Events
Rain Garden Workshop
Rain Gardens 101: Create, Manage & Enjoy!
Learn how rain gardens protect our water and enhance your landscape
Join us for an informative and hands-on session all about rain gardens—beautiful, eco-friendly solutions for managing stormwater runoff and supporting local ecosystems.
What You’ll Learn:
How rain gardens absorb and filter runoff, preventing erosion and protecting water quality
The environmental benefits for your yard and community
Step-by-step guidance on designing, planting, and maintaining your own rain garden
How to choose and source native plants locally
Future volunteer opportunities to help install a rain garden in Hastings
Don’t miss this opportunity to dig into sustainable landscaping!
Rain Garden Workshop
Rain Gardens 101: Create, Manage & Enjoy!
Learn how rain gardens protect our water and enhance your landscape
Join us for an informative and hands-on session all about rain gardens—beautiful, eco-friendly solutions for managing stormwater runoff and supporting local ecosystems.
What You’ll Learn:
How rain gardens absorb and filter runoff, preventing erosion and protecting water quality
The environmental benefits for your yard and community
Step-by-step guidance on designing, planting, and maintaining your own rain garden
How to choose and source native plants locally
Future volunteer opportunities to help install a rain garden in Hastings
Don’t miss this opportunity to dig into sustainable landscaping!
Thornapple River Watershed Council Meeting
Date and location subject to change
Join the Thornapple River Watershed Council (TRWC) for a board meeting.
Topics of interest include: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) watershed council support grant, annual cleanup, water quality, and more!
Can’t make it in person? Join us online!
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/fwo-ioto-zsp
Or dial: (US) +1 209-734-0135 PIN: 692 780 208#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/fwo-ioto-zsp?pin=5690555630021
Rain Garden Workshop
Rain Gardens 101: Create, Manage & Enjoy!
Learn how rain gardens protect our water and enhance your landscape
Join us for an informative and hands-on session all about rain gardens—beautiful, eco-friendly solutions for managing stormwater runoff and supporting local ecosystems.
What You’ll Learn:
How rain gardens absorb and filter runoff, preventing erosion and protecting water quality
The environmental benefits for your yard and community
Step-by-step guidance on designing, planting, and maintaining your own rain garden
How to choose and source native plants locally
Future volunteer opportunities to help install a rain garden in Hastings
Don’t miss this opportunity to dig into sustainable landscaping!
Spring Stream 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.
Macroinvertebrate sampling is an easy and fun way to determine water quality. Macro - big enough to be seen by the naked eye | Invertebrate - animal without a backbone. 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.
Sign up below and choose your preferred site and sampling date and time. There will be 3 sampling teams with 4-7 people per team.
BCD MiCorps Monitoring Sites
Macroinvertebrate 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 8th
Participants sorting and identifying macroinvertebrates in the lab with microscopes and data sheets
Ice cube tray filled with water and sorted macroinvertebrates
Thornapple River Watershed Council Meeting
Join the Thornapple River Watershed Council (TRWC) for a board meeting.
Topics of interest include: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) watershed council support grant, annual cleanup, water quality, and more!
Can’t make it in person? Join us online!
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/vos-twwd-rzn
Or dial: (US) +1 252-330-6385 PIN: 569 032 625#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/vos-twwd-rzn?pin=3877045924876
Thornapple River Watershed Council Meeting
Join the Thornapple River Watershed Council (TRWC) for a board meeting.
Topics of interest include: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) watershed council support grant, annual cleanup, water quality, and more!
Can’t make it in person? Join us online!
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/rpe-bdiu-rqm
Or dial: (US) +1 813-874-9034 PIN: 434 874 167#
MiCorps Macro Identification Workshop
We will be identifying and quantifying macroinvertebrates collected during the Fall MiCorps sampling events (September 25-27) learn more and sign up to sample at https://www.barrycd.org/events/fall-micorps-sampling
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
Annual Thornapple River Cleanup
Join us for the annual Thornapple River Cleanup!
Locations in Ada, Caledonia, Middleville, and Hastings!
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!
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.
Plant Sale Pickup
Fall is a great time to plant natives! Over winter these plants will focus on root growth to bring you beautiful blooms in 2025. Choose plants based on your properties available sun and soil moisture, bloom color and period.
Native plants require less watering, filter pollutants, provide habitat and food for wildlife and pollinators, and stabilize soil with their extensive root systems. You can read more about the benefits of native plants here.
Order your native grasses, wildflowers, and select shrubs now then schedule your pickup between August 22-23, 9am - 5pm and August 24, 9am - 12pm.
Questions? Email us!
Thornapple River Cleanup
Help clean up the Thornapple River!
Cleanup locations include Ada, Caledonia (Alaska), Middleville, and Hastings.
Bring your own boat or borrow one of ours. We will have coffee and snacks in the morning before heading down the river and pizza and soda for lunch when we return.
To receive a T-shirt, you must register by August 30th
