St. Ignace Group To Form Watershed Council
By Paul Gingras

Residents interested in learning about and protecting the health of local water systems are invited to attend a 7 p.m. informational meeting Tuesday, November 13, at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Ignace.

The meeting will be hosted by a group of residents who want to form a St. Ignace-based watershed council, said Pastor Tari Stage- Harvey, who initiated the project. Although not set in stone, the formation of a local watershed council appears promising, she said. The project is not affiliated with the church.

In hopes of protecting lakes rivers, streams, and wetlands, 12 people met October 9 to discuss the prospect of creating the council. The meeting included residents, teachers, members of the local Forest Service, members of the North Country Trail Association, LaSalle High and St. Ignace middle school students, and Sue St. Onge, coordinator of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Youth Education and Activities Circle of Life program.

Some in attendance were concerned citizens seeking information on changes they had noticed at local water sources, including the dropping Great Lakes water levels, the presence of invasive plant species, zebra muscles in Brevort Lake, and copious amounts of algae that appeared on the shore of Lake Michigan this summer.

At the kick-off meeting, the group heard an explanation of watershed councils by Natasha Koss of the Marquette-based Superior Watershed Partnership, which is involved in environmental stewardship projects, including the formation of watershed councils.

At the November meeting, the group will hear a talk by a representative of the well-established Les Cheneaux Watershed Project. The meeting will also include a review of information about local waters, provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Les Therrian, director of the St. Ignace Department of Public Works, and City Manager Eric Dodson will be invited to the meeting to present information about local water quality.

The potential council is in the fact-finding stage, Pastor Stage- Harvey said. The group has not yet defined its official membership or established priorities.

The impetus to start the local watershed council arose from her endeavors as a member of the Earth Keepers organization, also associated with the Superior Watershed Partnership.

Earth Keepers groups work to protect ecosystems by preventing toxins from reaching watersheds. In recent years, they have collected unwanted pharmaceuticals, electronic waste, and hazardous household products for proper disposal.

Part of the concept of Earth Keepers is not only to clean up watersheds, but to organize councils to keep a watchful eye over them, Pastor Stage-Harvey said. She encourages area residents to take part in the fledgling council.

"It could be a lot of fun," she said.

In March, Carl Lindquist, director of the Superior Watershed Partnership, said Earth Keepers projects had led to the development of 15 active watershed councils in the Upper Peninsula. What each watershed council does depends on the area, he told The St. Ignace News.

Some deal with storm-water management and soil erosion. Others simply seek to protect area rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and other valued bodies of water. The most effective watershed councils include members with diverse backgrounds, he said.