2003 News and Events

2003 River Cleanup Volunteers

Volunteers from the Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center clean at the Battle Creek River near Brigden Drive.

2003 Global Citizens’ River Cleanup Day was held on October 4

More than six hundred volunteers from the Greater Battle Creek area and the City of Marshall descended upon more than nineteen sites along the banks of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Rivers to clean up trash, debris, and tires at the third annual Global Citizens’ River Cleanup Day. The purpose was to participate in an international cleanup effort and to focus attention on the water quality of the Kalamazoo River Watershed.

The City of Battle Creek is a member of the Pentalateral Environmental Exchange Group. Comprised of five cities in different countries based on a sister city relationship, the group meets annually for an environmental conference. When the group met in 2000, the five cities agreed to an annual community cleanup initiative in October with the motto of “Let’s Think Globally Together!” Over the previous two years, nearly twelve tons of garbage and numerous tires were collected.

Volunteers met at Bailey Park’s C. O. Brown Stadium at 8:00 a.m., cleaned up at their assigned sites and returned to Bailey for lunch provided by Meijer Stores. More than eighteen tons of refuse (including hundreds of tires), more than the total amount of all previous years, was collected. All volunteers received a commemorative t-shirt designed by Shelby Bower, a local elementary school student.

City of Battle Creek Vice Mayor Becky Squires, Marvin Austin, Chair of the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners, and Kate Segel, Calhoun County Commissioner, recognized this year’s commemorative t-shirt design winner and were on hand to say a few words about the importance of protecting our water resources.

2003 River Cleanup Refuse

Some of the refuse collected during the 2003 Global Citizens’ River Cleanup Day. This refuse was collected along the Kalamazoo River near Hamblin Avenue. A total of more than eighteen tons of refuse, including hundreds of tires, was collected at all the sites. The volunteers shown here were from the B Drive North Meijer store.

Those who volunteered for the event typify the slogan, “Clean Water. You Make The Difference.” Besides the many individuals who volunteered, members of many area organizations participated; including students from Operation Grad, Harper Creek High School, St. Philip High School, Lakeview High School Honor Society and the Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center; Students for Environmental Action; Michigan Youth Challenge; Haven of Rest, Post, Meijer Stores and Independent Bank.

2003 T-Shirt Design Winner

Battle Creek Vice Mayor Becky Squires presents the award to the winner of the 2003 Global Citizens’ River Cleanup Day t-shirt design contest, Shelby Bower of Pennfield Central School.

The City of Battle Creek, Calhoun County Community Development, the City of Springfield, the City of Marshall, the River Rescue Committee, Calhoun Conservation District, Trout Unlimited, the Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center, Kraft Foods, and the Potawatomi Resource Conservation & Development, Operation Grad planned and sponsored the cleanup. Other sponsors to date have included Meijer Stores, the Youth Committee of the Battle Creek Kiwanis Club, the Battle Creek Community Foundation, and Potawatomi Resource Conservation & Development Council.

For more information, please contact us or call Christine Kosmowski at (269) 966-0712.

Governor Creates Michigan Clean Water Corps

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued an Executive Order on September 30, 2003 creating the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MCWC). The MCWC will serve as an advisory body within the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and will be comprised of statewide volunteer networks to assist in water monitoring and testing programs.

2003 River Cleanup Volunteers

Volunteers from the Lakeview High School Honor Society clean at the Kalamazoo River near Stringham Road.

The Director of the DEQ or his designee will serve as the MCWC's chair, and the DEQ will help solicit and organize volunteers around Michigan to assist in water quality monitoring programs. The MCWC will work to advise and aid in educating Michigan citizens about water quality issues and promote the need for citizens to play an active role in protecting the state's water resources. Contact the Michigan DEQ for further information.

2003 River Cleanup Volunteers

Volunteers from the Students for Environmental Action clean at the Kalamazoo River near Custer Drive.

2003 Annual Leroy Sparks Marathon

2003 Groundwater Teacher Training Camp

The Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center in partnership with the City of Battle Creek sponsored the 2003 Groundwater Teacher Training Camp, June 16 through 21, 2003, at the Binder Park Zoo. The camp was a week-long, hands-on and inquiry-based camp for training teachers about groundwater and drinking water protection (also known as wellhead protection).

Teachers were given a background in hydrogeology and glacial geology to better understand the concept of groundwater and aquifers. Participants took a trip to Lake Michigan, saw a water well drilled with state-of-the-art technology, and learned how to use groundwater model simulators in their classrooms.

2003 River Cleanup Volunteers

Volunteers from the 2003 Global Citizens’ River Cleanup Day enjoy lunch supplied by Meijer Stores after the cleanup.

This course was offered with several registration options: training at no cost, with 3.3 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) pending; or two undergraduate or graduate credits, for a fee, through Western Michigan Univesity. This course was designed to help meet the SCI.V.2.MS.3, SCI.V.2.HS.1 and SCI.V.2.HS.2 benchmarks.

Groundwater Teacher Training Camp

Water well drilling demonstration at the 2003 Groundwater Teacher Training Camp.

Participants were required to prepare a PowerPoint presentation lesson to complete the course, and were encouraged to bring notebook computers for this purpose.

For more information, please contact us or call Christine Kosmowski at (269) 966-0712.

2003 Greater Battle Creek Area Children's Water Festival

Greater Battle Creek Area Children's Water Festival: For a second year, 4th and 5th grade students from the Greater Battle Creek area converged at Kellogg Community College on Thursday May 15, 2003 to learn about groundwater and other natural resources at the 2003 Children’s Water Festival, sponsored by the City of Battle Creek and its planning partners.

The Festival was held during Water Quality Awareness month. Both the City of Battle Creek and Calhoun County have declared May Water Quality Awareness month. “It is a fun and exciting one-day educational event about water and water quality concerns. This year’s theme, “Water – A Resource Worth Protecting!” will focus on both groundwater and surface water protection,” said Christine Kosmowski, the City’s environmental program coordinator. “Clean water is not only a local priority, but also a nation-wide and global concern. The United Nations proclaimed 2003 the “International Year of Fresh Water” and President Bush announced the “Year of Clean Water” within the United States on the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act last October,” said Kosmowski. “The Children’s Water Festival is designed to instill in the children of our area the value of protecting, restoring, and conserving our water resources not for just a month or a year, but every day.” “Help us help our children be caretakers of our water. As Michigan residents, we are the stewards of twenty percent of the Earth’s usable, fresh water. How we care for our water will be our legacy and is our responsibility,”

2003 Childrens' Water Festival

Students watch a demonstration of a groundwater simulator.

Read a newspaper account of the gathering or contact Christine Kosmowski at 966-0712 or at

for more details.

2003 Free Lawn Soil Testing

2003 Childrens' Water Festival

Entertainer Billy B., who used natural science through song to educate children about the environment, performed at Kellogg Community College's Binda Theatre.

Free lawn soil testing was available on Saturday, April 12, 2003. Applying too much lawn fertilizer can pollute our waters. The opportunity was given to find out how much fertilizer to apply to your lawn that will benefit it without polluting our waters. Participants were instructed to collect ten representative soil samples (extending seven inches below the surface) from your lawn; mix them together; remove all roots, thatch, plant materials, rocks or gravel from the sample; then place one cup of the remaining mixture in a plastic bag or container and bring it to one of the participating retailers in southwest Michigan. Call (269) 966-0712 for names and locations of participating retailers or for further information.

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