Events
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Rain Barrel Workshop
Rain Barrel Workshop
Rain barrels help manage stormwater, conserve water, and reduce pollution in our lakes and streams. Take action to protect West Michigan’s water with a fun and practical hands-on workshop and bring home your own rain barrel!
Cost: $50
What’s Included:
• A 55-gallon upcycled rain barrel
• All the components you need
• Expert guidance on setup, use, and maintenance
Workshop participants MUST register and pay in advance of the workshop so that the correct number of barrels will be available on site.
NOTE: This link does not yet show the workshop as of July 1, but will soon. In the meantime you can RSVP on the Facebook event for updates here,
A minimum of 10 barrels must be reserved before August 18 or the class will be canceled; maximum 2 barrels per household and participants are responsible for transporting barrels from the Hastings Public Library.
You will need to buy or build a separate base (like cement blocks) for your barrel to sit on and be off of the ground. This allows for better water flow. Rain barrels have the best catchment of rainwater on homes with gutters and downspouts but could be used in other areas that drip excessive rain water.
Let’s work together to care for our water — one barrel at a time!
Spots are limited. Registration is required to receive a rain barrel.
Presented by WMEAC, Thornapple River Watershed Council, Barry Conservation District, and Hastings Public Library
Wetland Compliance Field Day
Wetland Compliance Field Day
Farmers, landowners, and ag professionals are invited to a free, hands-on field day to discuss wetland compliance regulations that includes USDA/NRCS guidelines along with discussion of financial and technical assistance opportunities.
Cost: FREE
To Register: Email Sara Krieger at sara.krieger@macd.org, or call Sara at 616-490-3068
What’s Included:
• Expert guidance
• FREE Lunch (if you register with Sara by August 20)
Annual Thornapple River Cleanup
Join us for the annual Thornapple River Cleanup!
Locations in Ada, Caledonia, Middleville, and Hastings!
Barry County Outdoor Youth Day
Help us make Outdoor Youth Day a great experience for local youth and their families! This event has attracted as many as 1000 visitors for a day filled with educational fun for the whole family at Barry County’s Historic Charlton Park.
We are looking for organizations and businesses willing to support this event through tabling, exhibits, and giveaways that provide information, activities, and gear related to outdoor recreation of all kinds (hunting, fishing, camping, biking, hiking, rock climbing, running, birding, etc….), growing and preserving food, wildlife photography, health and safety in the outdoors, recycling/composting, and natural resource restoration/conservation.
Use the form below if your organization/business would like to host a table/exhibit at this fun and engaging community event:
2025 Outdoor Youth Day Tabling/Exhibitor Sign Up
This event will be FREE for participants as well as for organizations/businesses to table/exhibit, but we always appreciate donations and volunteers to help BCD make this a memorable day for local youth!
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
BARRY COUNTY HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE, MEDICATION COLLECTION AND FREE TIRE DROP-OFF (LIMITED TO 10 TIRES PER VEHICLE)
Barry County Expo Center, 1350 N. M-37 Hwy.
Household Hazardous Waste Including aqueous acids and bases; oil-based paints; reactives; solvents; aerosol cans; automotive liquids; pesticides (liquids and solids); automotive batteries; alkaline, nickel-cadmium and/or silver oxide batteries; liquid cleaners; heavy metal solutions; electronics*
*Electronics - TVs and monitors will have a $10 suggested donation. All other electronics will be collected at no charge.
We Cannot Accept; freon containing appliances/electronics, asbestos, latex paint (when dry it can go to the landfill), propane tanks, commercially generated waste, radioactive material explosives, unknown wastes, tires heavily caked with dirt.
Medications need to be in their original containers with the name of the drug clearly. Cross out any personal information on the containers.
Tire Drop-Off FREE thanks to a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). LIMIT OF 10 TIRES PER CAR, HOUSEHOLD TIRES ONLY (NO BUSINESS TIRES). First come, first serve until all trailers are full
Questions? Please Call (269) 798-4107
Sponsored by the Barry County Solid Waste Oversight Committee with thanks to the Barry County Fair Board, Waste Management, Barry Eaton District Health Dept., Barry County Substance Abuse Task Force, Barry County Sheriffs Dept., City of Hastings Police Dept., and local pharmacies.
Learn more at https://www.barrycounty.org/.../household_hazardous_waste
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Fall MiCorps Sampling
The Barry Conservation District, in partnership with the Thornapple River Watershed Council (TRWC) and Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW), received a Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) Volunteer Stream Monitoring Implementation Grant for water quality monitoring in the Thornapple River Watershed.
