April 2016

Remembering Bill Vanderbilt
First Class Communities have First Class Transit Systems
Hope College Student Research Presentations
Online Learning Prompts on the Ground Changes
in Agriculture
Reminder: 10th Annual Macatawa River Cleanup

Remembering Bill Vanderbilt

July 15, 1939-April 15, 2016

Bill Vanderbilt was chairperson of the MACC from 2012-2016 and served on the Executive Committee since 2006. His humor, love for the community and thoughtful questions and insights will be missed. Bill demonstrated a genuine concern for MACC staff and encouraged us to look for win-win solutions.

Bill enjoyed bicycling and was a loyal attendee of the MACC’s Green Commute Leadership Rides

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First Class Communities have First Class Transit Systems

Support the MAX Transit Authority

The MACC’s 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan encourages a balanced transportation system. This means that in addition to efficient and well-maintained roadways, a community has a strong nonmotorized pathway network and robust public transit system. To help ensure that the Macatawa Area Express (MAX) transit system can serve the needs of our area, the MACC has allocated nearly $600,000 over the last five years so the system can replace aging buses.

MAX relies on local millage support to help meet capital and operational needs. On May 3 voters in the City of Holland and Holland Charter Township will be asked to renew that millage for another five years. To learn more about the millage proposal, who uses the MAX system and where they are going visit www.catchamax.org/max-transit-millage-renewal

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Hope College Student Research Presentations

The MACC is pleased to partner with Hope College to host public presentations of student research. Students enrolled in the Advanced Environmental Seminar work in groups throughout the semester to collect and analyze data. Students this semester are investigating salt contamination in urban streams, amounts of phosphorus in snow melt andrain events in agricultural streams and the effects of sediment on aquatic microorganisms. We hope you’ll be able to join us and learn what they have discovered!

DATE: Wednesday, May 4, 2016
TIME: 4:00-5:30PM
LOCATION: Herrick District Library, 300 S. River Ave, Holland
RSVP: kgoward@the-macc.org or 616-395-2688

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Online Learning Prompts on the Ground Changes
in Agriculture

The MACC recently hosted a recorded webinar viewing of Interseeding Cover Crops in Corn and Soybean, presented by Bill Curran, Professor of Weed Science at Penn State University. This webinar reviewed the performance and field data of the new InterSeeder Technologies, innovatively designed interseeder developed by Penn State and Cornell University. This new design allows for the interseeding of cover crops while sidedressing up to the V5 stage of corn. Next month’s viewing will take place on May 10^th at 2pm at the MACC. The webinar will be presented by USDA on Integrating Warm Season Annuals into Cool Season Perennial Grazing Systems, focusing on the use of warm season annuals (cover crops), their management and tips for revitalizing old monoculture cool season pasture to improve soil health. Contact Aaron Spicer at aspicer@the-macc.org, if you are interested in attending.