This year the GTCD is in the running for this grant again! Last year we came close to receiving the most votes. If you are a member of Oryana, please stop by the Customer Service Desk and vote for us in the before the end of February. Click here and skip to page 9 of their Jan/Feb Newsletter to read up on the GTCD's plans for the grant.

This opportunity would not be possible without all of you Oryana members/owners, so thank you for the opportunity!!!

The winner of the Michigan Envirothon will go on to compete in the national competition called the Canon Envirothon, which is North America's largest high school environmental education competition.

The GTCD is looking for two teams to sponsor from the Grand Traverse area. This year's topic is “Protection of Groundwater through Urban, Agricultural and Environmental Planning” and Dan Busby, Ground Water Program Coordinator, will be making presentations and coordinating activities for the state and regional competitions. We will provide funding, educational assistance and team advising for two teams of students. And as this year's topic is Dan's expertise, he may be able to give your team a leg up on the competition. If you or your school is interested in participating in this year's competition, please e-mail or call 231.941.0960 to contact Dan Busby. We will fill the teams on a first com, first serve basis so contact us today if you are interested!

The regional competition will be held Friday, March 12 from 8:30a - 2:30p at the Boardman River Nature Center. We are excited to be a part of it and look forward to hosting the state regional competition!

The Grand Traverse Stewardship Initiative (GTSI) will provide leadership, training and support to help teachers, students and community partners work together on water-related issues in the region. The GTSI will focus on cross-curricular teams of teachers in 3-5 target schools at the elementary, middle and high school level for this first 20-month implementation phase. Other K-12 teachers in the region will also benefit by access to professional development workshops and online resources. Professional development will begin in the summer of 2010, with water-related projects being designed and implemented during the 2010-11 school year.

Leadership for the GTSI will be provided by the GTCD, in partnership with Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA), the Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS), the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (TBAISD) and over a dozen partner organizations that participated in the planning phase of the Initiative in 2009. The Initiative will compliment many of the GTCD’s new education programs at the Boardman River Nature Center.

A $200,000 grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust (GLFT) under the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI) is making this Initiative possible.

Click here to read the full Press Release.

Sledding: Silver Lake Park

Snowshoeing: (all parklands we manage are great but these are a few favorites)

• Miller Creek Nature Reserve

• Commons Natural Area
• Brown Bridge Quiet Area
• Natural Education Reserve

Cross Country Skiing: Hickory Meadows

While out enjoying these activities, take a camera and help gather scenic pictures for us to use as part of the new educational displays in the information stations at the trailheads. For more information on the displays and how you can help, click here

We are looking for your local nature photos to incorporate into these displays. They will be used as headers or as examples within the text. The photos used as headers should be a landscape photograph that captures the season and the parkland, while the photos within the text will illustrate the topic. The higher the resolution of the photos, the better since these are large displays. Please upload your photos to our Flickr group page. We draw upon this pool for a variety things such as monthly program schedules, event schedules and flyers just to name a few. For this project, we would like the photos to be one of the following parklands. Please "tag" your photos accordingly.

• Hickory Meadows
• Brown Bridge Quiet Area
• Natural Education Reserve
• Miller Creek
• Kids Creek
• Silver Lake Park
• Commons Natural Area
• East Creek Reserve

If you are looking for some inspiration, here are some of the topics we are considering for future displays:

Spring

• Wildflowers
• Signs of the changing season
• Birds- nest building
• Birds- adaptations: beaks and feet
• We all need forests: wildlife, recreation, products
• Maple syrup
• Spring mushrooms
• Spring mating season- how animals attract a mate

Summer

• Poisonous plants/stinging plants
• Mini-plants: Mosses, clubmosses, lichens
• River life (dragonflies, etc)
• Animal homes under cover (holes in trees, squirrel nests, etc)
• Animal builders: beaver, paper wasps, garden spiders, birds (nests)
• Insects
• Frogs and Toads- Differences, species, indicators of pollution
• Gall- making insects: oak galls, goldenrod galls, willow balls
• Mosquitoes/li>
• The forest floor: home of the hidden workers: fungi, earthworms, springtails, millipedes, mites, shrews
• Tree rings, dendrology (count rings on dead trees)

