The Summer/Fall 2007

Watershed ReporterFLINT RIVERWATERSHED COALITION

432 N. Saginaw St., Ste. 1001Flint, MI 48502/810-767-6490

www.tlintriver.org Partnering to protect our natural, resources

Schedule of events highlight Flint RiverWatershed Coalition's 10th anniversary!

This fall is the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Flint RiverWatershed Coalition. To celebrate, we have planned a series of eventsthroughout the watershed to highlight those natural features that we as anorganization work to protect. We hope that there is something for every-one, and we hope to see you at several of these events and celebrations.Look on www.flintriver.org for more details as we draw closer to theseevents.

Interpretive River Walk - Tuesday, September 25th, 10:00amFishing Dock across from Flint Farmers' MarketDarren Bagley will give a tour of the river in Downtown Flint. His talk will becentered around the plants and wild life that make this stretch of river theirhome. This is a free event.

Interpretive River Walk - Tuesday, September 25th, 5:30pmFlushing River Trail by Main StreetBrent Nickola will give a tour of the Flint River in the Flushing area and discussthe geography and geology of the Flint River as well as how humans have - andcontinue to - interact with this river system. This is a free event.

Dinner Cruise on the Genesee Belle - Thursday, September 27th,5:45pm - 8:00pm, Stepping Stone Falls (5161 Branch Rd)FRWC members and friends will enjoy a fall cruise on the Genesee Belle leav-ing from Stepping Stone Falls (5161 Branch Road). Dinner, music, a silent auc-tion and door prizes will be featured on the cruise. Tickets are $35 per personand RSVP is required no later than September 19th.

continued on page 2

The statelY GeneseeBelle is the site for theFlint River WatershedCoalition's 10thanniversary dinnercnnse on bealltiflll MOilLake. The dinnercruise wiD leavefromStepping Stone Falls,5161 Branch Road. It

promises to be a fllnevening with music,

prizes, and a deliciollSdinner. Please cail andmake YOllr reservationst0rk?Y, 767-6490.

From the Executive DirectorSteve Montie

Fall of 2007 will be the 10thAnniversary of the founding of theFlint River Watershed Coalition.Over these years.the organizationhas continued to grow and change inprogramming, board members, staffand membership. Although, one ele-ment has continued uninterruptedthroughout the organization's history.That element is a core group ofpeople who are truly committed toprotecting and improving the waterresources of the Flint RiverWatershed. While the individualshave occasionally changed, it isthe ongoing work of the organizationthat continues to be important.

As many of you may be aware,the Watershed Coalition has beenengaged ;in an intensive strategicplanning: effort over these past six

. months. ;While the final results of the

. process are not yet known, we doknow that we will see many changesin the coining year. I expect thatthese changes will be for thebetter aswe seek to grow our organi-zation and become more effectivein what we do.

As we celebrate this anniversaryand look with anticipation at thefuture direction of the organization,I hope you will take some time tojoin us at one of our events through-out the watershed. We have plannedmany activities in the hope thatall of our members will be able toenjoy the things that we all workso hard to protect throughout the year.

Watershed Reporter - Summer/Fall 2007 Page 2

Schedule of events highlight FRWC's 10thanniversary celebration continued from front page

Flint River Trail Ride - Sunday, September 30th, 2:00pmFlint Farmers' MarketMembers of the Friends of the Flint River Trail will guide a bike ridealong the river to Bluebell Beach and back. Ice Cream will be served atthe halfway point. Riders of all skill levels are welcome to join in this 13mile ride. This is a free event.

Flint River Canoe Trips - Saturday, October 6th and Saturday,October 13th, Flushing and LapeerDetails for the canoe trips are still being fmalized. Visitwww.f1intriver.org in the near future for details.

Visit to the Shiawassee National Wildlife RefugeSaturday, October 20thDetails are still being fmalized for the visit to the refuge. This will be afree event.

