Earth Day was first celebrated 54 years ago, and over the years America’s farmers, and forest landowners have seen for themselves the effects of climate change. Producers are also uniquely positioned to deliver climate-change solutions by implementing Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Mitigation Activities on their operations. And now these activities are not only supported by Farm Bill funding, but also supported by additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Inflation Reduction Act represents the single largest investment in climate and clean energy solutions in American history. It provides an additional $19.5 billion to existing Farm Bill funds to help support USDA’s conservation programs that yield climate mitigation benefits while building resilience to climate change in agricultural operations. These activities conserve natural resources, build healthier soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon.

And the Inflation Reduction Act is enabling USDA to get more financial assistance to producers for conservation than ever before. In fiscal year 2023, USDA supported more than 45,000 conservation contracts, more than any year in the 89-year history of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, totaling over $2.8 billion in financial assistance to producers for conservation efforts. 

~

The week of April 21 not only included Earth Day but was also National Volunteers Week. During this week NRCS recognizes the people who served as Earth Team Volunteers over the past year. Earth Team volunteers are a valuable resource to NRCS-Michigan. Over the past year Earth Team volunteers assisted with monitoring wetland easements, helped conduct archeological surveys, and installed plantings at the Rose Lake Plant Materials Center among other activities. Serving as an Earth Team Volunteer is not only a good way to give back to your community but is also a good introduction for people considering a career in natural resources. 

On behalf of NRCS-Michigan, thank you to all of our current and former Earth Team Volunteers!

With assistance from NRCS, Joshua Chiatovich along with his brother Jeremy, are making their father’s dream become a reality by creating a forest sanctuary in Oakland County.

Tall Tree Sanctuary is a jagged shaped 48-acre parcel of mostly forested land containing a 15-acre fen.  TTS, as Chiatovich refers to it, is the last remaining parcel from 160 acres his father and grandfather purchased in 1963. They used the property as a Christmas tree farm until his father had health issues, eventually forcing him to sell off everything but the remaining 48 acres. It was a struggle for his father to hold on to the final piece of land that he wanted to remain an undeveloped natural area.

 Chiatovich and his brother Jeremy inherited the land and are committed to honoring their father’s dream. For the past 5 years the brothers have worked to restore the land from an overgrown, impassable, thicket to an area where people can explore and enjoy nature. A self-described “city boy” living in Detroit, Chiatovich hired a professional forester for advice on how to manage the land and make it economically viable. The forester pointed him to NRCS as a potential resource.

“NRCS really saved our lives,” Chiatovich said.

Working with the NRCS local office in Lapeer, Chiatovich enrolled in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Through EQIP he received financial assistance to develop a forest management plan and accompanying practices to remove invasive plants, and establish trees and conservation cover. With the brothers supplying the labor, financial assistance through EQIP helped pay for the equipment, fuel, and other supplies needed.

“They’ve been very open to guidance on how to make conservation improvements on the property,” said NRCS District Conservationist Haley Dukes. “Their phragmites removal effort may be the most effective I’ve ever seen.”

After 5 years of building trails, cutting back brambles, and removing invasive plants including autumn olive, phragmites, grape vine, and bittersweet, Chiatovich became very connected to the land. He has names for many areas of the property like Glacier Valley, the Amphitheater, Stone Circle Forest, and Sunday Market. Three small connecting ponds on the property are called Small, Middle, and Phragmites. Phragmites pond no longer resembles its name after the brothers cleared the invasive plant.

To help make the land economically viable, the brothers are working with a private forester for a selective tree harvest that will also benefit surrounding trees in addition to bringing in revenue. They also plan to enroll the forest in the State of Michigan’s Qualified Forest Program which will decrease the land’s property taxes. Other plans include planting native trees like black walnut, white oak, and paw paws. Chiatovich is especially excited about the paw paw trees whose fruit is described as tasting like a combination of banana and mango.

The brothers long-term plan is to keep TTS in the family while sharing it with invited guests and groups who want to experience nature. The land is home to raptors, turkeys, coyotes, and bobcats among many others. On an April visit there were an abundance of red admiral butterflies on the property.

“At TTS there is no technology, visitors learn what it’s like to be a human being and not a virtual entity,” said Chiatovich.

A research team studying pollinators at Michigan State University is asking the public to participate in a survey about how they view pollinators and pollinator conservation.

The team created an online survey that they estimate will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The survey is available in English as well as Spanish. Participants can enter a drawing to receive prizes including a guide to wild bees and native Michigan seeds upon completion of the survey.

The project is led by Ph.D student Sharron (Ronnie) Miller. Miller studies bumble bees in natural, urban, and agricultural settings to explore how different bumble bee species use these habitats. 

¡Bienvenido a la Encuesta sobre polinizadores de MSU! 

Welcome to the MSU Pollinator Survey! 

Ottawa County Farmland Preservation Program

West Olive - In a great stride for the Ottawa County Farmland Preservation Program, two local farms, the Holstege and Jongekrijg farms in Zeeland Charter Township, have permanently protected the future of their land for generations to come. Their decision to create agricultural conservation easements ensure 131 acres can be used to produce local food and preserve rural character in perpetuity.  

The decision to sell the development rights to their lands underscores their deep commitment to local agricultural industries and land preservation, but it was not a decision made lightly. This effort started years ago, in 2019, when Tom Holstege reached out to Ottawa County’s Department of Strategic Impact. Becky Huttenga, Economic Development Coordinator, and Julie Lamer, Farmland Preservation Analyst, were happy to work with the farmers and local officials on the first steps in the process.

