Manistee Conservation District

06/03/2026

A big thank you to everyone who joined us last Saturday for our spring stream monitoring event! Volunteers spent the morning & afternoon collecting macroinvertebrates from our local streams. The data gathered through this program helps identify trends, monitor changes, and track the overall health of our watershed.

We couldn't do this without our volunteers!

To learn more about the program, visit www.manisteecd2.org/streammonitoring

05/29/2026

Reminder that this is the last weekend to utilize our dumpster for garlic mustard disposal! Get out there and pull some garlic mustard!

In addition to spring showers, April also brings....garlic mustard.

In partnership with the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network MCD is hosting the annual garlic mustard dumpster for the month of May!

From May 1st-May 31st, pull garlic mustard from the roots and bring double bagged for proper dumpster disposal at :

Manistee Conservation District
8840 Chippewa Hwy
Bear Lake, MI 49614

Following disposal- please scan the QR code to complete a short survey. This ensures future funding for invasive management throughout NW MI.

For more information visit https://www.habitatmatters.org/

05/27/2026

Join us, Mason-Lake Conservation District, Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), NW MI Biochar, and more at Brixstone Farms June 11th 5-8 pm for a Regenerative Agriculture Farm Field Day!

Pre-registration is required, dinner will be provided, registration closes 6/4.

1 restricted use pesticide credit available.

Pre-register at https://www.mason-lakeconservation.org/farm-field-day-registration26 or call Mason-Lake Conservation District at 231-757-3707.

BrixStone Farms, 11240 Milarch Rd, Bear Lake, MI 49614

05/14/2026

Our friends at Little River Band of Ottawa Indians are hosting a weekly summer youth program starting on June 17th! Sign your kiddos up at the following link - https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=dFwMFpcfOkeQAX6D7iSd3zHtG_xjs5dJjBb6AT7o435UQVhSRzhEWUdZT0c2RTY5TEcyS00yUzFNSi4u&route=shorturl

05/06/2026

In addition to the Garlic Mustard Dumpster currently at the MCD -

Join Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network at the Manistee Conservation District June 2nd 4:00-7:00 pm to properly dispose of Japanese Barberry in exchange for a coupon to shop native alternatives! Registration is open until 5/26, or while space is available.

-Pre-registration is required, you must be present on June 2nd to receive coupons. ($5 coupon per plant/ up to 8 plants per registrant/household.)

Pre-register here- https://northwestisn.wufoo.com/forms/z5y81xd094nnsk/

Visit Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network's website for more information at https://www.habitatmatters.org/japanese-barberry-trade-up-day.html

05/05/2026

We are seeking volunteers for our biannual Stream Monitoring Event May 30th!

Register here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5bBQmFGakCBNh5l9LX1R10sk0cOnqFV9LqT1ok9cKR2poHQ/viewform

Become a citizen scientist & help us track valuable data to indicate the health of our local watershed!

We invite volunteers to join us to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates, also known as "macros". Macros are visible aquatic invertebrates that inhabit the rocks, sediment, and surrounding areas of our local rivers and streams. They provide insights into stream health by providing data on the number of pollution-tolerant or intolerant species present.

No previous experience required.
All gear (including waders) provided.
You may bring your own waders if you would like!

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Meet at the MCD office at 9:00 am
8840 Chippewa Highway
Bear Lake, MI 49614

Each group will be visit 2 sampling sites. Groups are typically back by 2:00 pm, some earlier.

04/27/2026

See below for Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network's comprehensive list of garlic mustard dumpster locations throughout NW Michigan!

Happy Monday! It's that time of year again, where the garlic mustard is starting to pop up, and that means it's time for garlic mustard dumpsters! All our usual host sites are planning to have garlic mustard dumpster sites available in early May. If you'd like to know if the dumpster has been placed in a location yet, we recommend contacting the host site, and to allow for some leeway with dumpster arrival time. You can find the locations listed on our website here: www.HabitatMatters.org/garlic-mustard-dumpsters
Happy garlic mustard pulling!
Manistee Conservation District
Leelanau Conservancy