Hi First name / Subscriber! Thanks for taking the time to read the November edition of the Muskegon Conservation District Newsletter. 

 

This month, discover exciting ways to get involved in protecting and celebrating our natural spaces. From hands-on volunteer opportunities and community events to tips on managing stormwater and updates on local conservation efforts, there’s something for everyone who loves Muskegon’s land, water, and wildlife.

🌱 Plant the Future: Help Us Restore Dune Harbor Park! 🌱

 

Join Muskegon County Parks and the Muskegon Conservation District as we plant over 3,500 native tree seedlings—including Red Oaks, Cottonwoods, and more—throughout the beautiful new Dune Harbor Park!

 

These seedlings will support dune restoration, improve wildlife habitat, and help build a healthier, more resilient coastal ecosystem.

 

🌟 Everyone is welcome!

Whether you're a nature enthusiast, student, family, or community group—no experience is necessary. Just bring your energy and your love for the outdoors!

 

Let’s grow something incredible—over 3,500 times! 🌳🌾

 

This will take place at the New Dune Harbor Park on Friday, November 21, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Dune harbor is located at 2161 Seminole Road, Norton Shores, MI, 49441. 

Additionally, we have one more exciting opportunity coming up!

 

Tomorrow (Friday, November 14th), we’ll be hosting a Volunteer Dune Grass Planting event at Dune Harbor Park from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

 

It’s short notice, but if you have the time, we’d love for you to join us in helping restore and protect our beautiful dunes. Click the button below to sign up as a volunteer — we’d be thrilled to have you there!

Many Muskegon County homes rely on septic systems to manage household wastewater, and just like a furnace or roof, they need regular attention to keep working properly. Proper care extends the life of your system, saves money on costly repairs, and most importantly, helps protect drinking water and nearby lakes, rivers, and streams.

 

Routine Care and Best Practices
Septic tanks should be pumped every 3–5 years, depending on household size and water use. Keep drains clear by only flushing human waste and toilet paper—items like wipes, paper towels, grease, and chemicals can damage your system. Conserving water and spreading out high water use activities, such as laundry, helps avoid overloading the system.

 

Warning Signs of Trouble
Septic systems often give early signs before failing completely. Watch for slow drains, sewage odors in the house or yard, wet spots or pooling water near the drainfield, or unusually green patches of grass above the system. Gurgling sounds in pipes can also indicate a problem. If you notice any of these signs, contact a licensed professional for an inspection.

 

Why It Matters
A failing septic system doesn’t just impact your property—it can release untreated sewage into ditches, wells, and waterways. This contamination can make water unsafe for drinking, swimming, and fishing, and is costly to clean up. Regular maintenance helps protect both your home and the community’s shared water resources.

 

A Good Habit for Every Homeowner
Think of septic system care as part of routine home maintenance. Pumping on schedule, practicing good drain habits, and paying attention to warning signs will keep your system running efficiently for years to come. By taking these simple steps, Muskegon County residents can safeguard their property value, health, and the natural resources that make our community special.

 

Come on out this Saturday, November 15th, from 4:00–9:30 PM at the MCD Office (4735 Holton Rd) for our Second Annual Buck Pole! This family-friendly community event is open to everyone — whether you’re a seasoned hunter, a first-timer, or simply want to enjoy a great evening with friends and neighbors.

 

We’ll have free food and drinks, warm coffee, and tons of raffle prizes and giveaways throughout the night. There will also be category prizes for both bucks and does, so all legally harvested deer are welcome! Please make sure your deer are completely gutted prior to arrival.

 

Last year’s event was a huge success — we had a fantastic turnout, shared plenty of stories, and even celebrated a first-time hunter’s successful harvest! This year promises to be even bigger and better, with more prizes, more fun, and more memories to be made.

 

Bring your family, invite your friends, and help us celebrate the great hunting traditions of our community. We can’t wait to see you there!

As temperatures drop, MCD has officially wrapped up Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) treatments for the season.

 

This year, our work was supported through a Sustain Our Great Lakes grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, as well as through for-hire treatment projects. Unfortunately, this marks the final year of our current grant funding. For those unfamiliar, this grant enabled MCD to treat hemlock trees on publicly owned lands such as county parks, nature preserves, and other community spaces.

 

The eastern hemlock is a vital conifer species, especially along the western shore of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Where it plays an important role in stabilizing dune ecosystems and supporting healthy waterways by maintaining streambank stability and water quality.