Fall

• Fungi
• Animal defenses: horns, antlers, quills, odor
• Methods of seed dispersal or common seed travelers- wind burs, hooks, water, animals, man expulsion

Winter

• Tree ID (deciduous) by bark, twigs silhouettes
• Evergreens- conifer key and pictures
• Animal tracks
• Evidence of life in winter landscape (egg masses, deer rubs, etc.)
• Winter weeds- I.D.
• Characteristics of snow

General

• Threatened and endangered species of our area
• Insect life cycles: gypsy moth, monarch butterfly, eastern tent caterpillar, forest tent caterpillar- and what they eat
• Animals and camouflage
• Invasive species of hickory meadows- what to look for and why remove them
• Relationships between organisms (mutualism, exploitations, etc)
• Watershed
• Juvenelles vs. adults –appearance, when they leave the ‘nest’, etc
• Metamorpasis
• Cones
• Fish

Lew Coulter	I like to give locally grown dried cherries. They are reasonably priced and a great stocking stuffer. You can eat them alone or as a snack or combine them things like cookies, granola, oatmeal, or salads. These tasty local products are available locally at places like Peninsula Fruit Exchange, Tom’s, Oleson’s and Meijer.
Robin Christensen	I like to encourage people to save money and resources by giving them a metal water bottle. The bottles come in an assortment of colors and designs. If the recipient drinks bottled water because they don’t like the taste of tap water, include a faucet water filter with their gift. They can have bottled water taste without the leached chemicals from plastic bottles or the energy waste from transporting it. Find some of these water bottles locally at Backcountry Outfitters
Ben Purdy	This year I am going to give a programmable thermostat. These simple devices can help you reduce your heating bill and your carbon footprint. Even though there are no programmable thermostats produced locally, you can purchase one through a socially conscious source like Goodshop.com. They will donate a portion of the purchase to a local charity of your choice (hopefully the GTCD).
Jon Prins	My green gift idea is made by a local company that sees value in items viewed as trash. A wood pallet that has carried its last shipment is given new life through Mission Workshop. The company hand crafts a variety of beautiful outdoor furniture. Re-purposing these materials keeps them out of the landfill and fully utilizes the energy originally spent to produce them. Learn more at missionworkshop.org Mention you heard about the company from the GTCD and receive a 20% discount!
Cindy Retherford	This year I purchased some Christmas presents made by a local artist, Jeanne Hinds. She makes wind chimes and jewelry using recycled glass and pottery found along the shores of West Grand Traverse Bay. They are truly beautiful and contain a variety of different colored beach glass: blue, green, brown and white. The jewelry was made from unique pieces of tan pottery, with crackled glass finish. These gifts support a local artist, have a historical aspect, and are green because they are made from recycled items. Plus they are unique and beautiful to boot! Visit her shop on Etsy.com by clicking here. Mention you heard about Jeanne’s products from the GTCD and the she will give you a 5% discount!
Kath Zatorski	My choice for a green gift this year is a gift certificate from Salon Verve. It is a place of “good energy,” and delightful folks that really care about their guests, community and our environment! They support other “green” organizations in our own community (like Bay Area Recycling). Gift ideas can be found on their website, thenewlookoforganic.com. Click the link that says “That’s a Wrap.” Who wouldn’t want a relaxing spa treatment after the stress of the holidays?!?
Colleen Masterson-Bzdok	Choose something that can create memories without creating clutter. Rather than giving yet another gift this year, consider giving an experience. My favorite is to offer a full day to pamper a friend with whatever activities they choose. Have friends with kids? Offer them a free night of babysitting! Someone that would appreciate an adventure? Take them winter camping, snowshoeing, skating, skiing or snowboarding. Looking for something new? How about a certificate for a class or workshop that is new for both of you? By giving an experience, you will both have a great time and create shared memories that will last a lifetime!
Rebecca Teahen	For those of you with little ones on the way in your family, check out the great selection of earth and baby friendly goods at Green Island downtown. This year, (shhhhh-don't tell!) I got a little cozy red & white organic flannel sleeper for a friend’s baby due right around Christmas! Even if no babies are on the way in your household, Green Island has a variety of eco-goods for your home. Happy shopping! Visit their website for directions and more info, gogreenisland.com
Steve Largent	I like to give things that can be found locally. The next time that you are on a hike, pick up that sturdy looking branch. Take it home and create a walking stick out of it. Wrap some leather around the end and make a carving into the side of it. Get creative!
Dan Busby	I work with a lot of local farmers who produce some great wine. Bring a bottle to your next holiday party or package it in a gift basket with some other locally made products. Here are some links to some great local wine producers who have achieved Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program verification: Black Star Farms 2 Lads Winery Bowers Harbor Vineyard Shady Lane Cellars Chateau Grand Traverse