This monitoring grant provides us with the training and equipment to preform macroinvertebrate sampling throughout the watershed to monitor water quality conditions by collecting macroinvertebrates. Macro - big enough to be seen by the naked eye | Invertebrate - animal without a backbone
Macroinvertebrate sampling is an easy and fun way to determine water quality. Some macroinvertebrates are very sensitive and can only survive in high quality waters, others can live with high amounts of pollution present. This is a great way to get a long-term view on current water quality.
Want to know more? Watch this interview!
BCD MiCorps Monitoring Sites
RESCHEDULING: Bailey Nature Preserve Forest Stewardship Day
Due to threat of inclement weather we are working to reschedule this event for new date/time.
Please stay tuned for updated event information and public registration!
Visit Barry County Parks newest gem to learn about about forest health and history of the site, plus gain hands-on experience on how to ID and manage common woody invasive species while volunteering with staff from Barry Conservation District and BCK CISMA, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, and Barry County Parks.
This event is FREE for participants, but we always appreciate donations that help BCD support conservation efforts and education!
Make sure to wear appropriate clothing and shoes for working and walking in the woods, plus bring:
Work gloves
Bug spray
Drinking water
Snacks
Check back soon for a new date and time, plus a new link to register for this event.
CANCELLED: Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Kayak & Connect with your Watershed
Kayak and Connect Activities – 10am Departure
Open to anyone and everyone. Take a peaceful morning paddle in a beautiful stretch of river from Middleville Dam down to 108th Street Indian Valley Campground. It is approximately a three hour trip. Free parking down by the river at Indian Valley for those of you bringing your canoe or kayak. Please check in at the office for a parking pass.
Meet at the public launch below the dam. Turn northwest off of E Main St. onto Railroad St to River St.
If you want to rent a kayak call Indian Valley Livery. They handle everything. You will have to arrive there at 9:30 am.
616-891-8579
1pm - 3pm TRWC Meet and Greet
Learn about the watershed, areas of concern, creative environmental projects underway and how to get involved and participate with the Thornapple River Watershed Council. Educational information and knowledgeable individuals will be on site. Our watershed is so large it "takes a village" to take care of it and protect it. Come share your concerns and discuss interests with others who feel the same!
Hope to see you there!
MiCorps Leader/Collector Training
Sign up to become a trained MiCorps collector and leader to help gather water quality data in the Thornapple River Watershed! Each sampling team includes 1 team leader, 1-2 collectors, and 3+ pickers. Training is required for team leaders and collectors. Team leaders oversee sampling events, record data, and ensure quality control, collectors are in-stream using D-nets to collect samples over a specified amount of time, and pickers assist collectors and ‘pick’ through collected materials to sort and identify macroinvertebrates.
Learn more about the program and past sampling results at barrycd.org/waterquality
Rain Garden Workshop
Learn how to build a rain garden to prevent pollution in stormwater runoff, reduce erosion, and attract pollinators at this interactive workshop on June 11, 2025 at the Hastings Public Library!
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Learn and Pull - Mile-a-minute Weed
See this plant up close and learn about the management techniques we are implementing across Eastern Calhoun County.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
BARRY COUNTY HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE, MEDICATION COLLECTION AND FREE TIRE DROP-OFF (LIMITED TO 10 TIRES PER VEHICLE)
Barry County Expo Center, 1350 N. M-37 Hwy.
Household Hazardous Waste Including aqueous acids and bases; oil-based paints; reactives; solvents; aerosol cans; automotive liquids; pesticides (liquids and solids); automotive batteries; alkaline, nickel-cadmium and/or silver oxide batteries; liquid cleaners; heavy metal solutions; electronics*
*Electronics - TVs and monitors will have a $10 suggested donation. All other electronics will be collected at no charge.
We Cannot Accept; freon containing appliances/electronics, asbestos, latex paint (when dry it can go to the landfill), propane tanks, commercially generated waste, radioactive material explosives, unknown wastes, tires heavily caked with dirt.
Medications need to be in their original containers with the name of the drug clearly. Cross out any personal information on the containers.
