in the upper reaches of Augusta Creek. If Jim isn't working at the Federal Center, fishing for salmon, helping the Battle Creek Steelheaders Associationl he can be reached at (616) 731-2339.

Board Members

Alan Brooks may be the only person who works harder than Jim to catch fish. Allen works to support his angling habits and is a member of Trout Unlimited. He has served on the Ross Township Agricultural Ordinance Committee and lives just up the hill from where the Creek passes under M-89. If anyone needs wood cleared from their property they can reach Allen at (616) 731-5299.

Suzanne Sippel is a freelance scientist who specializes in aquatic ecosystems. In addition to performing research on aquatic ecology, she uses remote sensing and geographic information systems in her work. Suzanne is a board member of the Four Township Water Resources Council and has led the production of a Water Atlas of the four-township area, with grant support from the Kalamazoo Foundation. She is also on the Ross Township Planning Commission. In addition to her local activities, Suzanne has been supported by grants from NASA for several years, developing novel applications of satellite data for observation of wetlands. You can reach Suzanne at (616) 731-2685 or email her at sippel@kbs.msu.edu
 

Russ Downey is currently an environmental manager for the Pharmacia & Upjohn Company with primary responsibility for subsurface investigations and remediation. He received a B.S. in Geological Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1985 and has finished all of his requirements, minus a thesis, to receive a M.S. in Geology from Western Michigan University. Rus and his family live on the northwest edge of the wetland complex, locally called, "Sherriff's Marsh." Russ Downey can be reached at (616) 731-5163 or send email to rgdowney@am.pnu.com

Martha Gesmundo can be reached at (616) 671-4877 or send email to MMkg@aol.com

Jenny Molloy can be reached at (616) 671-4421 or send email to molloyj@state.mi.us