A NOTE FROM CRWC'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Friends,
This fall, I experienced the Clinton River in a new way. The first weekend in October, I packed up a water quality monitoring kit, grabbed waders, and bundled up my elementary school aged boys to assist in monitoring the health of the Clinton River. Upon arrival at the site in the Village of Clarkston, my boys were indignant with the size of our charge “Why is it only a few feet across Mom, I thought this was a river!?” To which I explained the concept of the headwaters of a river – starting out small, continuing to grow as the river travels through the landscape and additional tributaries join its flow, the Clinton River is dynamic, alive, and ever-changing as it makes its way 81 miles to Lake St. Clair.
With the preliminary questions answered, we carried on with our monitoring charge – noting the chemical, biological, and physical characteristics of the Clinton at the site while we enjoyed the sound of the water babbling through rocks, spotted fish, and spent time together outdoors.
It’s likely my kids won’t remember much from this time in their lives – but I’m confident they will remember this experience in the outdoors, and not just because they got to wear waders and use nets! I can see in their eyes that they are beginning to really understand the importance of stewardship and the responsibility we have to our water resources, which will ultimately make all the difference in the world.
Protecting, enhancing, and celebrating the Clinton River, its watershed, and Lake St. Clair is what we do at the Clinton River Watershed Council.
This year, we’ve focused on igniting that spark of interest in the outdoors for folks living in the watershed by increasing in-person, experience-oriented outdoor programming for those who are new to the outdoors and removing barriers to entry such as cost, experience, language, and access to equipment and training. In doing so, we are building a constituency dedicated to supporting our programs that protect the watershed.
Thanks to people like you—members, generous donors, dedicated volunteers, and community leaders—we’ve accomplished so much this year:
Almost 70 people joined CRWC for the first time for meaningful recreation-based outdoor activities like birding, cycling, art, and kayaking through the Nourished by Nature program. Access to equipment, experienced instructors, and training was provided at little-to-no cost to participants.
205 volunteers removed 7,358+ lbs of trash and debris from parks, waterways, and green spaces in the Clinton River watershed and Lake St. Clair through the Keeping-It-Clean program.
15 safety signs were installed along the Clinton River Water Trail with translations available in Spanish and Arabic, the two languages spoken most in the watershed after English.
In January 2023, the Bald Mountain Pond Dam was successfully removed, restoring approximately 1.25 miles of fish passage within Trout Creek. In October, CRWC volunteers installed 1,400 native herbaceous plants and trees at the site, which will help stabilize the banks and enhance the riparian buffer zone along this section of Trout Creek, a tributary to Paint Creek.
This would not be possible without the generosity of folks like you - who live, work, and play in the Clinton River watershed. Please consider making a gift to CRWC in 2023 to connect more people to the outdoors and protect the Clinton River, its watershed, and Lake St. Clair for years to come.
Whether you are a long-time donor or new to our work, know that we are grateful for all you do to help us protect, enhance, and celebrate the Clinton River, its watershed, and Lake St. Clair.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Hill
Executive Director
Clinton River Watershed Council