Two Rivers Coalition
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.
Did You Miss It? TRC Annual Meeting:
2015 Year In Review
Upcoming Events:
Oct. 2- VSMP macroinvertebrate (aquatic insects) collection event. Come out and join us for what is always the funnest citizen science volunteer event of the year. We meet at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning Oct. 2 at the Riverfront Park in Lawrence, MI. We drink coffee and eat donuts while A.J. Brucks of VBCD and Kevin Haight of TRC talk about the VSMP program, demonstrate the equipment, and divide people into teams. Each team is headed up by a TRC leader and carpools to two different streams to conduct sampling. Some people get in the water with nets to scoop up insects from locations like the underside of submerged logs. Others stay nice and dry on the bank and do the fun work of sorting through the debris from the nets looking for wriggling insects. We always have a great time and finish by 1:00 p.m. No experience necessary. Call A.J. at 269-657-4030 x5 to RSVP and/or get more information.
Oct. 3- VSMP identification session. Meet at VBCD office in Paw Paw from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. to identify the aquatic insects collected the previous day. Because of space limitations, please RSVP to A.J. at 269-657-4030.
October 15 - Black River Preserve Grand Opening/Community Paddle. Make sure to attend this cool event which will have hiking, food and a community paddle down the Black River.
Oct. 19- Fall Speaking Event with Erin Fuller. Erin will give a PowerPoint presentation about her work with CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) and the newest and most worrisome invasive species that we are trying to be proactive about...including Japanese Knotweed (the plant that swallowed Great Britain and is threatening Michigan). Most importantly, Erin will show us how to identify some of these new invasives and how to use a smartphone app to record sightings on a regional database. Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m. at Van Buren Conference center in Lawrence.
Oct. 22- B/SHHWTA annual meeting (Black River Water Trail folks).
Nov. 10- Community Pint Night/TRC fundraiser at the Livery Microbrewery in Benton Harbor. Everyone had such a good time back in May when we last did this that The Livery has invited us back for an encore. As part of its Community Pint Night program, The Livery will donate 50 cents to Two Rivers Coalition for each beer sold between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10. Come on out and hang with your buddies from TRC and have a beer for a good cause (remember, TRC is still raising money for the Ox Creek project).
December 7 - MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Two Rivers Coalition Annual Meeting at Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence. We are proud to welcome director/producer Patricia Wisniewski and premier the Southwest Michigan screening of the film, "Shifting Sands: The Road to Sustainability", a documentary about the fight for preservation of Indiana Dunes and formation of the Indiana Dunes National Park. There will also be a PowerPoint presentation about the Paw Paw River Water Trail, a silent auction of beautiful items donated by local artists and businesses, and lots of dessert to eat. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for dessert, mingling, and silent auction bidding; program to begin at 7:00 p.m. DON'T MISS THIS!
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The Story of Bottled Water(Click for Video)
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Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program
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
One of the most exciting projects that Two Rivers Coalition {TRC} was involved in this year was the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program {VSMP}. TRC partnered with Van Buren Conservation District {VBCD} to apply for a start-up grant through the Michigan Clean Water Corps {MiCorps}. The goal of the program, which is funded by the Department of Environmental Quality {DEQ}, is to establish benthic macro-invertebrate sampling on streams throughout the state. Benthic macro-invertebrate sampling is just a fancy way to say catching insects that live in streams and recording the data. The presence {or absence} of certain families of insects is a surprisingly good indicator of water quality. This is because some insects {like stoneflies} will not tolerate degraded conditions. Stoneflies are considered sensitive and will only live in cold, clear, clean streams. Other insects {like the side-swimming scud} can live in almost any body of water. Also, in keeping with the basic principle of biodiversity, the greater the variety of insect species in a river, the healthier the river eco-system is likely to be.
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 on 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]
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An initiation of legislation to prohibit the use of horizontal hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” and acid completion treatments of horizontal gas and oil wells; to prohibit emission, production, storage, disposal, and processing of frack and acidizing wastes created by gas and oil well operations; to eliminate the state’s policy favoring ultimate recovery of maximum production of oil and gas; to protect water resources, land, air, climate, and public health; and to allow residents to enforce the provisions of this ballot language, by amending Public Act 451 of 1994 entitled “Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act,” by amending section 61528, 61529 and 61530.[9]
Ban fracking campaign collects signatures through November 17 CHARLEVOIX, MICH. – The Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan, a grassroots ballot initiative campaign gathering signatures for a ballot proposal to ban horizontal fracking and frack wastes, continues to collect signatures through November 17. Circulators who mail their petitions in must do so no later than November 12. Circulators who continue to collect through November 17 must bring them in person to official campaign locations to coordinators. Anyone seeking to sign the petition are encouraged to find locations near them on the Committee’s Events page on the website www.letsbanfracking.org. Volunteers began collecting signatures May 22, 2015 for a six-month period to qualify for the 2016 ballot. The Committee will hold a press conference in Lansing on November 18, in the afternoon, outside the Secretary of State Bureau of Elections office. Details to follow. Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan is a ballot question committee registered with the State of Michigan Bureau of Elections.
Anti-fracking ballot effort fails to collect enough signatures, seeks more volunteers (link to article)
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TRC 2016 ANNUAL MEETING - THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED AND HELPED OUT ON ANOTHER SUCESSFUL ANNUAL MEETING!
The Expedition
Best friends, Amy Lukas and Mary Catterlin, set out to sail the perimeter of Lake Michigan and document the experience aboard a handmade canoe. Lake Michigan has 1,638 miles of shoreline total. The trip traversed close to 1,200 of these miles. We planned to travel 10-25 miles everyday, be it sailing or paddling. And as it turns out, our daily miles ranged from 7-43 miles per day, when we were able to get on the water. It took us exactly 3 months/93 days to come full circle. Much of our progress depended on weather, waves, and delays on land. So with that in mind, we spent a quarter of a year camped on beaches, campgrounds, sleeping aboard boats, and in the homes of many new found friends. Our journey began in Beverly Shores, Indiana, the very south end of the lake. From there, we traveled westward towards the Illinois and Wisconsin border, from island to island off Door Peninsula, along Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and back down through Michigan’s coastal waters on the east side. We only packed the essential camping and boating supplies as well as some extra gear for documenting the trip to share our experience with you. Outfitted with GPS spot devices, iphones, cameras, and journals, we have been documenting the journey as well as posting constant updates as to our progress and how this experience has continually unfolded. Follow our story of traveling full circle on the lake we love most.
lakemichiganinadugout.blogspot.com
