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The Michigan Water Environment Association worked with the Water Environment Federation to sponsor Watershed 2004, July 11-14, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn in Dearborn, Michigan. This was the next in a series of National Watershed Conferences that have been held every two years. Previously they were held in Baltimore, Denver, Victoria and Fort Lauderdale. Scholarships were available to allow members of non-profit watershed organizations to attend. Michigan exhibits and presentations were encouraged so that Michigan watershed successes can be shared with others from across the nation. Contact Fred Cowles of the Michigan Water Environment Association for further information at .

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. 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 Global Citizens' River Cleanup

2003 Global Citizens’ River Cleanup Day was held October 4, 2003: Volunteers from the Greater Battle Creek area and the City of Marshall descended upon several 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 last few 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 Incorporated. All volunteers received a commemorative t-shirt designed by a local elementary school student. State Senator Mark Schauer, City of Battle Creek Vice Mayor Becky Squires, and Marvin Austin, Chair of the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners 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. 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 Incorporated, the Youth Committee of the Battle Creek Kiwanis Club, the Battle Creek Community Foundation, and Potawatomi Resource Conservation & Development Council. Those who volunteered for the event typify the slogan, “Clean Water. You Make The Difference.” For more information, please contact us or call Christine Kosmowski at (269) 966-0712.

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,” Read a newspaper account of the gathering or contact Christine Kosmowski at 966-0712 or at for more details.

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.

Battle Creek's annual River Cleanup Day was held on Saturday, October 5, 2002.

A Family Water Festival was held on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 between noon to 3 PM at the Waterfront Seafood Restaurant, 315 West Columbia Ave (on the north shore of Goguac Lake). This was part of the 75th Annual Leroy F. Sparks Swim Marathon. Free lawn soil testing, opportunities to meet lawn care experts, sampling groundwater ice cream sundaes, and a drinking water taste test were among the featured events. These events were sponsored by the City of Battle Creek and by Calhoun County Community Development.