"If there is to be an ecologically sound society, it will have to come the grass
roots up, not from the top down."

- Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce

Great Stories - Winter 2008

All AmeriCorps members write personal stories about the impact they are having in the communities they serve. Here are some of the great stories from our members serving the conservation community in Michigan.

 

Casey, Huron Pines
Outreach Specialist

I think I can
Fall/Winter 2007

The Michigan AmeriCorps Member Council Retreat opened my eyes to an amazing network of people committed to service and making a difference in America.  At a snowy camp in northern Michigan, I found a wealth of inspiration and encouragement which recharged my commitment to serve with AmeriCorps.

I represented Huron Pines AmeriCorps which was a brand new program in northeast Michigan.  I wanted to learn as much as possible to teach my program not only about other members are doing, but about what we can do to make our program stronger.  I discovered many friendly and motivated members serving in a variety of programs.  The most important lesson I learned from them was how one enthusiastic member can charge an entire room of people.

Every member represented a network of dedicated people, who were working hard to make a difference in their community.  Members came from all different backgrounds and came to serve for a range of reasons.  Some members just weren’t sure what to do after high school while others decided to serve to help realize their own personal transformations.  All of them however shared the commitment to “get things done” and make American a better country.

I learned we can all make a difference.  By joining AmeriCorps, I have found an inspiring group which has changed the way I see community service.  I now know the immense impact we can have by working together and bringing an enthusiastic attitude wherever we go.  The impact of having a positive attitude is immeasurable.

Nathan, Huron Pines
Volunteer Coordinator

Spring Service on Michigan’s Rivers
Spring 2008

As I continue to work on finalizing plans for the Huron Pines AmeriCorps Spring Service Project, I find myself more excited as each day passes. The Sturgeon River, in northern Michigan, is an amazing place. It is a beautiful “blue-ribbon” trout stream and home to an important strain of brown trout. But, the river is heavily overlooked because other, more prominent fishing streams nearby receive most of the attention. That’s why our AmeriCorps program is planning a clean-up on a stretch that is heavily used by canoeists, kayakers, tubers, and fisherman alike.  Our goals include cleaning the river of litter and addressing erosion issues as well as increasing the feeling of ownership with those who utilize the river for a variety of outdoor activities.

I am trout fisherman, and a conservationist at heart. Knowing this project is going to have a positive impact on our waters helps to motivate my service activities everyday.  I have already received a tremendous amount of feedback from organizations and individuals that want to be involved, and they have all responded with the same level of excited anticipation.  I am grateful to be a part of this motivated conservation community. These are the kinds of partners and projects which teach me how to be a better steward of the environment and make my AmeriCorps service rewarding.

Jessica, Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited
Project Coordinator

June 6-8th, 2008

Picture yourself on a small winding river, the warm sun is shining on your back, cold water is trickling across the smooth pebbles at your feet, birds are singing their spring love songs in the trees above you, and you’re casting that brand new fly into that dark pool of water hoping for that big catch. This is nature and relaxation at its best and I’m so excited to be able to give countless kids the knowledge they need to experience the joys of fly-fishing at the annual Trout Unlimited fly fishing school, youth camps and other events this summer. 

I will never forget when I learned how to fly-fish, it was one of the biggest influences in my life that gave me a true appreciation for nature, and began my lifelong my passion to conserve the environment.  Throughout the wintery Michigan months I have been working hard on developing several fishing programs, and camps that will be implemented this summer. These programs will bring knowledge of fishing and awareness of Michigan’s fisheries to people of all ages.  I can’t wait to spread the joys of fishing and the great outdoors to people all across the state.

