plaster creek stewards
Alger Heights neighborhood launches new model for stormwater management
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 10-09-2015 under PLACE-MATTERS
Sure I know that you are tired of hearing about it But most repeat the same theme over and over again, It’s as if they were trying to refine what seems so strange And off and important to them. It’s done by everybody Because each...
Local high school students work to restore their watershed
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 07-28-2015 under PLACE-MATTERS
Written by Deanna Geehoed and Micah Warners. The Plaster Creek Green Team is celebrating its third summer of engaging high school students in watershed restoration. The Green Team is an initiative of Plaster Creek Stewards...
Plaster Creek becomes classroom for urban, rural middle schoolers
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 06-02-2015 under PLACE-MATTERS
What do a bunch of urban teenagers and country kids have in common besides braces, tests and parents telling them to look up from their screens? Well, they also share a common watershed. Over the last two semesters two schools have partnered to...
Superbugs in our watershed?
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 03-24-2015 under PLACE-MATTERS
Written by David Warners Historical Plaster Creek When Plaster Creek was known as Ken-O-Sha ("Water of the Walleye") it followed a meandering course from present day Dutton and Caledonia through wetlands and ravines in Kentwood,...
Local sixth graders adopt Kreiser Pond
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 01-27-2015 under PLACE-MATTERS
Written by Mike Ryskamp If you’re driving down Plymouth Street on the right day, you might see 94 sixth graders marching down the sidewalk with shovels, loppers and other landscaping paraphernalia in tow. Do not be alarmed: the...
Plaster Creek Stewards stepping out: Connecting Grand Rapids with Sarnia, Okayama
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 11-25-2014 under PLACE-MATTERS
Written by by Gail Gunst Heffner and David Warners In late October, two members of the leadership team of Plaster Creek Stewards traveled to Canada to give a talk, “Caring for Our Place: A Multifaceted Approach” at the Judith and...
Cutting curbs to clean a creek
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 09-23-2014 under PLACE-MATTERS
Written by Gail Heffner with Dave Warners and Mike Ryskamp A 2013 study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency found that over half of our nation’s stream miles are in poor condition. Especially in urban areas like Grand...
Slow it down, soak it in: Urban stormwater in Plaster Creek
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 07-22-2014 under PLACE-MATTERS
Written by Michael Ryskamp (with assistance from Andre Otte and Gail Heffner) Re-thinking Plaster Creek I was 3 years old when I took my first fish off a hook, and I’ve been an avid fisherman ever since. I started out with worms and...
Plaster Creek Stewards Summer Green Team to train youth in watershed restoration
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 06-03-2014 under PLACE-MATTERS
Written by Dave Warners and Gail Heffner During the summer of 2013 the Plaster Creek Stewards piloted a summer “Green Team” for urban high school students who either live within or attend school or church within the Plaster Creek...
A Healthy Plaster Creek Watershed: Magnet for birds, butterflies
by (gailheffner)
Submitted 04-15-2014 under PLACE-MATTERS
Written by David Warners and Gail Heffner Much has been written about the damage that’s been done to the Plaster Creek Watershed over the past 80 years, yet it still offers signs of resilience, strength and beauty that contribute to...