Greater Lansing Regional Committee

Volunteer Visual Assessment Data Collection Volunteer Visual Assessment Data Collection can provide watershed specialists with extremely valuable information to help assess problem areas throughout the watershed. The instructions and data sheet can be used by any volunteer on nearly any river oriented recreational activity. These include, walking the river trail, canoeing, hiking, bike riding, fishing, boating, etc. The forms should be distributed at community events, parks and recreational departments, visitor and tourism offices, etc. Instructions for Visual Assessment Data Collection Visual Assessment Data Collection Sheet Completed data sheets should be submitted to Erin Campbel, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission 913 W. Holmes Rd. Suite 201 Lansing, Michigan 48910 (517-393-0342) What You Can Do as a Riparian Landowner As a riparian landowner or someone that may visit the river's edge often, it is important to be responsible and try to avoid any negative impact you may have on the area boarding a river, lake or pond. This is often easier than you may think, below there are many links to information and resources specifically developed for riparian landowners and recreational users. Enjoy! New GLRC Brochure: Riparian Brochure - GLRC Natural Resource Conservation Service - Buffer Information The Forum of Greater Kalamazoo - Lake & Stream Corridor Owners Guide The Michigan Riparian - Magazine (print & online) Bloomfield Township, MI - Riparian Information Tip of the Mitt Water Resource Publication - specifically: Lakeshore and Streambank Erosion Control and Fertilizing Tips for Homeowners Local Recycling Resources You can help reduce pollution in our local waterways by properly disposing of your household wastes including paint, cleaners, solvents, etc. For more information about recycling and household hazardous waste collection events, follow the links for your county below: Ingham County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Information Ingham County Recycling Information Eaton County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Information (scroll down) Eaton County Recycling Information Clinton County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Information Clinton County Recycling Information Granger - Local Waste Management Please don't forget the RV. Dispose of recreational vehicle sanitary waste at a nearby drop-off location. Never put it down a storm drain or roadside ditch! For more information on waste disposal locations and requirements, click here to be re-directed to the MI RV Dumps website. Local River Cleanup Efforts Adopt-A-River The Lansing Board of Water and Light and the Impression 5 Science Center host an annual Adopt-A-River program and invite participants to help keep our rivers beautiful. The 2009 Adopt-A-River events will be held on April 18 and Ocotber (yet to be announced). Please visit the Adopt-A-River web site for more information on this event. Lansing Board of Water Light site or Impression 5 Science Center site. Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council - Volunteer Stream Monitoring The ultimate goal of this program is to create swimmable, fishable streams and rivers in Mid-Michigan. Mid-MEAC’s volunteer stream monitoring program is one strategy within that goal, which fits into Mid-MEAC’s mission of helping people transform environmental concerns into action. Not only does the program create an avenue for data collection which can then be used in the future for advocacy efforts and river protection efforts, it also helps people connect with, appreciate, and understand our local waterways. This monitoring program is funded by the GLRC and Lansing Board of Water & Light. For more information, view the MidMEAC website here: MidMEAC Volunteer Stream Monitoring Other Cleanup Efforts The GLRC may host other cleanup efforts throughout the Lansing region, however none are planned at this time. Please check back soon for updates. Local Storm Drain Labeling Efforts
	Did you know that those storm drains (or gutters) drain right to our lakes, rivers, and streams? This spring we will be working with volunteers and non-profit organizations to help spread the word about protecting our watersheds. One way we are doing that is by placing a label such as the one shown to the left on the curb next to storm drains throughout the Greater Lansing region. These labels will be in areas that are highly visible and will remind everyone that their actions impact our water quality. GLRC members click here for volunteer training information.
Test Your Soil Before Applying Fertilizer Fertilizer isn't a problem if it's used carefully. If you use too much fertilizer or apply it at the wrong time, it can easily wash off your lawn or garden into storm drains and then flow untreated into our rivers, streams, wetlands, and lakes. Just like in your garden, fertilizer in lakes and streams makes plants grow. In water bodies, extra fertilizer can mean extra algae and aquatic plant growth. Too much algae harms water quality and makes canoeing, fishing and swimming unpleasant. As algae decay, they use up oxygen in the water that fish and other wildlife need. Visit the following websites for more information: MSU Crop & Soil Sciences - soil testing MSU Extension Soil Web Pages for Consumers
****View the Links page to review additional resources and locate information about your specific community.