©2004 Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council
P.O. Box 17164, Lansing, Michigan 48901-7164
(517) 214-5684 jessicayorko@sustainablesolutions.biz
Mid-MEAC News and Events
Stream monitoring on the
west branch of Red Cedar
Volunteer stream monitoring
training
Bingham walks and bikes to
school



VOLUNTEER!
Mid-MEAC Volunteer Stream Monitoring Spring Collection Event - Saturday, May 9, 9am-2pm

Help Mid-MEAC monitor the health of the Red Cedar River through macroinvertebrate collection.
Meet up at Biggie Munn Park, just south of Jolly & Aurelius. We will review the procedures for
volunteer macroinvertebrate collection and organize into teams (with each team including a
trained leader and collector, along with other new and returning volunteers). Each team will visit
two sites on the Red Cedar to collect macroinvertebrates (bugs) from the stream and to fill out a
site datasheet. Site are located in Lansing, Okemos, Williamston, Webberville, and Stockbridge.
(New sites will be added as more volunteers enroll in the program!) Bugs will be identified at a
separate session, and then calculated into our database and charts of scores. This information
helps us monitor the river over time, compare sites to one another, and look for areas needing
improvement along the Red Cedar. Read more about the program at www.midmeac.
org/streammonitoring or contact Chip Kosloski at kosloski5@gmail.com or 517-303-1507.


Mid-MEAC Thanks Smart Commute ’09 Sponsors

The Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council would like to thank the following sponsors for
providing generous donations to the Smart Commute ’09 Program. Thank you!!  


Read more about the Smart Commute ’09 program at www.midmeac.org/smartcommute

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS – CLASSES, NETWORKING, RECREATION, &
MORE!

MID-MEAC EVENTS

Friday, May 1, 2009 - 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, 215 N. Capitol
Mid-MEAC First Friday Land Use Lunch – Central United Methodist Church
Speaker: Katherine J. Kahl, Ph.D., Heart of the Lakes Conservancy. Katherine will discuss the role
of Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy  in Michigan’s farmland preservation
initiatives. Heart of the Lakes is a nonprofit organization serving as the policy voice and convener
of Michigan land conservancies. Member organizations have helped to protect more than 480,000
acres of Michigan forests, farmland, coastline, and other extraordinary places. Heart of the Lakes
is also a source of independent research, analysis, new ideas, and communications on Michigan’
s biggest conservation successes and challenges.

Prior to joining Heart of the Lakes, Katherine served as the Green Infrastructure Project Manager
for West Michigan Strategic Alliance.  Other previous work includes prairie restoration and GIS
efforts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, assessing timber harvest impacts on migratory
bird populations as part of the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project, and a backcountry study
of state and federally endangered birds in the Cascade Mountains of California.  

Saturday, May 2, 2009, 10am-12pm, 819 Abbott Road
Smart Commute ‘09 Bicycle Commuting Class: Logistics, Routes, and Practice Ride
East Lansing Hannah Community Center – Recital Room
This class includes half of the time dedicated to a classroom portion on rules of the road, finding
a route to work, recommended safety equipment, and handling clothing/shoes/etc. The second
half the class is a practice ride to demonstrate the rules of the road, proper turning techniques,
and to build up rider confidence in starting, stopping, changing gears, turning, and staying safe on
the road and at intersections. Instructors: Rory Neuner and Lenny Provencher. Register online at
www.capitalareasmartcommute.com!

Saturday, May 2,  9am-10:30am
Smart Commute ‘09 & Community Partners in Health Present: Walking In Our Community,
Walk #1 Downtown Grand Ledge
Smart Commute ’09 and  Community Partners in Health have teamed up to create a series of
monthly walks that explore our region’s local downtown districts, historic neighborhoods, and
amazing parks. This is an extension of the very popular “Winter Warm Up” Walking program at the
Lansing Mall. At each monthly walk there will be a one-mile “loop” designated for walkers.
Walkers will receive a lanyard to track their walks. Each walk will include prize give-aways and
incentives, with extra points going for people who SMART COMMUTE to the walks--- meaning that
they arrive to the walk via walking, bicycling, riding the bus, or carpooling! The Downtown Grand
Ledge walk will coincide with Grand Ledge’s Victorian Days event – more info at www.
victoriandays.org/. This event is hosted in partnership with Victorian Days in Downtown Grand
Ledge Mayor Kal Smith. Register online at www.capitalareasmartcommute.com!

Thursday, May 14, 2009, 11am-1pm, Lansing City Hall Plaza, 124 W. Michigan Ave
Smart Commute ’09 Festival
Come learn about community resources and tools for getting around by bike, foot, bus, carpool,
and vanpool. More info, contact jessica@walkbikelansing.com or 517-214-5684.

Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10am-12pm, Allen Neighborhood Center
Smart Commute ’09 Bicycle Commuting Class: Logistics, Routes, and Practice Ride
1619 E. Kalamazoo, Lansing

This class includes half of the time dedicated to a classroom portion on rules of the road, finding
a route to work, recommended safety equipment, and handling clothing/shoes/etc. The second
half the class is a practice ride to demonstrate the rules of the road, proper turning techniques,
and to build up rider confidence in starting, stopping, changing gears, turning, and staying safe on
the road and at intersections. Instructors: Lenny Provencher and Mike Unsworth. Register online
at www.capitalareasmartcommute.com!

Saturday, May 16, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Hunter Park in Lansing
Complete Streets Campaign Kick-Off & CELEBRATION!
Come CELEBRATE and RALLY for Complete Streets in Lansing! Come sign and pick up petitions
for Lansing’s Complete Streets Ordinance! Learn about other volunteer opportunities to make
Lansing walk & bike friendly. Hear from inspirational speakers about the importance of creating a
transportation network that can be safely used by everyone, about proposed policy changes that
would make designing streets for all users an integral part of street design, rather than an
afterthought. If you care, we need you to show up. There will be a BBQ at 1:30 pm, followed by a
press conference at 2:00 pm. Bring your picnic basket and your enthusiasm. We’ll provide
petitions, music, food, speakers and fun! More info: www.walkbikelansing.com;  
jessica@walkbikelansing.com; Jessica Yorko 517-214-5684.

Thursday, May 21, 12pm-1pm, MSU Library North Conference Room (W449) in the West Wing
Smart Commute ’09 Lunch-Hour Intro to Bicycle Commuting Class
This one-hour introductory class will focus on finding a safe route, rules of the road, carrying
cargo, and planning for work attire and schedules. Register at www.capitalareasmartcommute.
com

Saturday, May 30, 4pm-7pm, Meet ups in East Lansing and Downtown Lansing
Smart Commute ‘09: Leisurely Urban Rides #1
This is a group bicycle ride to the Hunter Park Music Festival: www.allenneighborhoodcenter.org/
With groups starting in East Lansing and Downtown Lansing. The purpose of these rides is to
help people become more comfortable with urban bicycling, learn the rules of the road, learn
some great cross town bicycle routes, and explore events and activities in the Lansing region.
Meet up at 4pm to go over the route, rules of the road, and safety precautions. Depart at 4:30, visit
at festival from 5pm-6:30pm, and ride back with the group from 6:30-7. Liability waivers and
helmets are required. Riders are asked to wear high-visibility clothing. Orange mesh safety vests
with reflective striping will be available for use. Ride leaders: Karen Kligman, Rory Neuner, Janet
Weber, Joe Gloss. Register by emailing jessica@walkbikelansing.com

JUNE-DECEMBER SMART COMMUTE ’09 EVENTS LISTED AT
WWW.CAPITALAREASMARTCOMMUTE.COM – includes Smart Commute ’09 Challenge (June 1-
7), plus nine monthly community walking events and six monthly leisurely urban bike rides. Learn
to explore our Mid-Michigan communities by foot and by bike, in a group setting with prizes &
incentives.


OTHER LOCAL ECO-VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Thursday, May 7, 1pm
Capital City Clean Sweep
Contact Sara Pawloski at 517-487-1661 or Sara@lansingpsd.com

Saturday, May 30, 9am-11am
Lansing’s Westside Clean Sweep & Flower Planting
Meet up in parking lot next to Saginaw/MLK Rite Aid. Help spruce up and beautify this area of
historic building near downtown Lansing! More info or RSVP, contact Nikki Schippel at
Schippel@msu.edu. Please let us know if you might be able to donate any marigolds, geraniums,
petunias, or other annuals for the six large planters and several small planters along Saginaw
Street between MLK and Pine. Pizza lunch provided by Domino’s Pizza at 820 W. Saginaw!!


OTHER LOCAL ECO-EVENTS

Tuesdays April 28th - May 26th, 6:30 – 8pm, Fenner Nature Center
Master Composter Class
The City of Lansing is once again teaming up with Ingham County MSU Extension for the 16th
year, to offer residents the opportunity to become a Master Composter.  The Master Composter
Training is an excellent way to improve your composting knowledge.  The program will cover the
decomposition process, composting containers and methods, a nutrient analysis of compost,
troubleshooting tips and more. Cost:  $15.00. To register:  Call the Ingham County MSU Extension
Office at 676-7207.  