YOU Christmas Shop and They GIVE
If you need to search online for gift ideas, use GoodSearch. It works the same way as the yahoo search engine, but gives about a penny to the GTCD every time you search! If you can’t find your gift locally and need to order it online, use GoodShop. For every purchase that you make, GoodShop will donate a percentage to the GTCD. There are hundreds of online retailers participating, and a bunch of money saving coupons.

A Delicious way to Donate
Don't forget, if you're looking for things to do, you can stop by Firefly (downtown TC) to enjoy tasty dessert. Firefly gives $1 to GTCD for each dessert sold…Yum!

Boardman River Nature Center Holiday Hours

• Closed: December 24-26 and December 31-January 2 for the holidays.
• Open: Tuesday, Dec 29 and Wednesday, Dec 30. There will be many Christmas and winter related activities at the Boardman River Nature Center around the holidays for kids off from school. So bring your family into the Boardman River Nature Center or get out and enjoy the trails of the Natural Education Reserve!

CLICK HERE to check out the story that 9&10 News did with us on "Greening" up your holidays!

Steve Largent, Director of Land Management Services, was awarded the 2009 Frank Purvis Stewardship Award. This award was established in 1983 and honors "those individuals who have demonstrated a high degree of dedication to sound community planning ideals and volunteerism." The award is named after Frank Purvis, the first chairman of the Traverse Bay Regional Planning Commission, who had an impact on community planning in the Grand Traverse area. Steve was selected for it because of his life long commitment to the conservation and protection of the Boardman River.

The GTCD is one of 10 different organizations selected to receive the 2009 Michigan WORKS! Grand Traverse County Earn and Learn Worksite Recognition Service Award for the "diversity of experience, learning opportunities, work place and employability skills that were developed by our participants and the benefits the work projects provided to the community." The Earn and Learn Program is targeted at economically disadvantaged young people, 16-24 years old, and gives them the opportunity to learn new job skills while serving their community. Participants worked in one of the 15 roving work crews this summer throughout the ten-county region at public and private nonprofit agencies. Watch a video documenting some of the work done this summer with the Earn and Learn Program below.

Congratulations to the LMS team on yet another great year!

CLICK HERE to see the GTCD staff at the Zombie Run!

The five tributaries include Kids Creek, Miller Creek, Carpenter Creek, Twenty Two Creek, and Jackson Creek. The Kids Creek and Jackson Creek projects were completed this fall. The remaining projects are scheduled for 2010.

Located in Garfield Township on the outskirts of Traverse City, Kids Creek is the most urban and highly developed sub-watershed to the Boardman River. Because of the amount of sediment impacting the health of Kids Creek it is on the 303(d) list for impaired water.

The project area is the former site of the Oleson buffalo herd. The Oleson family pastured buffalo on site for over 50 years. The "drop culvert" was designed and installed in 1950 (picture below) to provide a way for the Oleson's to cross the Creek with tractors and other farming equipment. In the late 90's, the Oleson's moved the buffalo herd out of the Kids Creek watershed and sold the property for development. As part of the Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the property, Garfield Township required that a portion of the property around Kids Creek be set aside as a township park. Ultimately the 17 acres that made up the bulk of the buffalo pasture was set aside. As a public park the "drop culvert" created a potential safety hazard in addition to blocking fish migration upstream. A special arrangement between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the G.T. Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and Garfield Township allowed for EQIP funds to be used to restore the connectivity of the Creek by adding approximately 300 feet of new stream channel and eliminating the drop culvert.

Work has already begun to restore the streambanks trampled by the buffalo. Hiking trails including recreational bridges are being constructed for public use and are expected to be completed in the spring of 2010. Once completed the site will feature a recreational trail head, timber bridge, and walking path. The old mill pond onsite is also being dredged and restored so it will once again harbor fish.