Join Friends of the Flint River Trail forSunday bike rides through Octoberf?J Jack Minore

The regular Sunday rides of the Friends of the Flint River Trail (FFRT)will continue through October - starting from the Flint Farmers' Marketeach Sunday at 2:00 PM. The "standard ride" is to either Bluebell Beach orStepping Stone Falls - a total distance of about 13 miles. There are a num-ber of "special rides" planned. The second Sunday of each month is an "icecream" ride - a slightly longer ride to the Village of Genesee and Ms.Smitty's Ice Cream Shop - Sept 9 and Oct 14. The Sept 16th ride willinclude some Flint historical sites and a stop at the Good Beans Cafe. TheSept 30th ride is one of the Watershed's 10th Anniversary Celebrationevents, and will include refreshments and a brief watershed presentation atBluebell Beach. October 7th will be the annual trip to Applewood for abrief tour of the Mott estate.

The FFRT rides have been remarkably popular this year, with about 50riders being our "normal" good weather turnout. They conclude October28th, but will resume the first Sunday in May of2008. A special NewYears' Day Ride is also being planned. Information on the rides is availablefrom Jack Minore at 235-1490 or at <jacksonmintgaol.com>.

Once each month, on a5 atllT'liqy,the Friends of theFlint River Trail (FFRT)explore other trails in mid-Michigan. the Angust tripwas on the unsing RiverTrail - a ride of about 14miles. The group of 25 rid-ers took a short side-trip offthe trail to the State CapitolThe Friends group is affiliat-ed with the Flint RiverWatershed Coalition. '

FROM THE G-tAiRMAN Of THE BoARD

S. OLOf KARLSTROM

We have finished the second quarterof theyear, typically our busiest. It hasnot lost its luster. Project Green, underthe direction of Bill Welch of the GISDbrought 25 schools into the project thisyear, doubling the number of schoolsinvolved, and most significantly doublingthe number of youth who have becomeaware of, and involved in, our work withthe watershed.

On another front our ExecutiveDirector became very involved with theredesign of the Brandon High Schoolparking lot. It bordered Kearsley Creek,a cool-water trout stream whose statuscould change if the water run-off fromthe parking lot heated the stream. LoisRobbins, from Ortonville, called Stevefor help. With assistance from BrentNickola, the two met with Lois and hergroup of interested citizens along withthe school board and its architects andconsultants. The result was a plan thatwould control the parking lot run-offin a manner that would help the creekretain its cool-water status.

Our strategic planning effortscontinue to move forward as we planour future efforts as watershed stewards.Our consultants, Wendy Wilson andBaird Straugham, are very encouraging.Our completion goal is set for September.

The May River Clean-Up effortsalways result in good fellowship andmuch pizza and hot dogs. Our thanksto Sue Kubic and Dennis Zawol forcoordinating the volunteers. At thesame time, our thanks to the manyvolunteers who participated in our Maymonitoring project. We continue torely on Dr. Pace of the University toguide us in our analysis of the rivercritters whose presence in the rivercontinues to advise us as to the health ofthe river. We owe our thanks to DennisZicha for coordinating our monitoringefforts.

Watershed Reporter - Summer/Fell 2007 PageS

Flint River Watershed Coalition's 10th Annual Flint River Cleanupsuccessful thanks to 293 volunteers, businesses & organizations!

With perfect weather on May 12th,our coordinators, community volunteers,local businesses and organizations man-aged to achieve some remarkable resultsthis year. There were a total of 293 vol-unteers - an impressive increase of 47percent over 2006. Collectively, theseindividuals gathered 413 bags of trashfrom the riverbank; amounting to over 5tons of material. In addition, severallarge, unsightly, and potentially danger-ous items were hauled away from ourwatershed. These included 13 tires, 3bikes, a bike frame, 1 snowmobile, acopy machine, shopping cart, carpet, acouch, a radiator, 1 metal safe, and over1.5 tons of steel!

Seven sites were cleared in Lapeerand Genesee counties. We were happyto add a new site with over 60 volunteerson the Flint campus of the MichiganSchool for the Deaf.

Special thanks to the individualswho organized the cleanup activity,served as site coordinators on the day ofthe event, provided site assistance,donated food, or facilitated the use ofpublic facilities. These individuals are:

Don AustinDave LewickiCheryl BorkowskiGerry MastersBob CarlyonPeter McCreedyDon DaleJack MinoreGenesee County Deputy GiguereSteve MontIeEric GrossbauerDiane PeplinskiMichael HavermaleGenesee County Deputy RichardsonBrad HillJonathan ShaverOlof KarlstromDave WoolfendenSue KubicDennis Zawol

Just as the work of many individualswas necessary to pull off the enormouscleanup campaign, the cooperation andassistance of the following organizations,service groups, and businesses was

essential to our success.