Brenda, Muskegon River Watershed Assembly
Program Assistant

Let it Rain
Spring/Summer 2008

In its lumbering heyday, the City of Cadillac, Michigan blossomed along the shore of Lake Cadillac with growth spilling northward along the meandering Clam River.  And for 130 years, Lake Cadillac and the Clam River have unfortunately served as the City’s receptacles for its unwanted refuse, from logging wastes to human wastes to present-day storm water runoff.  The City of Cadillac currently has no storm water management plan in place.  The general public remains ill-informed of the significant impact the runoff from parking lots, roofs, streets, and sidewalks has on Lake Cadillac and the Clam River, the latter boasting a blue-ribbon trout habitat further downstream.
As an AmeriCorps member serving with Huron Pines AmeriCorps at the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly my mission is to bring watershed stewardship awareness to the upper reaches of the Muskegon River Watershed, of which the City of Cadillac is part of.  One creative, highly-visible, and aesthetically-pleasing way to do this is the planting of a demonstration rain garden.  Rain gardens are strategically located to receive runoff from paved surfaces and constructed such that runoff is filtered through the soil and utilized by the garden’s native flowers and shrubs rather than going directly to a storm drain.  Rain gardens mimic nature in this sense.  The end result is the desired decrease of polluted runoff into nearby lakes and streams.

While Cadillac’s rain garden is only in its planning stage, the concept has taken off like wildfire among several local groups and individuals.  It is anticipated Cadillac’s public library, located on Lake Cadillac, will be home to the rain garden project.  This highly visible location, along with a proposed educational kiosk at the site and an informational public meeting, will hopefully spark the interest of both City of Cadillac officials and the public.  This just may be the catalyst needed to inspire future storm water management and better stewardship of the watershed.

Jon, Otsego County Conservation District
Native Plants Coordinator

Greenhouses and Green Futures

While visiting a greenhouse in Johannesburg, Michigan, I discovered most of the potatoes used to make Lays brand potato chips never grow outside.  They are propagated from tissue fragments in a huge greenhouse.  However, I wasn’t visiting to learn how to grow potatoes.  I went to visit the owner and operator of the greenhouse to learn about building and using one. 

My service site, the Otsego Conservation District, wants to build a native plants greenhouse here in northern lower Michigan. They are hoping to provide plants to organizations which use them for plantings in restoration projects.  Currently, most native plants are coming from southern locations where the growing season is longer.  If native plants were available in Gaylord, they wouldn’t require as much shipping thus driving down the cost. 

There are also ecological benefits associated with producing the plants from local seed gathered right here in northern Michigan.  Local seeds are more likely to have higher survival rates due to the fact they are already adapted to local conditions.  If this project is a success, it will allow more conservation work to be successfully completed. 

I am excited to be a part of this project since it has the potential to have a wide ranging positive impact not only on Otsego County, but all of northern Michigan.  A lot of the plants raised in the greenhouse would line the banks of rivers and lakes that I visit in pursuit of trout.  It would be great to realize that maybe I did something to improve the water quality and experience of others enjoying such locations.

Like many conservation projects, this one fits well with the goals of AmeriCorps.  Volunteers will be organized for the construction and operation of the greenhouse.  Furthermore, many of the plants leaving the greenhouse would likely be planted by volunteers.  I know my branch of AmeriCorps will be working on some stream restoration, and I can hardly wait.

Katie, Freshwater Future
Advocate Mentor

Defining Our Future
January 2008

In January 2008, I attended a strategic planning retreat in Cadillac, Michigan for my host site, Freshwater Future.  Freshwater Future provides grants and other services to over 1,800 grassroots individuals and organizations throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The retreat was a great way to focus on these members and explore how we can serve them better. 
The mood was electric as we moved beyond what has defined our organization in the past to delve into our thoughts about what we can be.  One of the retreat’s exercises called for each of us to take turns filling in the blank behind the phrase “What if…”  This exercise allowed the group to embrace big and small ideas alike.  The result was an abundance of ideas regarding the expansion of current programs and the development of new ones, all with the goal of continuing to effect positive change for our members.
As the retreat came to a close, I reflected on how the days’ breakthroughs would enable us to enhance some of our service areas immediately, while creating the foundations for some of our larger objectives.  I was excited about how these changes would aid our members, and I knew that we had begun to define our future.