| The Elkhart River Friends is a
group of local volunteers that has formed to provide leadership and an
organization to facilitate community involvement. Their mission is
to maintain and improve the natural quality of the Elkhart River for
their grandchildren. Elkhart River Friends has asked for
assistance from Wood-Land-Lakes in getting the group organized, up and running.
The Elkhart River Restoration
Association was awarded a grant for $518,000 from the Indiana
Department of Environmental Management. A steering committee of the
Elkhart River Alliance
will develop a watershed management plan and begin implementing projects
that address urban and agricultural runoff of E. coli bacteria and
sediment. Their plans are to increase public involvement in projects
that educate and result in improved water quality.
If you want to get involved, new subcommittees have formed and are
seeking volunteers. Gene Lightner and Mike Shellman will serve as
co-chairs to Promote Recreation and Clean-up of the Elkhart River. Their
goal is to increase the recreational value of the river, by removing
snags from the river. This summer over 40 volunteers assisted with river
clean-up activities, including trash pick up and opening log jams.
Other subcommittees will address Media/Marketing/Web site;
Education/Outreach; Volunteer & Professional Monitoring; Demonstration
Site/Cost Share for Urban & Agricultural areas; Funding/Grant Writing;
Volunteer Coordination; University Research; State/Federal Legislative
Update; and Local Advocacy. Contact the
Elkhart County Soil & Water
Conservation District to get involved.
Wood-Land-Lakes encourages working together with existing groups to
collaborate on projects and activities within a watershed. We can provide a variety of assistance, including
facilitating meetings, serving as financial administrators for grants,
promote networking and communication by bringing all parties to the table,
and in organizing, guiding and assisting groups to become legally
recognized not-for-profit organizations.
Please contact us if you would like
additional information or to participate. |