Eastern Michigan Young MarinesHome Depot of LapeerCity of FlintHugo's Pizza of LapeerCity of Flint Parks DepartmentCity of LapeerCity of FlushingLapeer City ParksFlushing Department of Public WorksLapeer Downtown DevelopmentAuthority I

Flushing 'Movies in the Parks'Committee

Lapeer RotaryFlushing 'Team Canteen'Michigan School for the DeafGenesee County Parks and

RecreationRick Rhein DisposalGenesee County Sheriff Pickell'sWork DetailUM-Flint Maintenance DepartmentKeep Genesee County BeautifulVietnam Veteran's of American,

Genesee Chapter #175

Funding for the 2007 Cleanup wasprovided by these generous donors:

Charles Stewart Mott FoundationMatching Gifts ProgramLawrence Engineering, P.c.CTE, Inc.Judy SamelsonSue KubicWade Trim

We are starting to plan for the 200811th Annual Flint River Cleanup. Nextyear we want to build on the momentumthat we have developed in the last tenyears. Our goal is to improve thecleanup effort, and to involve more indi-viduals and groups. To the extent thatwe can expose community members tothe Flint River as a resource to be valuedand maintained, we can ensure a pleasantand safe environment in our watershed.

Thank you to all of the individualsand businesses who donated their time,expertise and funding insupport of the2007 Flint River Cleanup. The naviga-

bility of the river, and the value of thisresource to our communities is improvedso much when individuals and groupswork together to make this happen.

Watershed Reporter - Summer/Fa112007 Page 4

Membership is key to Flint RiverWatershed Coalition's success

At the Flint River Watershed Coalition, we are continuing to seek out newmembers, and to sustain the interest and involvement of our current member-ship base. The staff and board are working to ensure that membership levelsare on track to meet the commitments that we have made to our fmancial sup-porters and to the community. New membership materials have been devel-oped to explain more effectively the mission and activities of the organization.Let us know if you have friends or colleagues who would be interested in join-ing the Flint River Watershed Coalition. We would be glad to contact them, orto send them introductory materials. Or, pass on to them a copy of thisnewsletter, including the membership application.

New MembersNancy and Rich KautzRayLumRobin MallorMatthew NorwoodDavid RegianiClark TibbitsWendy Ulin

Renewing MembersBentley HS Environmental Science ClassLinda Berker and Donald JamesArlene BreczinskiPeggy BrunnerBueche, Failer, O'Callaghan & ZintsmasterNancy ByderMary ChristianFor-Mar FoundationRepresentative Lee GonzalesBrad HillRichard Hill-RowleyLynne HurandS. Olof Karlstrom and Olivia MaynardJames KettlerTodd McCreedyJohn Mrozik and Heather SistoPatrick Parrott

Join US for fall stream monitoring andtraining in September & OctoberFall stream monitoring will take place:Saturday, September 29th, 2007. Lab hours are lOam - 4:00pmWednesday, October 3rd, 2007. Lab hours are 12:30 - 6:30pm

This fall there will be a training session for volunteers interestedin becoming stream monitors. Plan to join us on September 3rd,2007 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm. The location is to be determined.Call Dennis Zicha at (810) 953-4954 for more information ore-mail: dzicha@comcast.net.

FRWCBoard of Directors

Board ChairmanS. Olof Karlstrom

Executive DirectorSteve Montie

Board of DirectorsDarren Bagley

Linda BerkerHarry BleckerBob Carlyon

Rebecca FedewaBrad Hill

Susanne KubicAmanda Kurzman

Bob McAllisterSara McDonnell

Jack MinoreRoxy MorenoBrent Nickola

Diane PeplinskiBill Welch

Dennis ZawolDennis Zicha

The watershed Reporter is publishedquarterly by the Flint River watershedCoalition. The Coalition is dedicated

to promoting the importance ofprotecting our natural resources

and works closely with public andprivate agencies and citizens'

groups in carrying out its mission.