Saturday, May 2, 2009, 8:00 – noon, 601 E. South St.
Regional Household Electronics Collection
ITEMS ACCEPTED: Telephones, Cell phones, Laptops and small items such as coffee makers,
vacuum cleaners and toaster No Charge; Stereo w/speakers $4.00; Stereo w/o speakers $2.00;
VCR's, printers, scanners $2.00; PC computer w/ keyboard & mouse $5.00; Monitors <19" $5.00;
Non-console TV's $8.00; Console TV's $15.00; Large screen Projection TV's $20.00; Microwave
Ovens $8.00; Large copy machines $40.00; Personal copy machines $5.00

Saturday, May 16, 9am- 3pm, Dunham's Sporting Goods parking lot, 3301 E. Michigan
Rain Barrel Sale
One Day Only truckload sale.  Supplies are limited.  Residents are encouraged to come on a first
come, first served basis.. Rain barrels provide a safe, free and easy water source for your lawn
and garden.  A great way to conserve water! Cost:  $49.00/each - Cash and checks only.


Adopt a River and Stream Monitoring Training – April 18  

Saturday, April 18 is the spring Adopt A River day, coordinated by Impression 5 Science Center
and the Lansing Board of Water and Light . Mid-MEAC will also be hosting a training for new
Volunteer Stream Monitoring  volunteers as part of the spring AAR.


Walk and Bike Lansing!

In Lansing, 2.45% of trips are by foot, compared to 15.79% in Ann Arbor. In Lansing, .42% of trips
are by bike, compared to 3.19% in Madison. Think it’s just a college-town phenomenon? Think
again! Kalamazoo can only claim 6% of trips by foot, despite Western Michigan University and its
24,000 students. What leads to more walking and bicycling? Numerous studies show that many
communities have increased walking and bicycling trips by creating an environment conducive to
walking and bicycling. This is often achieved through infrastructure improvements, policy
changes, and education.

Walk and Bike Lansing! seeks to double the percentage of trips by foot and bike in Lansing over
the next five years, reduce non-motorized accidents by 20% per year, and eliminate bike/ped
fatalities. Tell us what you think about walking and bicycling in Lansing, and how to improve it, by
scheduling a 30-minute discussion with your neighborhood, business, civic, or other group. Input
is being collected from hundreds of Lansing groups in order to raise awareness, involve
additional stakeholders, and shape the policies and plans to make Lansing a walk and bike
friendly city. More info at www.walkbikelansing.com, or contact Jessica at
jessicayorko@sustainablesolutions.biz or 517-214-5684.


Try Low Impact Development!

Protect your property from flooding, save money, and help the environment using Low Impact
Development. LID is a beautiful and simple way to capture, absorb and/or filter rainwater. Some
LID options for your home are rain barrels, rain gardens, pervious pavement, and redirecting
downspouts so that water from your roof goes to planted areas instead of paved areas. Learn
more about these options by clicking here.


Mid-MEAC Thanks New Sponsors!

The Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council thanks the Lansing Board of Water and Light and
the Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater Management  for sponsoring our
Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program. Support from the BWL and GLRC allows us to continue
and expand our stream program. Thank You!!


Thank You Benefit Concert Attendees, Sponsors, Musicians and Volunteers!








More News and Events:
Smart Commute bike
commuting classes
Stream monitoring on the
west branch of Red Cedar
Reflections in the Red Cedar
River
Volunteer stream monitoring
training
Bug Identification session
Biking on the Riverwalk
Smart Commuting on the bus
Become a Member Today!






Click here to learn about the
Smart Commute Program
and view the newly developed
Smart Commute Guide to the
Capital Area.   
Mid-MEAC Membership/Donation
VOLUNTEER!
Lansing Complete Streets Ordinance –
Signature Collection Drive
Campaign Kick-Off Saturday, May 16, 1:30 pm –
Hunter Park

Volunteers are needed to circulate petitions at
events, door to door, and in other ways that help
collect 5,000 signatures from registered Lansing
voters by July 1. This new policy measure will
help make Lansing an accessible and walk and
bike friendly city. Read more about the ordinance
and volunteering at www.walkbikelansing.com.  
Read more about upcoming events, working with
on this project, and more at www.
walkbikelansing.com/signaturecollection! Sign
up to volunteer by emailing
jessica@walkbikelansing.com or contacting
Jessica Yorko at 517-214-5684. More info about
the May 16 Campaign Kick Off event below.
Bike lanes on MSU campus
Storm Drain Labeling
Stormwater drain off the west
branch of the Red Cedar
Mothers on the riverwalk
Smart Commuting Class
Searching for specimens
Support Bike Lanes!
Photo by Dan Burden
Sargent  Emmons smart
commuting
Smart Commuting mom