You can visit this park and hike some of the trails that have already been completed. Access the trailhead next to Kohls. map

Drop culvert installed 1950	Drop Culvert before	Culvert coming out
New creek bed laid	New creek path flowing

Jackson Creek is a major tributary of the Boardman that begins near the watershed boundary between the Boardman and Manistee watersheds in southern Grand Traverse County. The Creek starts in Section 24 of the South Part of Paradise Township and flows northerly for approximately 5 miles where it joins East Creek in Section 27 of the North Part of Paradise Township. East Creek continues flowing northwesterly for 1.5 miles where is enters the Boardman just downstream of Garfield Road below Brown Bridge Dam.

The Wood Road crossing of Jackson Creek is near the headwaters. As with many rural roads, the culverts that were installed decades ago are not adequately sized for the modern day roads which have become much wider over time. In fact at this crossing, the culvert was completely buried by gravel under the road blocking fish passage and sending a large amount of sediment downstream every time it rained. Sediment in smaller sections of the stream near the headwaters is especially damaging because they don't receive the "flushing flows" that the larger stream or river receives. In other words the sand stays in the creek smothering and choking off any aquatic life. Replacement of this culvert through a cooperative EQIP agreement between the G.T. Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and the County Road Commission is key and will allow for this section of Jackson Creek to begin healing.

Steve discusses project with landowners and road commission

Culvert almost completely blocked by sediment

Water flowing freely after project completion

Written by:
Steve Largent
Director of Land Management Services
Grand Traverse Conservation District

This is not the first time that Robin has had to spring into action to save a feathered friend. While living in Florida Robin noticed a heron with a plastic 6-pack bottle holder around its foot and neck and had to call wildlife biologist to save it. Yet, not all birds are as lucky. Happening upon any animal in these kind of predicaments is uncommon. This is why it is so important to make sure to pick up after yourself in order to minimize the impact humans have on other wildlife!

Click here to for more information how to do your part to prevent these kind of things from happening.

A bend in the trail lead us to a boardwalk crossing a small, pristine creek. Initially the kids stayed on the boardwalk, mostly silent. You could tell that they were all itching to jump off of the boardwalk and explore the banks of the creek. Poke a stick in the mud, skip a rock, dip a finger in the water, just explore. I smirked as I told them that everything they were imagining in their head, they could do. I gave the word and they flocked toward the creek. We looked at animal tracks in the mud they were poking sticks into, talked about what might be hiding under the rocks they were skipping, and theorized about why the water they were touching was so cold. They loved every minute of it and I did too.

I may have made the laundry work a little harder that day for some parents, but the smiles on the kid’s faces made it worth it. It was amazing to see the difference in them from the time they stepped foot off of the bus to the time that they stepped back on. Whether anything we taught those kids that day actually sunk in is less important to me than the experience we gave them. They experienced nature. They saw it, they touched it, they smelled it and I hope they felt it. I hope they felt how wonderful nature truly is and it sparked something in them. Something that will continue to be kindled until it is their generation’s turn to take the lead as stewards of our environment.

This is just a piece of what the Grand Traverse Conservation District does and I am proud to be a part of it. They have their hands dirty everyday in the field conserving our environment and are preparing the next generation to take our place when the time comes.

Written by:
Jon Prins
Outreach Specialist
Grand Traverse Conservation District

This year's event was great! Everyone came out to the Boardman River Nature Center for an evening of fun, food and music! The weather was perfect, so we were able to have the event outside. The Cherry Jam Acoustic band played the tunes while our donors and volunteers perused the silent auction items. Some of our great volunteer's gave some compelling testimonials about what the District means to them. A few folks even tried their hand at casting a fly (to varying degrees of success) with this year's RW Summers raffle fly rod. The winner for the raffle took place toward the end of the evening. (find our who won!)

The District staff had a great time and we hope everyone who was able to attend did as well! If you are interested in becoming a donor or volunteer, please call us at 231-941-0960 or click here.

Click below to see some pictures from this year's event!

The money raised through this annual raffle is critical to enabling the GTCD to implement vital stewardship projects in the Boardman Watershed. The raffle will be held again next year and tickets are expected to go on sale in next spring. Individuals interested in purchasing tickets or learn more about what the money raised supports, can explore this website or call 231-941-0960.