FRWC Board meetings are thethird Friday of the month,

January through June,at Mott Community College in the

Genesee Room of thePrahl Conference Center

Watershed Reporter - Summer/Fall 2007 PageS

Genesee County Parks offers something foreveryone; request a family fun guide todayby Hilda McShane, Genesee County Parks

As we transition into another season in Genesee County, there are still manyexciting things to do and beautiful things to see in YOUR Genesee County Parks.Fall is a perfect time to experience nature in all of its glory and there is no need tospend time and money traveling "up north" to do it. From For-Mar Nature Preserveand Arboretum to Flushing County Park, from Richfield County Park and GoldenrodDisc Golf Course to Stepping Stone Falls, from Mott Lake, the Holloway Reservoir,and the Hogbacks, to LindenCounty Park, YOUR GeneseeCounty Parks will sport the mostspectacular colors imaginablethis fall.

The cool, crisp weather offall is the perfect time to hike,bike, and re-connect with natureand YOUR Genesee CountyParks are the perfect place torecharge and reflect in the greatoutdoors either on your own orin one of our family-fiiendlyprograms. To learn more aboutGenesee County Parks free andlow cost fall and winter pro-grams request a copy of theGenesee County Parks Fall andWinter Family Fun Guide. TheFall and Winter Family FunGuide contains programs for allages and interest and will keepthe entire family active andentertained througliout the falland winter season at little or nocost. To get your free copy visit Genesee County Parks and RecreationCommission's website at www.GeneseeCountyParks.org to download a copy or call810..736.7100 or 800.648.7275 to order your guide today.

Besides all of the wonderful children and adult programs listed in the GeneseeCounty Parks Fall and Winter Family Fun Guide, the guide will bring you up tospeed on some of the latest unique gift items sold at Crossroads Village andHuckleberry Railroad's gift shops and introduce the new Genesee County Parks giftcard. The new gift card may be redeemed for passes, reservations or gift items soldat Genesee County Parks facilities. For example, the gift card may be redeemed atFor-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum's gift shop and/or pay for your fall and win-ter For-Mar workshop fees. Also, the gift card may be redeemed for the following:

Holloway and Bluegill Fishing mapsFor-Mar s program fees and gift shopPavilions at Bluebell, Flushing, Linden, Davison Roadside, Richfield and

Buell Lake County ParksTickets to Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroads summer,

Halloween and Christmas programs2008 daily and seasonal boat launch and Mounds ORV park passes2008 Genesee Belle cruises2008 campsite fees at Wolverine Campground

As you can see from the above information, YOUR Genesee County Parks hasmuch to offer all year long!

Green Arts ProjectCommunityEnvironmentArt Exhibit

Save the Date

On Friday,November 9th,Red Ink Studios will beshowcasing the work ofmany Green ArtsPrograms from all of2007. Many of the majorworks on display will becentered around envi-ronmental and watershedthemes. If you would likemore information, pleasecall the FRWC office,767-6490.

Household HazardousWaste Collection DaySaturday, October 6

There will be two locationsavailable for drop off of haz-ardous materials open fromlOam until 2pm.

-- The Water Service Centerat 3310 E. Court St. in Flintbetween Center and Dort-- Davison CentralElementary School at 600 S.State Street in Davisonbetween Lexington and Clark

If you have any questions,contact Natural ResourcesAgent Darren Bagley atbagleyda@msu.edu or (810)244-8524.

Watershed Reporter - Summer/Fa//2007

FLINT RIVER WATERSHED COALITIONMEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Name ~Address Ci~J.Zip _

Phone e-mail _

Please check one The Flint River Watershed Coalition is a not-for-profit,tax-exempt, 501 (c)3 organization. Your contribution is fully

tax deductible. Please make checks payable to:Student $10.00Individual $25.00Family/group $40.00River Sponsor $100.00River Patron $250.00WatershedProtector $500.00WatershedGuarantor $1,000.00

Flint River Watershed Coalition432 N. Saginaw Street, Suite 1001

Flint, MI 48502

810-767-6490 I flintriver.org

432N. Saginaw St., Suite 1001Flint, MI 48502

810-767-6490 - tlintriver.org

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