38 posts
MUSINGS FROM MECOSTA: THE BLANDINGS TURTLE By Lorrie Gillingham Murray Teaming with life, my little heart shaped pond in the heart of 22 acres near Dye Creek in Mecosta is host to myriad species of reptiles and amphibians, not to mention the many mammals, birds, fish, and invertebrates that inhabit this little slice of heaven. Spring and early summer welcome...[ read more ]
Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting...[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_4549" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo by MKeigley[/caption] Rob Elliott is a fisheries biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. From his office near Green Bay Wisconsin, he helps look after native fish species across all of Lake Michigan. This fall he will travel to western Michigan to join several of his colleagues from the Michigan DNR, Little River Band...[ read more ]
Submitted by: Nancy Burmeister One of the real pleasures of serving the MRWA on the education committee is the opportunity to relate to children through learning experiences. Spring offers the chance to get children out of their classrooms into the real-life world for some very meaningful life lessons. [gallery size="medium" link="file" ids="4543,4542,4541,4540,4539"] We have found water fairs are a...[ read more ]
When is the last time that you saw a monarch butterfly in a field or along a roadside? The iconic insect has become less and less visible which is causing many to ask why. According to the Save Our Monarchs Foundation, the monarch butterfly population has decreased by 90 percent in the last 15 years. Not only is this alarming...[ read more ]
Numbers do not lie and these figures point to a highly successful recycling effort in Mecosta County: Total recycling volume increased by 8 tons per month Three semi - trailers stuffed with discarded tires Two trailers filled with obsolete and broken electronic components Hours of operation increased to over 100 per month These results are obviously impressive and very meaningful...[ read more ]
We would like to thank The Barryton Community Fire Department and Wade Caryl, Fork Township Supervisor, for watering the trees planted by 6th grade students from Chippewa Hills Intermediate School on June 2, 2017. The opportunity for the educational event for students was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[caption id="attachment_4311" align="aligncenter" width="321"] MRWA staff and volunteers stuffing a trail[/caption] Numbers do not lie and these figures point to a highly successful recycling effort in Mecosta County: Total recycling volume increased by 8 tons per month Three semi - trailers stuffed with discarded tires Two trailers filled with obsolete and broken electronic components Hours of operation...[ read more ]
By: Marty Holtgren, Fisheries Biologist with Michigan DNR [caption id="attachment_3901" align="alignleft" width="300"] Juvenile Sturgeon from the Muskegon River[/caption] The Muskegon River is one of the few rivers on the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan where a remnant population of lake sturgeon are slowly recovering through natural reproduction. Each year since the early 2000’s research has focused on determining how the sturgeon...[ read more ]
Greg Mund made it official on Monday. He really has stepped down from his position as MRWA chair and has also resigned his seat on the board. For all of us who have come to know him over the years, this will take some getting used to. In 1998, when a group of concerned citizens met to discuss the environmental challenges...[ read more ]