At the time Tom initially reached out, Zeeland Charter Township had not yet passed a resolution to support the Farmland Preservation Program which meant his land didn’t qualify for the purchase of developmental rights. A neighboring operation to Tom’s, owned by Mark and Norma Jongekrijg, was interested in the program as well, and both began to attend township board meetings to encourage officials to adopt the resolution. They got their first win in this process when the resolution was passed, and then they began the work closer to home.

Next, both farms had to complete the preservation application. In back-to-back years, the two farmers scored high enough to be selected, and Becky and Julie began working to secure funding for the easements. No County money is spent to purchase developmental rights; the preservation of these properties is made possible by private donations raised by the annual Farms are the Tapas fundraising event, landowner contributions, and state and federal grants. The Jongekrijg preservation received funding from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and the Ottawa Conservation District’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

The Holstege preservation received funding from the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program through the farm bill. “I was sure there for awhile the last thing I ever planted here was going to be houses. Farmland is going so fast,” Tom Holstege said. “I’m just really happy I got in the program so that I could preserve the farm. That’s my main goal. Not everything’s about money.”

On February 27 and March 19, 2024, almost 5 years after Tom and Mark’s first inquiries, these farms became protected indefinitely. While the land preservation process can take a lot of paperwork and time, 5 years is a blink compared to the time these lands have been farmed and the time they’ll continue to be farmed. “My grandfather on my dad’s side bought this property in 1937, and my parents purchased it from him in 1951, so it’s got about 13/14 years to go to be a centennial farm. We’re working with my daughter and son-in-law and eventually we’ll turn it over to them,” said Mark Jongekrijg. “I bought this farm from my mother 5 years ago and it was always her goal to see it remain a family farm. I thought ‘If I can do something that always keeps it that way, then that is my goal.’”

In addition, there are many benefits to preserving two neighboring properties. It keeps farmable tracts of land close together, making the agricultural operation more efficient and economical by reducing the distance machinery must travel. It can also increase the environmental benefit in a variety of ways, such as reducing soil erosion, encouraging habitat restoration, and groundwater recharge. The Jongekrijg and Holstege families’ decisions to create permanent easements on their lands shows other farmers there are options to handle the challenges to succession and farmland conversion.

Full announcement with additional information

The Michigan Association of Conservation Districts will be holding the Michigan Envirothon state competition at Michigan State University on May 9  and 10.

Six teams of five students each will compete for an opportunity to represent Michigan at the NCF Envirothon in Geneva, New York this summer. Envirothon is a competition for high school students with a focus on agriculture, aquatic ecology, soils and geology, wildlife, forestry and energy.

Airin Beechler - Soil Conservation Technician, Adrian

Last Position: MAEAP Technician, Adrian
Hometown: Adrian
Education: B. A. Biology & Environmental Science
Family: Wife - Michelle, Sons - Halen & Avery, Daughters - Rose & Elanor, Pets: Dogs -  Kona & Dozer, Cats: - Oliver & Eldin
Hobbies & Interests: Pyrotechnics, music, camping, gardening, hiking

Shannon Dietrich - Area Administrative Coordinator, Grand Rapids Area Office

Last Position: Compliance & Training Assistant, DK Security
Hometown: Grand Rapids
Education: Served 6 years in the Michigan National Guard as a Human Resource Specialist
Family: Husband Josh and 4 kids – Landon, Stella, Emersyn, and Maddux
Hobbies & Interests: Serve on the local little league board as a softball division director and fundraising coordinator, also enjoy fishing, hiking, and going to the beach.

Jonathan Shillington - Soil Conservation Technician, Saginaw

Previous Position: Conservation Technician – Saginaw CD
Hometown: Saginaw
Education: Bachelor’s of Science in Conservation Biology – Lake Superior State University
Family: Fiancé – Meghan
Hobbies & Interests: Bird watching, insect collecting, hiking with my fiancé, and computer gaming

May

4 - Meet your Forester & Forest Walking Tour, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dexter Township Hall - Dexter, for more information go to washtenawcd.org

7 - Agritourism Pre-Summit Farm Tour, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., departs from Hotel Indigo - Traverse City, for more information go to canr.msu.edu/events 

8 - Agritourism Summit and Pre-Summit Farm Tour, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Hagerty Center - Traverse City, for more information go to canr.msu.edu/events

8 - GAAMPS-Manure Management and Utilization & Farm Markets, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., MSU-SW Michigan Extension Center - Benton Harbor, for more information and to RSVP go to berriencd.org/events or call 269/471-9111 ext. 3

10 - Stream Monitoring Collection & Habitat Assessment, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., University of Olivet - Olivet, for more information go to eatoncd.org/events

15 - Blueberry Pollinator Meeting, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Trevor Nichols Research and Extension Center - Fennville, for more information go to canr.msu.edu/events

16 - Rain Barrel Workshop, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Pottawattamie Park - Grand Haven, for more information go to ottawacd.org/events

16 - Invasive Species Management Demonstration, 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., 3589 Truman Street - Conklin, for more information go to ottawacd.org/events

17 - Stream Monitoring ID Day, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., University of Olivet - Olivet, for more information go to eatoncd.org/events

22 - GAAMPS Nutrient & Pest Management, Irrigation Utilization, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., MSU-SW Michigan Extension Center - Benton Harbor, for more information and to RSVP go to berriencd.org/events or call 269/471-9111 ext. 3

25 - Garlic Mustard Invasive Species Pull, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Indian Fields Township Park - Caro, to register contact Patty McNinch, Tuscola Conservation District at 989/673-8174 ext. 3