April 2017

  

Table of Contents

Office Commute Challenge: May 14 – 19
Macatawa River Cleanup
Volunteer Water Bug Collection
Did you know…?

Employer Commute Challenge:
May 14 – 19

Holland Hospital’s Cath. Lab team

Getting the whole office involved in this friendly competition is a great way to promote healthy living and a sustainable planet. If your place of work has never competed before, this is the year to start! Businesses in four size categories from all around the Holland-Zeeland area will be competing for bragging rights and a really cool trophy! Whoever has the highest percentage participation wins.

Throughout the week, individuals can track their own miles using our easy online form or one person in the office can be assigned to submit the total mileage to the MACC at the end of the week. Whatever is easiest for you!

Mileage is due Friday the 19th at noon.

To sign up your office, contact Carolyn at the MACC – culstad@the-macc.org

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Macatawa River Cleanup

Volunteer at the Fall 2016 cleanup event

The Macatawa Area Coordinating Council (MACC) and the Outdoor Discovery Center Macatawa Greenway (ODCMG) have been jointly holding spring and fall cleanups for ten years. Participating is a lot of fun and bizarre things are always found. Last year a shopping cart was pulled out of the water at one site and a mailbox with its wooden post still attached was recovered at another location, even a station wagon seat was once found!

To unearth the next big discovery, the spring Macatawa River Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, April 29 from 1-4pm in Kollen Park. Volunteers can pick up trash on foot or in kayaks that are provided by ODCMG. All ages are welcome but the group does request that anyone under 16 years old be accompanied by an adult.
RSVP is required, contact ODCMG at 616-393-9453 or find the online registration form by going to their event calendar at outdoordiscovery.org. We hope to see you there!

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Volunteer Water Bug Collection

Volunteers collecting and sorting water bugs

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are bugs that live in the water. They include insects, crustaceans, clams, mussels, and snails. They vary in shape and size, but all live in the water for at least a portion of their life cycle. Their survival depends on clean water, though different types have varying sensitivities to water pollution.

During our collections, we examine many types of bugs present in a stream to get a general idea of the health of that stream. Most water bugs live among rocks, under logs or in leaf packs, making them relatively easy collect with a net. The MACC partners with the Outdoor Discovery Center Macatawa Greenway to monitor water bug populations at 7 locations in the Macatawa Watershed twice a year. Our next water bug collection will be taking place on Tuesday, May 23rd, 1-4pm.
RSVP is required. Contact Carolyn at culstad@the-macc.org or 616-395-2688 to sign-up or for more information. Please provide us with the best way to contact you in the event we need to cancel because of weather.

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Did you know…?

Shared use path along Fairview Road in Zeeland

The MACC area has close to 200 miles of shared use pathways that provide access to pedestrians and bicyclists!

With so many options on where to travel, we encourage you to dust off and tune up that bike or yours and get outside this spring.
Always remember to practice bike safety. Pay close attention to the motor traffic around you, obey traffic laws and wear that helmet!
A great resource to check out regardless of if you ride a bike or only drive a car is this pamphlet from MDOT called “What Every Michigan Driver Should Know About Bicycle Lanes.” Check it out!