Two Rivers Coalition

    *Monthly Meeting: 3rd Tuesday of the Month

Welcome! Explore and discover the Black and          ..

Paw Paw River Watersheds with us!

  Click Map for larger image 

Learn what you can do to help protect and improve the wonderful resources in these watersheds. Learn about the Two Rivers Coalition, Inc., a citizen based group working to protect the health of the Black River and Paw Paw River Watersheds through conservation, education, and advocacy.

Our goal is to be your source of information about the Black and Paw Paw River Watersheds here in Southwest Michigan.  We hope our web site will provide you with accurate and thought provoking information about these watersheds and the community we live in.  We believe that an informed and engaged community is the key to making this one of the best places to live and play. Please look around and let us know if there is information that you would like for us to include on our web site. Looking for a specific topic?  Try Search at the top of the page.

The Black and Paw Paw Rivers drain lands in Allegan, Berrien, Kalamazoo and Van Buren Counties.  The Black River flows into Lake Michigan at South Haven.  In Benton Harbor, the Paw Paw River flows into the St. Joseph River which then flows a short distance to Lake Michigan.  Some say that the St. Joseph River is actually the Great South Branch of the Paw Paw River.

How will Climate Change Affect              Southwest Michigan?

Attendees of the TRC 10th Annual Meeting on November 8, 2018 were treated to a highly informative and persuasive presentation by Dr. David Karowe of WMU. He explained the scientific evidence which absolutely establishes the dominant role humans are playing in the warming of the planet. He went on to explain what life will be like in the Great Lakes by the end of this century under two scenarios: business as usual (do nothing) or return to the Paris Climate Agreement. There will be rising summer and winter temps, earlier and more severe spring floods, more frequent and more intense rain events, and more severe late summer droughts. We could lose iconic tree species like White Pine and Sugar Maple. Bottom line is that if we do nothing different, by the end of the century we will not recognize the place we call Michigan. But, if we act quickly, we can still choose the type of planet we leave to future generations.

Click here to see the full presentation.

Learn more about the Paw Paw River Water Trail on their new website

www.pawpawriverwatertrail.org

Upcoming Events in 2019:

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Oak Wilt Disease Here in SW Michigan?

July 22nd and 23rd

Three Times, Three Locations:

FREE workshop for all homeowners, arborists, & land managers.

Monday, July 22; 1:00pm-3:00pm Van Buren Conference Center, 490 S. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI 49064

Monday, July 22; 6:00pm-8:00pm Niles District Library, 620 E. Main Street, Niles, MI 49120

Tuesday, July 23; 9:30am-11:30am Cassopolis Public Library, 319 M-62, Cassopolis, MI 49031

Check-in is 30 minutes prior to listed times at which presentations promptly start! RSVP's are required as seating is limited. Call the following to RSVP your seat for your selected venue:

Van Buren Conference Center - AJ at 269-657-4030 x5

Niles District Library - Nancy at 269-471-9111 x3

Cassopolis Public Library - Korie at 269-445-8641 x5

OR online at www.OakWilt.Eventbrite.com

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July 28, 2019 - Prairie Fen Paddle/Hike Trip

Co-sponsored with Michigan Nature Association

9:00am to Noon and 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Two Rivers Coalition’s - Prairie Fen Paddle Trip Sunday, July 28th , Trip 1: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, Trip 2: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Come explore the flora and fauna of two prairie fens along the shores of Paw Paw Lake in Kalamazoo County. We will launch from the DNR public boat ramp off of Paw Paw Lake Drive and paddle the clear, placid Paw Paw Lake waters exploring the aquatic and shoreline vegetation as we make our way to two Michigan Nature Association (MNA) Sanctuaries. Both sanctuaries protect valuable prairie fen habitat in the headwaters of the East Branch of the Paw Paw River. The Palmer Sanctuary protects 22 acres along the east shore of the lake while the smaller Wilkie Sanctuary protects 3 acres of a larger 30 acre wetland complex along the northern edge of the lake. We will stop at each sanctuary and wander its wet sedge meadows, marl flats and mucky emergent habitats seeking out late summer flora and fauna. If time and conditions permit, we will paddle the open lake enjoying a summer day on one of the Paw Paw River Watersheds beautiful and lesser known lakes. Participation will be limited to minimize impact to the critical prairie fen habitat. To protect the rare flora and fauna these sanctuaries are not accessible to the public without MNA permission.

RSVP REQUIRED! Contact to sign up: Kevin Haight: 269-408-6262, email: kevinhaight58@gmail.com

Directions- use hyperlink to open map to the launch site: DNR Public Boat Ramp Details 

https://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mrbis/mapbasic.aspx?bkmk=6ae5f8fb132a6f398f09d4760519e077

Other Details: - Bring a canoe, kayak or SUP along with a pfd. Boats are available for loan if you do not have one, but must be reserved in advance. - Bring sun protection, snacks and ample water for up to 4 hours of late summer exploring. - We will be hiking in wet (standing water), mucky soil with tall vegetation. Long, light weight pants tucked in water proof muck boots are ideal to protect the lower body. - If it is a hot summer day, a quick swim may be an irresistible way to finish off the trip.

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Paddle with a Naturalist on the Paw Paw River

Saturday August 10th

Watervliet to Coloma

Come and join TRC for an easy float down a picturesque segment of the Paw Paw River accompanied by a naturalist guide. This is a great opportunity to learn about the floodplain ecosystem and the invasive species threats it faces. This paddle is co-sponsored by Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area SW x SW Corner.

