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May 2019 Edition of the
Michigan Soil and Water Conservation Society
E-Newsletter

The official newsletter of the Michigan Chapter
of the Soil and Water Conservation Society

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CONTENTS


CHAPTER UPDATES

MACD Annual Conference Presentation: Maple River RCPP
Michigan Chapter SWCS Highway Cleanup

 

CONSERVATION NEWS

Bacteria and viruses from human waste getting into Michigan water
Students Release Salmon into River

What to Watch in Great Lakes Legislation


EVENTS

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters." 

- Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

CHAPTER UPDATES

MACD Annual Conference Presentation

Maple River Regional Conservation Partnership
Summary informed by Katie Droscha, MI-SWCS Vice President

The Michigan Association of Conservation Districts will have their summer meeting next week in Bay City. Several members of MI-SWCS will be attending or presenting in some manner. One of the featured initiatives is the Maple River Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a joint effort with Michigan States' Institute of Water Research and fifteen other partners, including SWCS.

The Maple River Watershed has experienced diminished fish habitat and degraded water quality as groundwater uses have expanded. Field crops in parts of the watershed require significant amounts of irrigation to produce maximum yields. Water withdrawals compete with subsurface flows feeding nearby streams and impacting fish populations by changing stream temperature. Catchments in the Maple River Watershed are in need of measures that offset the negative impacts of withdrawals on baseflow and temperatures. This project will improve fish habitat and water quality through a variety of conservation measures such as no till, buffer strips, and drainage management.

The priorities for discussion at next week's seminar include communication between stakeholders, available tools (including a sub-watershed prioritization index), and holistic data management and use. It is a goal of the project to convey successes in Maple River can be applied and adapted to different areas of Michigan.

June 7, Michigan Chapter SWCS Highway Cleanup

Michigan Chapter SWCS members will meet at the USDA StateOffice parking lot in East Lansing at noon on Friday, June 7. 

We are proud to take part in the Adopt-A-Highway tradition, which removes up to 70,000 bags of trash annually from Michigan roadways.

Do you have some conservation-worthy news to share?  Upcoming events or topics of interest to the SWCS Professional Development Committee?  Please feel free to share them with newsletter editor, Rebecca Bender at rebecca.bender@miglswcs.org

CONSERVATION NEWS

Bacteria and viruses from human waste getting into Michigan water

An exceprt from Lester Graham in The Environment Report, May 6, 2019

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy indicates there are 1.4 million homes in Michigan that are not hooked up to a sewer system. Many use septic tank systems. But Molly Rippke, an aquatic biologist with the agency, says there’s a big problem. 

“We estimate that about 24% of them are failing to the point that they could contaminate surface or ground water. And to go even farther, five percent of the homes in Michigan that should be relying on a septic system, are actually having an illicit discharge to surface waters of the state," she said.

That means human waste is polluting rivers and lakes. The state government does not have legal authority to fix the problem.

Read or listen to the complete story, including how this situation has arisen and how communities and health regulators can collaborate to identify problems, at Michigan Radio.

Students Release Salmon into River

An exceprt from Clarissa Kell in the Daily Press, May 11, 2019

Two [UP] schools released Chinook “king” salmon that were raised by the students into the Escanaba River to mark the culmination of both of the schools’ Salmon in the Classroom program Friday.

The Fred Waara Chapter of Trout Unlimited (FWCTU), headquartered in Marquette, started the Salmon in the Classroom program more than a decade ago.

Bob Jensen, who is on the education committee for the FWCTU, said the program is one of Trout Unlimited’s most popular programs.

He explained the program has universal appeal because it can be adapted to different classes and fit any age group.

“Any curriculum really. Chemistry, physics, ecology, biology, fisheries biology, environmental science — those are just a few,” he said.

Through the Salmon in the Classroom program, FWCTU provides funding and support for the set up of eight aquariums in schools throughout the Upper Peninsula. The two local schools involved in the program are Escanaba High School and Gladstone Junior High School.

“We provide all the equipment and supplies; the DNR provides salmon eggs and the food; and then the kids get to raise them all winter long,” Jensen said.

Each year the aquariums are stocked with between 150 to 200 salmon eggs in late November, provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The eggs hatch in January. Teachers and students raise the salmon until mid-May when they take a field trip to a local salmon habitat and release the fish into the stream.

Read the complete story from Escanaba Daily Press.

What to Watch in Great Lakes Legislation


This section is a summary and reminder of bills recently introduced or amended regarding  Great Lakes agriculture, environmental protection, and natural resources.
  • Requirement of public notification regardingn certain cleanups and conditions for approval of remedial action plans (SB 0312) and eliminate provision for automatic approval in case of delayed assessment (SB 0313), both referred to Committee on Environmental Protection
  • Requiring enclosure of piles of coke and other bulk solid materials (SB 0326) referred to Committee on Environmental Quality.
  • Exemption for emissions inspection requirments for military surplus vehickles (SB 0346) referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Changes to required issuance of air quality permits in certain locations (HB 624 passed, SB 0326 referred to Committee on Environmental Quality)
  • Create advisory body, committee on mining future (HB 4227) referred to Committee of the Whole with substitute S-1
  • Provide for creation of lead task force (SB 0300) referred to Committee on Environmental Quality
A more complete listing of legislative action can be found at www.legislature.mi.gov and we encourage you to stay informed and to contact your representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives at the state and national level.
 

Upcoming SWCS International Annual Conference, July 28-31 in Pittsburgh, PA 


Agenda and registration are now available for the SWCS international annual conference. USDA-NRCS Chief Matt Lohr and G. Tracy Mehan III, Executive Director of Government Affairs for the American Water Works Association, will be featured at this year's conference.

Topics include green infrastructure, nutrient tracking data collection tools, farm bill impacts, market-based solutions, and much more.

Preparations include a photo contest (submissions due by June 5) and a student moderator program, where students can apply to participate and recieve free registration and lodging.

EVENTS

Michigan Chapter SWCS
June 7, Adopt a Highway Cleanup

Meet other chapter members in the NRCS State Office parking lot at noon to join in on the service.

International SWCS


July 28-31, 2019 SWCS International Annual Conference
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SWCS is seeking oral presentations, poster presentations, symposia and workshops for the 74th SWCS International Annual Conference


Other Organizations

June 3-4, 2019 MACD Summer Conference “Conservation Connections” 
Double Tree by Hilton, Bay City

July 26, 2019 MSU Agriculture Innovation Day, "Focus on Precision Agriculture that Pays"

8:30am-5pm at MSU Farms 


MDEQ Calendar:

www.michigan.gov/deqcalendar


MDNR Calendar:

https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/
 

MSU Extension Calendar:

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/events
 
Copyright © 2019 Soil and Water Conservation Society: Michigan Chapter, All rights reserved.

This newsletter is a monthly compilation of news stories of interest to Michigan SWCS members and stakeholders. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official policy of the Soil and Water Conservation Society unless so stated.

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