Watershed Awareness 2018
Events
For a second year, the Iron County Watershed Coalition will continue its “Watershed Awareness” campaign, with events that will celebrate and educate about the watersheds we live on. These activities are being scheduled around the county, beginning with a program for conservation-wise gardening at the West Iron District Library on Thursday, May 17, 5 - 7 p.m. (See a complete list of scheduled activities below).
At this free program, titled “Yardening With Mother Nature”, participants will learn about the urgent importance of transforming monoculture turf lawns into productive, eco-friendly, low maintenance and edible landscapes that are safe, sensible and water wise. Free gardening materials and supplies will be available, and participants are encouraged to bring plant divisions to swap.
In collaboration with the West Iron District Library and local Lakes and Streams associations, Purdue students will be presenting outcomes of their field studies at the West Iron District Library on Friday, May 25th, 6:00pm. Each year, Purdue Environmental Studies students collect data on various indicators of water quality in Iron County. Refreshments will be served.
ICWC is partnering with the Lions Club of Crystal Falls at Bass Fest on July 7th to provide fun and educational activities for families at Runkle Park. From 2:00 - 4:00 children will enjoy water games, wet races, and water ecology activities. Demonstrations and information about our watersheds will be available to adults.
Whether new to the Apple Blossom Trail in Iron River, or are a frequent user of the trail system, members of the public are invited to join the ICWC for a guided “Historic River Walk” on Sunday, July 8th at 2:00 p.m. The history of the Hiawatha and Dober mines and evidence of their legacy along the trail will be explained, as well as mitigation measures which currently address acid mine run-off, preventing pollution of the Iron River.
Get out your canoes and kayaks and “Float the Paint” on Saturday, August 4th! Pre-register at BELOW. The five hour trip down the river will begin at the Bates Amasa bridge. This year’s “River Float” will challenge participants to a river scavenger hunt -- no worries: a dry hunt! Dunham Sports in Iron Mountain has supplied a kayak, life vest and paddle to help promote the watershed campaign. The lucky winner will be drawn. Contestants may enter their name at any of the previous events, or wherever the ICWC is present with an information table.
For our final campaign event, ICWC is looking for volunteers to help with a River Clean-up on Saturday, September 8th. Registration will begin at the Chamber of Commerce office (the RV park) at 8:30 a.m. and coffee & doughnuts will be provided. Volunteers will be supplied gloves and equipment to pick up trash in the river and along the river banks and Apple Blossom Trail.
For questions about any of these scheduled Watershed Awareness activities, call 906-284-7869, or to volunteer to help with Iron County Watershed Coalition projects, visit the above website to make contact or become a member. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 4:30 in the West Iron District Library and guests are welcome.
BLUE RIBBON BRAGGING BOARDS
“Blue Ribbon Bragging Boards” located along the Apple Blossom Trail, present some basic information about the Iron River and give a general description of the watershed. The namesake of the sign contains a bulletin board that can be changed to display new information such as project updates, information about different problems and sources of pollution, insect identification charts and hatch schedules, as well as an area to showcase photos of fish, wildlife, or landscapes people have taken in the watershed.
STORM DRAIN MARKERS
Many of the storm sewers in the communities throughout the Iron River watershed drain directly into the Iron River. As part of the watershed project, Iron River storm sewer inlets have been clearly marked with signage that tells people not to dump their waste down the sewers. These markers serve as a constant reminder of the connection between the city and the river. Local 5th graders from West Iron County Middle School helped install the markers and distributed door hangers that explained the watershed and the project.
Watershed Awareness PowerPoint
Click to view Watershed Awareness PowerPoint created by President Better Premo (PDF).