Meet at the new Paw Paw River County Park (south bank of river in Watervliet) at 10:00 a.m. to drop off boats, stage vehicles downstream at Coloma Public Works access, and then carpool back to launch site. There is a universal access slide in launch facility at the county park but none at the Coloma take-out. There will be a short introduction to aquatic invasive species by the naturalist and we will try to be on the water by approximately 11:00 a.m. This is normally a 90 minute to 2 hour plus float.

Bring your own boat and PFD (wearing your PFD is required to be part of our group).

A limited number of loaner kayaks, paddles, and PFD's are available free of charge but MUST be reserved in advance by emailing Kenneth: TillWeDance@acd.net

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OX CREEK CLEAN-UP

Saturday August 24

9:30 a.m. to Noon

Meet at Hall Park in Benton Harbor

Watch website and Facebook page for more details.

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AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES WORKSHOP FOR PADDLERS

Saturday, September 7, 2019

9am-3pm Benton Harbor, MI – Paw Paw River Water Trail

Free workshop for paddlers! Join Michigan Sea Grant, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, Two Rivers Coalition and SW x SW CISMA for MI Paddle Stewards, a one-day workshop to train community paddlers on Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) monitoring. Includes a free lunch and a guided paddle! For more information: hamiltonm@swmpc.org REGISTER here:

https://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?eventID=886DA84E7C485EE00D2337652724E737ABAE4D4AD66C75B84D3A9D5DBCFC8245

https://events.anr.msu.edu/MIPaddleStewardsBentonHarbor/ This workshop is funded by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program www.michigan.gov/invasives 

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TRC BLACK RIVER PADDLE

Saturday Sept 14

Watch website and Facebook page for details.

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Sunday October 6, 2019 - Fall Macroinvertebrate Collection

ID on Monday Oct 7th

Watch website and Facebook page for details.  

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November 7, 2019 - TRC 11th Annual Meeting

Van Buren Conference Center, Lawrence, MI

Watch website and Facebook page for more details

RISK vs REWARD:

Or Why Two Rivers Coalition is Calling for the Shutdown of Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac

At its July meeting, the TRC Board of Directors passed a resolution calling for the immediate shutdown of Line 5 which carries crude oil products under the Straits of Mackinac. My job is not to convince anyone of the correctness of this decision, but rather, to explain why we felt it was an appropriate action for a local environmental group to take. Remember, the mission of TRC is to…”protect the health of the Black River and Paw Paw River watersheds through conservation, education, and advocacy.” As a water quality organization, we believe it is just not enough to work to protect the water only until it runs into Lake Michigan.

Continue Reading Risk vs Reward (click on for full write-up)

Two Rivers Coalition Resolution Calling for Shutdown of Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac

IT IS RESOLVED THAT,

Because of Two Rivers Coalition’s paramount interest in protecting the waters of the State of Michigan and the entire Great Lakes Basin to which the Paw Paw River and Black River flow, and because the potential risk to those waters from a spill or leak from the sixty-four year old Line 5 pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac is potentially catastrophic in terms of both environmental and economic damage, and because the risks of such a catastrophe far outweigh any short-term benefits to the people of the State of Michigan from continued transportation of crude oil products through Line 5,

THEREFORE, Two Rivers Coalition calls upon elected state and federal governmental representatives and relevant regulatory entities to immediately shut down Line 5.

Adopted July 12, 2017

About Enbridge Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac

JUNE 26, 2017

http://www.oilandwaterdontmix.org/about_line_5

Also, here is a link to a site about Line 5 run by the State of Michigan:

https://mipetroleumpipelines.com/

You can submit a comment to the State of Michigan about Line 5 from either of these websites.

Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program

ATTENTION: Due to high water levels, the May 5 volunteer macroinvertebrate collection has been postponed until Sunday May 19.

Sunday May 19- Volunteer Stream Monitoring/Macroinvertebrate Collection

Congratulations to Two Rivers Coalition and Van Buren Conservation District on being award the MiCorps Michigan Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant for 2014.  The start-up grant was for $2,923 to establish a macroinvertebrate monitoring program along the middle section of the Paw Paw River watershed, which is a tributary to the St. Joseph River.  For more information go to Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) Program

2016 Fall Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program Macroinvertebrate Collection

Paw Paw River & Black River Watersheds

Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program Morning Training & Collection

Sunday, October 2, 2016, Lawrence River Park, Van Buren County

Volunteers gathered together at 9am to learn about the Volunteer Steam Monitoring Program and Insect Collections in the Paw Paw and Black River Watershed, Van Buren County. Two Rivers Coalition and Van Buren Conservation District introduced their board members and staff and gave a short update of their organization.

Individuals were divided into six teams, assigned a team leader and sent off to their designated locations with the proper equipment.

Read more...Volunteer Stream Monitoring Article PDF 

Interview:  Two Rivers Coalition Collecting Insects From Paw Paw River

Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program Page 

Are you into horror flicks?  Here is one that will make your blood run cold: Oil and Water

Hydraulic Fracturing or "Fracking" - TRC"s Endorsement to Ban in Michigan

Motion - August 12, 2015 Board Meeting:  TRC officially endorses petition to ban fracking in Michigan because of potential threat to ground water and surface water resources in Michigan. 

The ballot summary on the circulating petition is:^[8]