Huron River cleanup continues

1

• AT A GLANCE
• WhatSecond annual Hamburg Township Huron River
  Cleanup Day
• When8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 28
• WhereVolunteers will meet at the Livingston
  County Wildlife Club, 6060 E. M-36, Hamburg
  Township, and form teams there. Breakfast and
  lunch will be served.
• VolunteerRegister at www.hamburg.mi.us, or call
  [phone], ext. 212. Those who wish to be on
  the same teams as last year can note that on
  their registration information.
• What's needed Older pontoon boats and rowboats
  which will be cleaned after use are needed.
  Call Scott Strane at [phone] to loan your
  boat.
• InformationCall Strane at [phone] or
  visit www.hamburg.mi.us and follow the link to
  the cleanup home page.

Huron River cleanup continues By Christopher
Behnan DAILY PRESS ARGUS Sunday, April 16,
2007 "One boat at a time." That's how Scott
Strane describes the ongoing effort to remove
downed trees, tires and a bevy of other items
from the Huron River by watercraft. Strane
recently made arrangements to remove a large log
from the river in front of a resident's home
during a tour of the chain of lakes that feeds
into the river. Such simple gestures are catching
on in the area, and inspiring a new level of care
for the river, Strane said. He hopes that mutual
respect for the waterway will translate to a
massive turnout on April 28, when he will lead
volunteers on the second annual Hamburg Township
Huron River Cleanup Day. "That will get us 10
extra people," he said. Strane also runs Chain
of Lakes Boat Tours, which takes couples and
parties on tours of the lakes chain. He said the
cleanup program is an extension of efforts by him
and other lake residents. Last year's inaugural
cleanup effort, which drew more than 100
volunteers, along with a township-sponsored
weed-harvesting project, has already produced
tangible improvements. The National Weather
Service reported that those two efforts
contributed to floodwaters reducing by 1 foot in
2006 within the Ore Lake basin which runs
through Hamburg and Green Oak townships
compared to 2005. The measurement was taken
following major rains after last year's cleanup.
That's good news, especially for 200 Hamburg
Township families whose homes were damaged during
massive floods three years ago next month.
"That's our job," Strane said. "We want it
clean. We want it navigable. We want it safedown
here." While there is already widespread
interest in the ongoing cleanup effort, NWS data
shows the process is working, Mike Bitondo,
chairman of the Hamburg Township Flood Mitigation
Committee, said. "I didn't expect that, (but)
it certainly reinforced the benefit of what we
did," Bitondo said. Last week, the state
Department of Natural Resources approved the 31
tree, debris and trash removal sites along the
Huron River for the cleanup. Last year,
volunteers removed debris, lawn chairs,
bedsprings and tires much of which had
accumulated through the years, likely dumped from
access points along rail lines and bridges from
the river and its tributaries. This year,
volunteers will also have detached docks, plastic
coolers, and scores of downed ash, oak and maple
trees and limbs to contend with. Some logs extend
across the water, creating a potential safety
hazard for boaters. Other logs float freely down
the river, also causing hazards to boaters.
While that might sound like hefty work, Strane
pointed to several detached trees and logs on
shore that were removed by volunteers last year.
The often money- and staff-strapped state
Department of Natural Resources rarely patrols
the Huron River, Strane said. More and more,
Strane and his cohorts are recognized as the
"cleanup guys" by friends and neighbors. "That
is why we do it," Strane said. "We've been doing
this for years. We keep our waterways moving."
Another major project will be cleaning out
vegetation and debris that has collected
underneath a bridge that is now part of the
Lakelands Trail. The Flood Committee is working
on securing a contractor to conduct weed
harvesting again in May. The harvesting would
again be of curly-leaf pondweed a thick,
invasive species that spreads upstream. Contact
Daily Press Argus reporter Christopher Behnan
at [phone] or at cbehnan_at_gannett.com.
Photos by ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS ARGUSScott
Strane, co-chair of this year's Hamburg Township
Huron River Cleanup Day, tours the river between
M-36 and Strawberry Lake in search of items that
impede water flow and make the river less
attractive for users.
Photo by ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS ARGUSIn
addition to being an eyesore and barrier to
navigation on the river, pileups of branches and
other objects can become a serious threat to
property when they impede the flow of water
through the Huron River basin.