From the President's Desk

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• Desk - March 1998
• Desk - March 1995
• Desk - October 1994
• Desk - March 1994
• Desk - September 1993

Desk - March 1998

This past year the ACWA has supported the Four Township Water Resources Council's effort to develop resources for local governments interested in adopting land use policies that will proactively manage growth and preserve open space and water quality in our community. Enclosed is a FTWRC brochure which gives further information about these and other issues important to preserving the rural character of our community. These issues, as well as recent changes in Michigan's Land Division Act, will be discussed at a free seminar sponsored by the FTWRC to be held on March 16 at 7 PM and again on March 19 at 3 PM in the Kellogg Biological Station auditorium. You are also welcome to attend the FTWRC annual meeting on April 6 at 7 PM in the KBS auditorium.

Now that you have your calendar out mark the weekend of March 14 - 15 to attend the Maple Syrup Open House at MSU's Kellogg Forest. ACWA members will be there selling blue bird, wood duck and bat boxes for the coming spring - if spring hasn't already come and gone.

This spring also marks the third year that the ACWA will participate in the DNR Michigan Toad and Frog Survey. ACWA members monitor over 50 survey sites within the Augusta Creek Watershed. If you are interested in helping call me at 671-4547.

For those of you wondering if the covered bridge between B and C Ave. will ever be moved to the sanctum of Kellogg Forest, the answer is "Yes." We are just not sure when. The US Marine Corp's Bridge Building Unit stationed at Fort Custer has been asked to give us a hand, but the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly. Later this year the ACWA will be asking for donations and volunteers to help restore the bridge.

If you would like to get involved with or support the ACWA I encourage you to return the Membership Form on page 3, so we can keep you informed of our activities!

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Desk - March 1995

ACWA members have been busy this winter getting involved in various land use issues. Several of us attended the Ross Township Planning Commission meetings concerning the MUDD zoning proposal.

The ACWA supported the Gull Lake Water Quality Organization in its effort to stop the proposal which would have permitted a "multiple use development district" in residential areas zoned for single-family units.

After several public meetings the commission recommended not to adopt the proposal and the Ross Township Board followed suit.

It is important that people attend their local township or village board meetings as this is where the decisions are made that determine how our communities are developed.

If the Fort Custer trade port brings 20,000 to 30,000 new jobs in the next 20 years, then the time to develop a watershed management plan is now.

Other members have been concerned with issues of septic and biosolid application on farm lands within the Augusta Creek watershed. I have learned that since Kalamazoo County has banned septage waste disposal on farm lands that some Kalamazoo septic haulers continue the practice in neighboring counties, including Barry County.

The DNR is responsible for issuing permits for septage hauling and inspecting fields where septage is dumped.

In Barry County this job has been contracted to the County Environmental Health Division, which visually inspects at least once a year hauler's field sites and record books. No testing however is performed on 1) the contents of the loads being dumped or 2) the soil in the fields. This means that there is no way to determine who is liable if a "hot" field turns up at a later date.

In Ross Township, Enviroland, Inc. is hauling biosolids from the Battle Creek Waste Water Division to farm fields within the Augusta Creek watershed. Queries have been made to all parties concerned, and to date all have responded with helpful information. We are still waiting to hear from Ross Township officials.

By the time you read this, several of our members will have attended the Coordinating Watershed Stewardship In Michigan conference at Michigan State University and the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy's Land Protection workshop. There is an ongoing effort in the Augusta Creek/Gull Lake/Crooked Lake watershed area to form a local land conservancy.

Interested people can call me for more information at 671-4547 or email me at: ecovision@aol.com.

We hope that you will support the ACWA in their efforts to increase nesting habitats for wood ducks, bluebirds, and bats by installing an appropriate nesting box in your neighborhood. For those of you caught up in the national movement to help reverse the decline of native bat populations, Marcel and Martha Gesmundo are gearing up to produce the larger sized bat "nurseries" which can be purchased through the ACWA . Call Wes at (616)671-4547 to order boxs.

