environment

Work Day and Wildflower Walk Planned at Columbus County Park

St. Clair County, MI — The Friends of the St. Clair River are inviting to community to join them for an Eco-Stewardship Work Day and Wildflower Walk on Saturday, May 8th from 10 AM – 12 PM at Columbus County Park.

The event will focus on exploring the park in search of spring wildflowers and then removing invasive species. Naturalist and wildflower enthusiast, Mary Kay Weber, will lead the hike and provide educational information about the park’s ecosystem.

This is a free event, but registration is required by emailing stewardship@scriver.org. Participants are asked to dress for the weather and bring their own gloves, face covering, water, and snack. Gardening tools are optional.

This event is part of the Friends of the St. Clair River’s Second Saturday Stewardship Series, and more information is available at scriver.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Friends of the St. Clair River Wins EGLE Water Monitoring Grant

When is the last time you thought about macroinvertebrates? They are actually pretty important, as they are monitored to determine the health of rivers and streams. The Friends of the St. Clair River organization has received a $2000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to continue their work in monitoring the health of our vitally important waterways.

Sheri Faust, President of Friends of the St. Clair River, said, “This grant revitalizes our Stream Leaders program from 2008 with the St. Clair County Health Department. It’s exciting to receive funding since this is the first opportunity that became available in the MiCorp Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program after a long funding hiatus.”

The grants went to organizations that were just starting out with stream monitoring as well as veteran stream monitoring agencies like Friends of the St. Clair River, who received a maintenance grant to help them continue monitoring the health of the river.

Faust said that they will be adding five new testing sites to the existing 12 sites. She said the grant will help train volunteers, provide education, and guide management actions to keep our rivers healthy.

The grants are funded by water protection fundraising license plates.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

DNR: Don’t Trim Oak Trees until Mid-July

With Spring in the air, it might seem like the perfect time to clean up the trees in your yard. But hold off on trimming oak trees.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says that oak trees shouldn’t be trimmed between April 15th and July 15th because of the risk of spreading “oak wilt”.

Oak wilt is a serious fungal disease that is a microscopic killer of oak trees. The fungus is spread by flying beetles. The disease is especially deadly for red oak trees and can kill them within weeks. It can also weaken white oak trees.

James Wieferich, forest health specialist in the DNR’s Forest Resources Division, said, “The guidelines against pruning oak trees during this time can help prevent the spread of the disease.”

Freshly cut firewood can also spread the disease.

Trees will show symptoms of oak wilt by wilting from the top down and rapidly dropping leaves. The disease usually shows up from late June to September.

The DNR warns that if you have a tree that gets damaged during the risk period from April 15 to July 15, immediately cover all wounds with tree-wound paint or latex-based paint.

Oak wilt outbreaks should be reported to the DNR.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Highway Trash Cleanup Starts Saturday

Good news! Highway litter is about to get cleaned up. If it seems like there is more litter along the highways, there’s a reason. Not all of the pickups were able to be completed last year and the trash piled up in some areas.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is starting “Adopt-a-Highway” pickup on April 17th for the southern half of the lower peninsula. The pickup goes until April 25th.

Volunteers work with an organization that adopts a stretch of road to clean up. MDOT then picks up the bags of trash and takes them to the dump.

Motorists are asked to stay on the lookout for the volunteers who should be wearing high-visibility safety vests, provided by MDOT. Use caution when driving near the volunteers.

Typically, 2,900 groups volunteer to clean up 6,000 miles of highway in Michigan, filling up nearly 70,000 bags. Last year, only 20,000 bags were filled. There are pickups in July and late September also.

MDOT has been organizing the “Adopt-a-Highway” Program since 1990, with an estimated cost savings of $5 million annually by using volunteer labor. There are still stretches of road that need adoption. Groups are asked to commit to their zone for two years. 

For more information on Adopting a Highway:

www.Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Local Cities Get “Tree City USA” Designation

Port Huron, MI — Trees make communities better. The cities of St. Clair, Marysville, and Port Huron have all been given the “Tree City USA” designation for 2020. The cities are recognized for their work in promoting and caring for trees in the community.

The honor went to 124 Michigan communities, nine college campuses, one hospital, and one utility: ITC. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources certifies the Tree City USA recipients.

Kevin Sayers, urban and community forestry specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said, “Michigan ranks eighth nationally in the number of communities with Tree City designations.”

To earn the designation, organizations must have a city department or tree board, a public tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and a proclamation about and celebration of Arbor Day, which takes place April 30 this year.

Sayers said that trees help to cool sidewalks in the summer and clean the air. He said, “Michigan is still looking forward to seeing its first K-12 school become certified through the newest program, Tree Campus K-12. “

More information about getting certified with Tree City USA can be found at ArborDay.org/Programs.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michigan Learning Channel Launches to Teach Conservation

The Michigan Learning Channel has been launched to teach lessons about understanding and preserving Michigan’s natural resources. The channel is the result of a collaboration between public television stations and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

The content is aimed at children in grades Kindergarten through third grade and is available over the airwaves and on digital devices.

EGLE Director Liesl Clark said the purpose is to “get young students excited about the environment and instill in them at an early age a sense of stewardship of the state’s air, land and water resources.”

Clark said, “As this generation’s children grow up, they will be key to finding solutions to tough ecological problems and shepherding Michigan toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 in a manner that is equitable for all communities.”

The content will include videos that explain complex issues such as geology, recycling, and climate change in easy-to-understand ways, according to EGLE.

All public television stations in Michigan have established special on-air channels. The content is also available at MichiganLearning.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland