Join our river partners for Kanoe the Kazoo 2015. You’re sure to find a good time on the river.
Consider native plants this spring
“I am interested in native plants, but what should I plant in my yard?”
Join us for the answer to this commonly asked question and learn why, what, and how to include native plants in your landscape. Plus, learn how to design your home landscaping to improve water quality, prevent erosion, reduce flooding, save water, and provide wildlife habitat.
“Native Plants in Your Landscape” — FREE workshop hosted by the Kalamazoo Conservation District and the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council.
Wednesday, May 8th from 6:30 -8:30 pm
Portage District Library – Austin Lake Room
300 Library Lane, Portage, MI 49002
Speakers: Tom Small, author of Using Native Plants to Restore Community and Erin Fuller, Watershed Coordinator at the Van Buren Conservation District.
Advanced registration is requested by Monday, May 6. Please register online or by phone (269) 327-1258.
“Where do I buy Michigan native plants?”
The Kalamazoo Conservation District will be selling native plants from Hidden Savannah Nursery, a local native plant grower, on Saturday, May 11th. The plant sale will take place at the Bank Street Farmers Market in Kalamazoo from 7:00 am – 2:00 pm. They will be featuring a special Mother’s Day basket of native flowers. Get their early to pick up your flowers.
River Voices features article about Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River and the Watershed Council were recently featured in an article in 
River Voices, a publication of the River Network. Our article, “Cleanups: Beyond Trash” was part of a special series highlighting 25 lessons learned by 25 different watershed organizations working to protect and restore rivers and their watersheds. The article, written by Dr. Stephen Hamilton, describes several challenges and accomplishments in our watershed, including the 2010 oil spill and subsequent cleanup and PCB contaminated sediments throughout the Superfund Site. While this legacy of pollution is certainly part of our watershed’s history, it does not have to define our future. Many organizations, agencies, and local communities are working to change this legacy, and we are seeing and measuring improvements in the health of the Kalamazoo River ecosystem.
The lesson learned from our watershed has been that persistence and patience are essential to remain engaged in our work of restoring, improving, and protecting the Kalamazoo River watershed. The Watershed Council will continue to be involved in these river cleanup actions for as long as it takes, while always seeking to improve the public image of the river and get more people to appreciate the wonderful resource that it is.
Get connected: Allied Paper site clean-up
The community meeting held this past Tuesday has been getting media attention from a number of outlets, including MLive, Fox 17 News, and WMUK radio. A coalition of community members, local business, and nonprofit organizations are concerned with the direction the US EPA is moving toward for the PCB clean up at the former Allied Paper site. You can connect with these community efforts through the Kalamazoo River Cleanup Coalition’s website and facebook page.
Another community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9 at 7:00 pm. The meeting is open to the public and anyone interested in getting connected with this issue is encouraged to attend. The meeting will be held at Goodwill Industries, 420 E. Alcott Street, Kalamazoo. Contact Gary Wager of the Kalamazoo River Cleanup Coalition for more information (269-382-0490 ext. 271 or glwager@gmail.com).