 

We’re proud to share that this year, MCD treated approximately 12,500 hemlock trees through our combined programs. For those curious about the treatment process, the amount of pesticide used (either injected or applied to the bark) depends on the size of each tree, measured by its Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), a standard measurement taken 4.5 feet above the ground.

 

In total, our team treated 111,277 DBH inches of eastern hemlock this season, equivalent to the length of about 26 football fields laid end to end!

 

We look forward to continuing our HWA Treatment Program through for-hire services and by pursuing new grant and cost-share opportunities. If you’re interested in having your hemlocks treated for HWA next year, please contact our office at muskegoncd@macd.org or call us at (231) 828-5097.

 

We are pleased with the effort put forth by our staff this treatment season and look forward to the opportunity to make a further impact next year! 

By Bill Cook

 

 

  A sandy soil sits lightyears away from a loamy soil in terms of who might best grow where.  As the glaciers retreated over ten thousand years ago, they left in their wake a myriad of soil types, often a complicated hodge-podge.  Forest types are often keenly linked to that surface geology.  

  Three common tools are available to ascertain site productivity.  Each have advantages and disadvantages.  

  USDA soil surveys have been completed for most of the United States (a humungous effort!) and are now on-line at Web Soil Survey.  This service extends a wealth of information, if one can figure out how to access it.  Spending an hour or two on this web service can pay large dividends.  Voluminous paper copies may still be available at some offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  Some counties have this paper copy also on-line.  Generalized Woodland Management recommendations exist for many soil series.  

  Secondly, foresters have long used “site index” research which uses tree species age and height data.  These data are used in one of a series of “site index tables” to render a predicted tree height at age fifty.  The higher the number (height), the better the site.  This practice works well as long as suitable trees are selected for measurement.  One must have a specialized tool called an increment borer and an accurate height measurement tool.  

  Third, and the focus of this article, is vegetation or habitat typing using key indicator species.  This system is based largely on understory vegetation, which often better reflects site characteristics and predicts which tree species are best suited to the site.  The understory species often persist even when the canopy has been, temporarily, converted from one type to another type.  

  However, many of the indicator species are spring ephemerals, somewhat limiting the time frame in which the evaluations can be carried out.  Yet, some habitat types are obvious.  Sandy outwash and an abundance of sweetfern and bracken means jack pine or red pine.  With more blueberry on site, then white pine might be considered.  

  To fully employ habitat typing, one must be able to recognize about 150 plants, and know their Latin names.  However, that number can be reduced by becoming familiar with the species more common to the forest types of interest, such as “northern hardwoods”.  

  Tim Burger and John Kotar spearheaded the field research used to assemble forest habitat types across different Lake States regions, such as the western Upper Peninsula.  Each region has a set of habitat types, usually a dozen or so.  A type has an acronym label based on the key understory species.  For example, “ATM” reflects “Acer-Tsuga-Maianthemum”, or more fully, Acer saccharum (sugar maple), Tsuga canadensis (hemlock), and Maianthemum canadensis (Canada lily).  Common understory species include sarsaparilla, Canada lily, bracken fern, starflower, bead lily and others.  

  The classification guides include dichotomous keys to help a user through the identification process.  At first, this can be frustrating but, with practice, becomes much easier as an experienced eye can identify the habitat type without the keys.  Once a type has been identified, the guide includes information about what trees should grow on what site and discusses advisable management practices, typical successional pathways, variants on the type, and more.  

  Most field foresters already have a pretty good “feel” for the relationship among understory plants and trees.  There’s a “vibe” that comes with experience.  That vibe has been articulated by ecology-based associations.  Habitat classification in the Lake States began around 1980 with Mike Coffman of, then, Champion International in the Upper Peninsula.  

  Habitat classification might have a rather steep learning curve, but the rewards of learning how various plant associations reveal secrets can be fun.  Identification is great.  However, knowing more about the community relationships is much better. 

MCD would like to kindly remind the public that MCD-owned parcels open to hunting are currently closed to the public. This closure will remain in effect until January 13th, 2025. This is a safety measure, as we have active hunting taking place on these properties. Additionally, it is a legal requirement per the lease agreement signed by the hunters.

 

   As a reminder, after January 12th, small game access permits will be available for these parcels. This will allow those interested in hunting small game during late winter on MCD properties the opportunity to do so. Furthermore, spring turkey permits will also be available. These permits will grant access rights to all parcels open to hunting. To obtain your permit, feel free to come into the office during our hours of operation (7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Tuesday to Friday).

 

If you have questions please contact our office at 231-828-5097 or by email at muskegoncd@macd.org.