Successful Cleanup On The Red Cedar River!

Americorps • September 4, 2020

MUCC’s On the Water (OTW) hosted a successful cleanup of the Red Cedar River this past Saturday at McCormick Park in Williamston. OTW partnered with the Ingham Conservation District, Friends of the Red Cedar and River Town Adventures to bring a total of 27 volunteers out to remove trash from the river.

The volunteers split up into three work teams to cover as much of the area as possible. The first group paddled fromMcCormick Park, in kayaks generously donated by Paul Brogan and Rivertown Adventures, to remove trash from the section of the Red Cedar upstream. Another group of volunteers hiked around McCormick Park, Williamston Community Township Park and Red Cedar Roadside Park to pick up trash left behind, that on a windy day would be likely to be blown right into the river. Some volunteers at McCormick Park even brought along a fishing magnet to help remove metallic debris that had gathered near the Putnam Street Bridge. The third group of volunteers went over to the log jam behind the Red Cedar Used Auto Sales dealership and went into the river with waders to remove the trash that had gathered on the log jam. In total, a little over 225 lbs of trash were removed from the Red Cedar River on Saturday.

Aside from removing trash from the river on Saturday, this event was also able to highlight the efforts of the Ingham Conservation District and the City of Williamston in their participation in the “Smart Management of Microplastic Pollution in the Great Lakes” project by Wayne State University. This project is a three-year innovative approach “aimed at reducing microplastic pollution in communities surrounding the Great Lakes.” The City of Williamston is one of two pilot communities in this effort and to learn more about Microplastics and how they can harm an ecosystem follow this link.

I grew up in East Lansing Michigan, and the adventures I had on the Red Cedar River are the foundation of my passion for the outdoors and conservation. While this past Saturday may have been the event day for this Red Cedar Cleanup, every day is a good day to get outside and clean-up trash. Every day is a good day for Conservation.

The post Successful Cleanup On The Red Cedar River! appeared first on Michigan United Conservation Clubs.

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On the Ground: Wood Duck Boxes & More at Maple River State Game Area

By Katelyn Helsel • February 24, 2025

On Saturday, February 15, 2025, 26 volunteers joined MUCC’s On the Ground program in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for a wood duck nest box event at Maple River State Game Area in Gratiot County. This area located just north of Lansing consists of farm fields, woodlands, grasslands, and cattail marshes. It is a popular destination for hunters, trappers, birders, and wildlife viewers alike. Volunteers Maintain Nest Boxes & Remove Decking During this project, volunteers worked within three separate units of the state game area. Each group checked nest boxes and replaced old nesting material with fresh material as needed. Any use of the nest boxes by either wood ducks or other wildlife was also noted onto a data sheet. One group of volunteers also installed two brand new boxes in an area adjacent to several ponds. These new boxes will help increase nesting success even further for this incredible species. They will continue to be monitored by the DNR in addition to the existing boxes. Additionally, brush covering the entry of the boxes was cleared and used to create brush piles for small game habitat. Another group of volunteers removed old decking from a cross-bridge located between two units. Removal was fairly easy given that the boards were old and rotting away, which made the project all the more important. The boards will be replaced with fresh wood later in the year, therefore improving hunter accessibility. In total, volunteers improved approximately 49 acres of wildlife habitat directly through this project.