Barry Conservation District
. . . promoting responsible natural resource and land use management for present and future generations.
Resource Needs Assessment 2006-2011 Final Copy 9.25.2006
Approved by the Barry Conservation District Board of Directors on September 8, 2006 |
|
BARRY COUNTY RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT 2006-2011
Foreword I. Executive Summary II. Natural Features and the Environment III. Land Use and Development Patterns IV. Natural Resource Issues and Opportunities for Action V. Appendix A. Bibliography B. Document Reviewers C. Public Survey and Responses D. Notice of Public Hearing E. Minutes of August 18, 2006 Board of Directors Meeting and Public Hearing F. Threatened, Endangered and Special Concern Species in Barry County Barry County Invasive Species
Illustrations Map 1 – Watershed, Rivers, Streams and Lakes Map 2 – Natural Wetlands Inventory Map 3 – Land Cover 1994 |
|
FOREWORD
THE BARRY CONSERVATION DISTRICT
In the 107 years between the arrival of the first settlers to Barry County and the adoption of the Michigan Soil Conservation District law (Act 297) in 1937, literally thousands of acres in the county were rendered unfit for farming due to erosion. These “worn out” lands caused people to move away. Schools and businesses were closed as a result. Idled farmland was evident in every township.
Recognizing the problem and utilizing the 1937 law, Barry County Agricultural Agent Harold J. Foster took the lead role in working with Farm Bureau, granges and other interested parties in promoting conservation. After a series of informational meetings, the Barry Soil Conservation District was formed in November, 1944 by referendum vote. The District encompasses all of Barry County, including townships, cities and incorporated villages.
In the 62 years since its foundation, the Barry Conservation District has seen some changes. For the first 45 years, the District worked primarily with farmers, introducing them to new technologies such as no-till drilling, crop rotation and windbreaks to reduce soil erosion. As land use patterns changed and farmland gave way to homes and businesses, the District began to work more closely with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to bring cost share programs to County farmers implementing soil, water and habitat conservation practices. Additionally, the District developed partnerships with the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). Understanding that the future of the State’s resources is mostly in the hands of private landowners, these partnerships seek to provide resource conservation assistance to both farming and non-farm landowners.
In 1975, the District’s name was changed to the Barry Soil and Water Conservation District to recognize the importance of water as a resource. By 1999, when the District’s Board of Directors completed a new resource assessment, they recognized that many other resources including forestland, grasslands, wetlands, and certain declining plant and animal species needed attention. By changing their name to the Barry Conservation District, the Board hoped to represent the increasingly broad conservation challenges created by a developing community.
As a locally controlled governmental subdivision of the state, the Barry Conservation District is governed by a citizen-elected board of five Directors. The Board of Directors is charged to assess natural resources within the District, develop a plan of action to address natural resource issues, and employ staff to implement this plan through education, programs, projects and technical assistance provided to District landowners. Directors are elected to four-year terms, meet publicly each month to conduct business, publish annual reports and hold annual meetings.
The Barry Conservation District shares an office with the USDA NRCS at 1611 S. Hanover Street in Hastings (the Secretary of State Building). The District and NRCS continue to work together to provide information and technical assistance to local agricultural operators. The District’s 2006 programs include the Barry-Eaton Groundwater Stewardship Program, located in the Barry Conservation District office, which offers on-farm assistance in minimizing threats to groundwater; and the Barry-Eaton-Ingham Americorps Program, housed in Ingham County, which helps homeowners to limit potential groundwater contamination. Current projects include the Thornapple River Watershed Management Plan Project, the Thornapple River Monitoring Project, the Barry County Wetland Ordinance Project, the Farmland Preservation Project, the Barry County Waste Reduction Program and the Barry County Resource Network Newsletter. In addition to providing educational programs and conservation projects, each spring and fall the District holds tree sales, providing inexpensive bare-root trees and planting supplies to encourage reforestation and habitat development in Barry County. 2006 |
|
DEVELOPING THE BARRY COUNTY RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The Barry Conservation District is charged by the Michigan Department of Agriculture to complete a Resource Needs Assessment of Barry County every five years. This assessment serves as the District’s long range plan and is the template from which each year’s Annual Plan of Work is drawn.