• Put the Wart on the Witch Game
• Ghost Poop Race
• Mummy Wrap Game
• Goulish Body Parts Activity
• Pumpkin Guts Game
• Spider Headband Craft
• Coloring and Stamping
• Toddler Room with Bat Cave
• Straw Bale Maze
• Haunted Trails: One for younger kids and one for older

Here are some pictures from last years event!!

Want to helps us haunt the Nature Center?
We need people dressed up in their Halloween best (or worst) to put the “haunt” in our haunted trail. We plan to have two sections of it, one for younger kids and one for slightly older kids. So we need costumed volunteers of varying degrees of spookiness! We also need a few people to help with the indoor games and crafts. If you are interested, please call or email Jon at 941-0960 or jprins@gtcd.org.

The Land Management Services (LMS) team installed nearly 400 feet of riparian buffers this week at Arbutus Lake #5 Park and Mayfield Pond Park. A survey of public parks bordering lakes, rivers, and streams in the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed, done in conjunction with the Watershed Center of Grand Traverse Bay, was completed in 2008. The Watershed Center received a state grant to conduct the public buffer survey. The two sites located in East Bay and Paradise Townships, were selected for their lack of a sufficient riparian buffer and their visibility to recreational users. Interpretive signs will be installed this spring explaining the importance of riparian buffers to water quality.

Riparian buffers utilize native trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers to provide shade and near shore habitat along these pond and river ecosystems. The shade helps keep the streams cold, increasing habitat quality for aquatic species. The deep-rooted vegetation also prevents erosion and keeps excess sediment and nutrients from entering the waterways.

The first site is located at the Arbutus Lake #5 Park in East Bay Township. The LMS team, along with Township park staff and Youth Corps work crew installed a riparian buffer along a stream that feeds the warm water of Arbutus Lake. Native trees and shrubs were planted including 220 “rescued” plants. The plants were rescued this past spring from proposed development sites prior to excavation through the Grand Traverse Conservation District’s Native Plant Rescue Program. See some pictures below!

The second site is located at Mayfield Pond Park, owned and managed by Paradise Township, Grand Traverse County. This park is the site where the famous Adams Fly was created in 1922. The Adams Fly is a dry fly well-known world-wide by fly fishing enthusiasts. Mayfield Pond is stocked with trout annually and is fed by Swainston Creek, a coldwater trout stream. This section is also designated as “Wild & Scenic” by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Natural Rivers Program. The riparian buffer is being installed along the southern edge of the Pond and along Swainston Creek to provide shading to reduce thermal pollution. See some pictures below!

Feel free to stop by these locations to check out the latest and greatest work of the LMS team!

Sandy Sam Bodjack's photo entitled "Loon and Friends" received the most votes from the community and is the winner of the 2009 Spring Digital Photo Contest! It was shot at Brown Bridge pond and captures a nesting loon, a muskrat and a couple of turtles sharing a dry spot. She used a blind in order to not disturb the loon who was nesting. It is an amazing shot! Sandy enjoys photographing wildlife from a kayak, which gets her closer to the water and her subject. She is a member of the Traverse Area Camera Club and the Grand Traverse Audubon Club. She enjoys helping others learn how enjoy nature and have fun with photography.

Congratulations Sandy on winning our 2009 Spring Digital Photo Contest!! Check out her amazing photo below!!

(Click on photo to enlarge)

We are taking entrants for the 2009 Fall Digital Photo Contest right now! Click here for details on how to enter!

A new sustainability tool has been created by the National Grape Cooperative and the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council called the Grape*A*Syst. This is an assessment tool for grape growers in Michigan. The Grape*A*Syst workbook and assessment process is an important resource for growers to self-assess their practices and measure improvements that they are already making towards sustainability. MSU, MDA and National Grape teamed up to develop the tool.

Conservation Districts that house Groundwater Program Technicians in grape growing areas of the state will administer the assessment tools and help grape growers achieve their sustainability goals. It is nothing new for Dan Busby to work with grape growers... Many of the vineyards in the area are already verified in the MAEAP program, thanks to Dan’s assistance and guidance.

Stay tuned for more information on how the District assists local land owners on achieving their land management goals.