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Desk - October 1994

As president of the ACWA it is life-affirming to work with a group of people who are willing to set aside time to preserve a natural resource because they appreciate it's value at some level beyond what they can posses or incorporate as their own. Most members don't live near the creek, although it has touched them in some way. The creek contributes to a higher quality of life for the their families and community, but there is also a certain strength and sense of purpose acquired from participating in the life of Augusta Creek. In The Rediscovery of North America , Barry Lopez refers to this as "a place on the ground from where one feels secure, a place from which one's strength of character is drawn - a place in which we know exactly who we are." So I would like to recognize the officers and board members for their time and effort spent in helping to preserve a place from which we all can draw strength.

Welcome our newest board member Allen Brooks who has experience with agricultural zoning and is a member of Trout Unlimited. Also I would like to recognized Steve Deming whose talents are reflected in the layout of each of our newsletters. Thank also to those of you who sent in their contributions last year that made it possible to publish and mail this newsletter, put on our seminar series and get a few more trees planted in the watershed. I hope that we can count on your contributions again this year to continue our efforts.

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Desk - March 1994

One of ACWA's goals is to provide the watershed community with information to enhance sound stewardship practices. Because the Augusta Creek watershed is made up of approximately 45% agricultural land we feel it is important to address topics of interest to farm owners. We will host a program on Tuesday, March 15 that focuses on farming conservation topics that range from recent changes in government regulations to preservation resources available to farmland owners. Refer to this newsletter for details. If you have suggestions for additional topics to explore or speakers to invite for future programs feel free to call me at 671-4547.

I came across a MSU Extension publication on the Stewardship Incentive Program (SIP) that may be of interest to anyone interested in getting help $ for forest management. The SIP program "provides cost-sharing or reimbursement, for a broad range of management activities to protect or enhance the forest ecosystem." This program caught my eye because most of the practices that were mentioned could benefit Augusta Creek directly and the minimum number of forested acres required (five within 12 contiguous acres) seemed small enough that many land owners could qualify. Numerous approved practices were mentioned which included reforestation, hedgerow establishment, riparian and wetland protection, wildlife habitat enhancement and fisheries habitat enhancement to name a few. For more info contact your local Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office or extension agent.

A local citizen's group has started laying the groundwork for a land conservancy organization that will be affiliated with the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and will focus on an area that includes both the Augusta Creek and Gull Creek watersheds. The mission of the conservancy will be to preserve the natural areas (forest, meadows, wetlands, etc...), as well as open areas and farmlands that enhance the rural nature of the community. Stay tuned to your local news source for further details.

One of our board members, Jenny Molloy, recently accepted a position with the DNR and has discovered numerous conservation assistance programs and preservation resources that landowners should be aware of. Jenny is usually at our meetings if you would like to talk with her.

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Desk - September 1993

The Augusta Creek Watershed Association is currently publishing a quarterly newsletter and is sponsoring outings and a lecture series to advance sound stewardship practices and increase awareness about Augusta Creek. I would like to thank those people who see to the many details that ensure the success of these projects and those of you who have sent in contributions of support. I would also like to thank those people attending the meetings for their input and stimulating conversation. To bring readers up to date, at the last meeting there were several projects discussed that involved the Creek and it's watershed. Programs discussed included purple loosestrife control, Michigan's Natural Rivers Program, covered bridge preservation and riparian management. It was agreed that to progress to a point of action a coordinator and a number of volunteers would be required.

At our last meeting we also welcomed Jim Jasper on board. Jim has active an interest in nature and is a member of the Battle Creek Steelheaders Association. A big Thanks to Jim for his support and for agreeing to serve on the Board. To get his feet wet, Jim has started looking into resources that would help to document the history of Augusta Creek and surrounding watershed. If anybody has any suggestions or records (photos, documents, etc...) they would like to share please contact either Jim (731-2339) or myself.

The future of our natural resources lies in the hands of those people who live and work nearest these resources. If we don't take the time to recognize and understand the value of the stream in our backyard, then there is a good chance it will be lost given the culture we live in. As individuals there should be at least a small interest in a resource as unique as a stream. At the community level this can translate into a large interest capable of preserving a resource for generations to come. I invite you to take advantage of the Newsletters, outings and lecture series offered by the ACWA. Please introduce yourself at our 'Afternoon on the Creek' outing Sept. 25 (1993). If you have any news or ideas you would like to express concerning the Creek or its watershed please call me at 671-4547.