To develop the 2006-2011 Barry County Resource Needs Assessment (RNA), the District requested partners to review the 1999-2005 RNA and return written comments to the District’s Long Range Plan Committee. A list of partners asked to review the 1999-2005 survey can be found in Appendix B. District board and staff members also submitted comments. The Long Range Plan Committee reviewed comments and made major revisions including re-categorizing resource issues, altering the document layout and eliminating action items which had been completed in the last five years.
The District also sought input from county residents through the publication of a Natural Resource Assessment survey in its semi-annual newsletter, The Barry Conservation Network, with a circulation of approximately 2000. In addition, copies of the survey were printed and circulated at the Hastings Summerfest in 2005 and at the District’s fall, 2005 tree sale. The District received limited response to the survey, which is included along with response data in Appendix C.
With this additional data, a draft was brought to the Board’s 2006 retreat, where issues and opportunities for action were prioritized and additional concerns were added. Following the retreat, added research was undertaken to support the expression of issues within the document. Studies conducted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Barry County Planning and Zoning Office were consulted to broaden the RNA’s scope. A bibliography of sources consulted in the RNA’s development is included as Appendix A.
The RNA document was re-drafted in July and August, 2006 to include information from these supporting studies. The Barry Conservation District Board held a public hearing on the August 11, 2006 draft of the document at its regular meeting of August 18, 2006. The public notice for this meeting, published in the Banner on August 10, 2006, can be found in Appendix D. The August 11, 2006 draft of the Barry County Resource Needs Assessment was accepted with amendments by a unanimous vote of the board. The minutes of the August 18, 2006 board meeting at which the document was approved are found in Appendix E. |
|
2006 BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
CHAIR Dan Kingma VICE CHAIR Dave Kietzmann SECRETARY John Warren TREASURER Alfred Gemrich MEMBER Laverne Bivens
2006 STAFF:
CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Lori Phalen and Joanne Barnard GROUNDWATER TECHNICIAN Kim Walton ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Hailey Norton AMERICORPS TECHNICIAN Stephany Guild |
|
NATURAL FEATURES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The following text is excerpted from Barry County, Michigan, A Master Plan, 2005, with additions and updates by the Barry Conservation District.
Barry County is situated in the southwestern lower peninsula of Michigan in the center of the triangle with metropolitan areas of Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Kalamazoo/Battle Creek at its points. Numerous inland lakes, rivers, and a rolling terrain mixed with upland forests characterize the County. The county continues to experience increasing growth pressures and the effects of growth and development are impacting the natural features and local quality of life.
The County is approximately 576 square miles in area and consists of 16 Townships, which are as follows:
The City of Hastings is the only City in the County and is the most urbanized area in the County. The Villages of Freeport, Middleville, Nashville, and Woodland are located in the north half of the County.
The County is home to the Middleville and Barry State Game Areas. These areas provide areas for wildlife, recreation, and timber resources and are located in Hope, Irving, Orangeville, Rutland Charter, Thornapple and Yankee Springs Townships.
CLIMATE According to the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC)1 that averaged annual climatic conditions between 1971 and 2001, in January, temperatures in the County range from an average low of 13°F to an average high of 30°F. These temperatures, along with an average of 57 inches of snowfall annually, are conducive to many wintertime activities such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing.
In July, the average low temperature of 58°F and average high of 82°F makes for a pleasant and comfortable environment for fishing, golfing, hiking and many other outdoor summer activities. The average annual rainfall for the County is 35 inches.
|
|
♦ Johnstown Township ♦ Maple Grove Township ♦ Orangeville Township ♦ Prairieville Township ♦ Rutland Charter Township ♦ Thornapple Township ♦ Woodland Township ♦ Yankee Springs Township |
|
♦ Assyria Township ♦ Baltimore Township ♦ Barry Township ♦ Carlton Township ♦ Castleton Township ♦ Hastings Charter Township ♦ Hope Township ♦ Irving Township |