From the Director’s Desk

Julie Chamberlain, Executive Director
Muskegon River Watershed Assembly
Julie Chamberlain, Executive Director
Muskegon River Watershed Assembly
Welcome to the summer edition of the River View. This is obviously a busy time of year for us, the peak season for restoration efforts throughout the watershed. We plant many trees (over 200 acres last summer), we reduce pollution from entering the river and lakes by creating native plant buffer zones and rain gardens that remove phosphorous and sediments and, we teach young and not-so-young how to care for the river through workshops and programs.
But we also have fun. This is a great time of year in Michigan to be outside enjoying nature and the rivers, lakes and streams within the Muskegon River watershed provide a variety of opportunities. Of course, it is always great when the activities we enjoy benefit the river in some way such as river cleanups that are held in communities across the watershed.
In the articles that follow, we will hear from several people who make this organization go: our project manager, Dixie Ward and three of our board members, Ken Johnson, board vice chair, Jean Lalonde, education committee chair and Ron Kadelsik, resource committee chair. I hope you will get a feel for how we go about protecting and enjoying the majestic Muskegon River.