Lots of interesting information presented yesterday at the February meeting of the MACC Policy Board!

Report on Streambank Erosion and Other General Business

Update on the Fred Meijer Trail

The December 2010 Macatawa Watershed Project newsletter is now available. If you’d like extra copies for your church, school, homeowners associaton or service group etc please just contact us at 616-395-2688 or email info@the-macc.org.

Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission Honored as the Recipient of the Macatawa Watershed Project’s Annual Stakeholder of the Year Award

Holland, Michigan – December 7, 2010- The Macatawa Area Coordinating Council announced the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission as the 2010 recipient of the Macatawa Watershed Stakeholder of the Year Award. Director John Scholtz accepted the award today at a monthly meeting of watershed stakeholders.

Since 2001, the award has been bestowed annually on a person(s), entity or organization who has been a particularly strong supporter of the Macatawa Watershed Project or played an important role in advancing the water quality goals of the Macatawa Watershed Project.

This past year, the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission, with help from the Outdoor Discovery Center-Macatawa Greenway, purchased 122 acres of the former Holland Country Club in an effort to restore wetlands on the property, increase the area’s trail network and bring more park land to the Macatawa Watershed. The property is situated in the heart of the watershed where Noordeloos Creek empties into the main branch of the Macatawa River.

The Macatawa Watershed Project was then able to assist Ottawa County in applying for and receiving almost $650,000 in grant funds from the Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The restoration plan includes construction of 62 acres of wetlands on-site (30 acres of which is being conducted as part of a wetland mitigation project by Request Foods) which will restore connection to the floodplain, stabilize streambanks, reduce downstream flooding, nutrient and sediment loading, restore wildlife and native vegetation and provide a great opportunity for watershed education!

This new project will greatly benefit the Macatawa Watershed and will build upon the water quality improvements that Ottawa County has already invested in, namely with the construction of the 612-acre Upper Macatawa Conservation Area in Zeeland Township in recent years.

Previous recipients of the award include Robert DenHerder (2001), Jim Jipping (2002), Zeeland Public Schools (2003), Jen Soukhome and the Zeeland Wetlands Class (2004), Dr. Graham Peaslee and Hope College (2005), Bob Dykhuis (2006), Pam Landes (2007), City of Zeeland (2008) and Julia Kirkwood, MDNRE (2009).

The public is invited to join us for the Watershed Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday Dec 7th at 10:00am at the Holland Twp Riley Street Fire Station (agenda attached). We will be hosting Hope College Students as they present the results of their semester long environmental research projects (topics are listed in the attached agenda). Also, we will be announcing the 2010 Watershed Stakeholder of the Year Award!

In partnership with the Allegan Conservation District, the Macatawa Watershed Project is hosting a Wetlands Workshop on Monday, December 6th from 6-8:30pm at the Trestle Stop on M-40 in Hamilton. We’ll be bringing together state and federal wetlands experts to inform you of all the programs available to help fund a wetland restoration project on your land. If you own open land or marginal farmland and are interested in restoring wetlands on your property and want to find out how to pay for it, then this workshop is for you. Please review this informational flyer or visit the Allegan Conservation District website to learn more! Contact Mary Fales at 616-395-2688 or Shawn McKenney at 269-673-8965 ext 4 to RSVP.