Tire Drop-Off FREE thanks to a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). LIMIT OF 10 TIRES PER CAR, HOUSEHOLD TIRES ONLY (NO BUSINESS TIRES). First come, first serve until all trailers are full
Questions? Please Call (269) 798-4107
Sponsored by the Barry County Solid Waste Oversight Committee with thanks to the Barry County Fair Board, Waste Management, Barry Eaton District Health Dept., Barry County Substance Abuse Task Force, Barry County Sheriffs Dept., City of Hastings Police Dept., and local pharmacies.
Learn more at https://www.barrycounty.org/.../household_hazardous_waste
MiCorps Macro Identification Workshop
Join us at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute as we identify, and count macroinvertebrates collected through the MiCorps volunteer stream monitoring program.
Matt Bain, Aquatic Specialist & Education Coordinator from LGROW will guide us through proper identification of macroinvertebrates and related water quality ratings.
Please register before May 5th
MiCorps Spring Macroinvertebrate Sampling
The Barry Conservation District, in partnership with the Thornapple River Watershed Council (TRWC) and Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds - LGROW, received a MiCorps: Michigan Clean Water Corps Volunteer Stream Monitoring Implementation Grant for water quality monitoring in the Thornapple River Watershed.
Macroinvertebrate sampling is an easy and fun way to determine water quality. Some macroinvertebrates are very sensitive and can only survive in high quality waters, others can live with high amounts of pollution present. This is a great way to get a long-term view on current water quality.
This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the health and quality of the Thornapple River! As a volunteer, you'll be at the forefront of data collection and analysis, helping us maintain the determine future projects and monitoring efforts.
Tree Sale Order Pick-Up
Visit Barrycd.org/trees to order bareroot tree seedlings online for pick-up at Barry County Parks Historic Charlton Park on Saturday, April 26th between 10 am - 2 pm!
Tree Sale Order Pick-Up
Visit Barrycd.org/trees to order bareroot tree seedlings online for pick-up at Barry County Parks Historic Charlton Park on Friday, April 25th between 9 am - 4 pm!
Volunteer! Help pack tree sale orders
Join us at Historic Charlton Park Wednesday, April 24th to help BCD staff pack and organize tree seedling sale orders for pick-up at at the park on Friday and Saturday, April 25 & 26.
Volunteer! Help pack tree sale orders
Join us at Historic Charlton Park on Wednesday, April 23rd to help BCD staff pack and organize tree seedling sale orders for pick-up at at the park on the following Friday and Saturday, April 25 & 26.
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Volunteer! Help pack tree sale orders
Join us at Barry County’s Historic Charlton Park Tuesday, April 22nd to help BCD staff pack and organize tree seedling sale orders for pick-up at at the park the following Friday and Saturday, April 25 & 26.
Barry County Earth Day Expo
Mark your calendars for the 4th Annual Barry County Business & Community Expo!
The Barry County Chamber & EDA and the Earth Day Committee are proud to team up to bring back the event that shines a spotlight on so many amazing Barry County businesses!
This free, family-friendly event is also the perfect way to learn more about sustainability, recycling, and how you can make a difference in our community. From interactive exhibits to fun activities, there's something for everyone!
Community members are not required to register to attend the Business & Community Expo. If your business would like to have a booth, or sponsor the Expo, please use the registration link!
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Faces of Conservation: Annual Meeting & Board Elections
Join us for our Annual Meeting, Director Election, Silent Auction, and Social Hour!
Grappling with Mile-a-minute Weed
How local conservation groups are the primary defense against the rapidly spreading vine.
Register: https://shorturl.at/hRyKiScan
Family Science Night at the Hastings Public Library
Barry Conservation District’s Barry County Recycling Coordinator and your BCK CISMA Staff (Barry, Calhoun, Kalamazoo Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) will be there to answer questions and share a fun learning activity.
Visit the Hastings Public Library Website for more information on this event and other fun offerings for your family!
RESCHEDULED: Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Board of Directors Meeting
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 8 am on the second Tuesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
Board of Directors Meeting *Rescheduled*
The Barry Conservation District Board of Directors meets at 5:30 pm on the second Wednesday of the month at the Tyden Center Conference Room, 121 S Church St, Hastings MI 49058, unless otherwise noted.
MiCorps ID Day
Join us as we identify macroinvertebrate samples collected for MiCorps in the Thornapple River Watershed.
You must register to attend.
Registration coming soon!
Outdoor Youth Day
The concept is simple: “get kids outdoors!” Local outdoorsman George Cullers proposed the idea. Offer kids a chance to get hands-on experience with outdoor activities, at no cost, and open the door to a lifelong interest. Held at Charlton Park in Barry County, the event is open to everyone.