Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council

Check out this amazing artwork created by Arianna Maldonado, a high school student and member of the Petoskey Paladins robotics team! Arianna used trash collected this summer by our BeBot— the 100% electric beach cleaning robot. Bebot collected everything from bottle caps and plastic film to tiny foam pieces, all of which make an appearance in Arianna's work. If you look closely, you’ll even spot some of the 304 cigarette butts BeBot picked up along the shoreline! Stop by the Watershed Discovery Center during our winter hours to see this unique piece and learn more about the work we’re doing to protect Northern Michigan’s waters. Thanks to Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, Council of the Great Lakes Region, Pollution Probe, TC Energy, Petoskey Paladins, and all the partnering Northern Michigan communities that made this effort a success!

Though we were glad to partner with the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians (LTBB) for their Nmé Celebration, we were sad to say goodbye to our Sturgeon, Gimiwan! He has started his adventure in the Sturgeon River along with hundreds of other juvenile sturgeon from LTBB's Fisheries Enhancement Facility. You can now come in and meet the newest sturgeon at the Watershed Discovery Center, Winnie! She will be with us until next year's sturgeon release!

As Lakes Appreciation Month comes to a close, we're taking an extra moment to celebrate our beautiful lakes and the efforts that go into protecting them. Let’s show our lakes some love, not just this month but all year round! 1. Duncan Bay 2. Pixie Drone cleaning the Petoskey Marina, Little Traverse Bay 3. Shoreline survey on Pickerel Lake 3. Water quality monitoring on Black Lake 4. Shoreline survey on Pickerel Lake 5. The Harbor Princess carries students on Lake Charlevoix

Lookout for BeBot on the beaches of Northern Michigan this summer! The BeBot is a state-of-the-art, 100% electric robot that helps to remove plastic waste and other debris from our beaches and prevent litter and plastics from entering our lakes. The BeBot will be deployed on beaches throughout our service area all summer long. The initiative to remove and reduce plastic pollution is a collaboration with the Council of the Great Lakes Region and the Petoskey Robotics team, many of our local partners, and the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources, through funding by TC Energy, as part of the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup. Stay tuned on our social media to see where you can catch the BeBot in action and join us in cleaning the beaches of Northern Michigan!

Another season of volunteer stream monitoring at the Watershed Council has wrapped up! A huge thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers who helped collect valuable data on our local streams. Your efforts play a crucial role in protecting our water quality and ecosystems. We can't wait to see you again in the fall!

Last year we collected 1623 individual pieces of trash from in and around the Cheboygan River. Help us beat our Clean Waters Challenge record on Saturday, June 22, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. to heal the Bear River in Petoskey! After the clean up, join us for a BBQ where you'll be able to win prizes from our partners at Bearcub Outfitters (like new Keen shoes of your choice and a Patagonia bag)! Register here: https://lnkd.in/gM-XRAE5 Clean Waters Challenge: Healing the Bear 2024 event details Saturday, June 22, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Bear River Recreation Area 9 – 9:30 a.m. Registration (breakfast provided by Grain Train Natural Foods Market and Roast and Toast Cafe) 9:30 a.m. Kick-Off & instructions 9:45 a.m. – 12 p.m. Cleanup & trash sorting 12 – 1 p.m. BBQ lunch (hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, cookies, refreshments, etc.) Special thank you to Bearcub Outfitters, Petoskey Plastics, Meijer, American Rivers, Emmet County Recycling, the City of Petoskey, Grain Train Natural Foods Market, JoJo's Cookies, Roast and Toast Cafe, and Walmart. Want to support our efforts? Become a member and make a splash for our Northern Michigan lakes, rivers, and streams! Join here: https://lnkd.in/gMHPZ4UJ

Earlier this week Watershed Council staff was out on Lake Charlevoix teaching middle school students about water quality! The Watershed Council has partnered with the Lake Charlevoix Association and the Beaver Island Boat Company for over 25 years to put on this Students Experience Lake Charlevoix event. Students learned about watersheds, how to test pH levels, identify invasive species, how to use Secchi disks and more!

To celebrate and protect our waters on Earth Day, our team picked up 173.6 pounds of trash from around Tannery Creek in Petoskey! If you would like to join us for our next cleanup, keep an eye out for information on our community cleanup happening this June!

We have incredible news to share. After an extensive search process, the Board of Directors of Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council chose a new Executive Director to take the helm of the organization. Heather Huffstutler will begin her new position on April 8, 2024. "I'm thrilled to become part of the leadership team at the Watershed Council and to learn from our stellar staff that stewards our region's natural resources every day," says Huffstutler. “Together, along with our community partners throughout Northern Michigan, we’ll grow our commitment to protect our waterways and woodlands.” The selection process was led by Watershed Council Board President, Tom Darnton, who appointed a five-person team last fall to work with a top recruiting firm to conduct a national search for its new leader. According to Darnton, that process was “deep and thorough,” resulting in the invitation to three qualified candidates to Petoskey in February for a “day of immersion” with the entire staff and several board members. “After reviewing written assessments of each candidate, a clear consensus emerged. Heather stood out as offering the right combination of non-profit experience and a life-long passion for our mission. And she was the best fit for our staff culture,” notes Darnton. Huffstutler spent her career focusing on conservation, land protection, and the environment—including five years as the Director of Conservation Programs at Walloon Lake Trust and Conservancy. In 2019, she joined the staff at Huron Pines in Gaylord, Michigan, as its Director of Land Protection and Director of Development. Huffstutler has a BS in Biology from Eastern Michigan University and is currently enrolled in Indiana University’s Lilly School of Fundraising. “I have been enthralled with the natural world since childhood—running around the shores and through the forests of the Pacific Northwest. After working in Vermont, Minnesota, and North Dakota, I returned to Northern Michigan to make it my forever home,” says Huffstutler. “You can often find me on the water in my kayak, or exploring new trails with my dog, Emmet.”