Lapeer Chapter
Lapeer County Chapter of the Flint River Watershed Coalition
Meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Willows, Chatfield School, 231 Lake Drive, Lapeer.
Chair: Peter McCreedy (810-614-7594)
Peter is the Ecology Director of the Willows Ecology Center at Chatfield School. He is also the president of the Lapeer Land Conservancy. Contact him at PMcCreedy@ChatfieldSchool.org
Secretary:
Mary Brown
Mary is the administrator of the Lapeer Conservation District.
She is also the treasurer of the Lapeer Land Conservancy.
Saginaw Street Landing
The Lapeer Chapter of the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC), in partnership with Lapeer County Parks and the late Joe Stock, has planned for 10 years to build a canoe and kayak landing on the Flint River at North Saginaw Street. Thanks to the support of community partners the landing is now under construction and set to open soon.
The Saginaw Street Landing is an important piece of the paddle trail in Lapeer. It activates the Cramton Park and Rotary Park (another successful Lapeer Chapter project) kayak launches in Downtown Lapeer by providing an end point (or picnic break) for folks who launch from Cramton or Rotary. This will also highlight the important work of our obstruction removal volunteers, who work hard each season to clear this stretch of the river. Additionally, the Saginaw Street Landing provides a perfect launch point for experienced paddlers who want to explore the pristine nature of the Flint River through Lapeer County with a longer trip.
There's never been a better time to expand access to outdoor recreation for the health and enrichment of our residents. The Saginaw Street Landing will be free and open to the public as a county park, and will include:
- a paddle launch
- parking lot
- driveway
- signage
FRWC raised just under $60k toward the project with the assistance of our Lapeer Chapter and partners including:
- Kathy Smith
- The Lapeer Land Conservancy
- Saginaw Bay WIN
- The Lapeer Community Foundation
- Michigan Economic Development Corporation
- More than 100 individual donors
With national attention on our waterway through the achievement of National Water Trail designation for the Flint River Water Trail, and expanded paddle access in Lapeer County, we are confident that paddling, fishing, and other outdoor recreation will become increasingly popular in Lapeer, and will benefit our local economy.
Benthic Monitoring: The Lapeer Chapter helps run FRWC’s monitoring program at 10 sites in Lapeer County. Monitoring happens in the spring and fall of each year. Volunteers needed; please contact Jaime Welch.
River Cleanup: The Lapeer Chapter, in partner ship with the City of Lapeer, is responsible for 6 cleanup sites. Project leader is Peter McCreedy.
Obstruction Removal / Habitat Restoration:
Joe Leonardi, past Fisheries Biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, along with Steve Smith and Steve Kress with the F.R.O.G. crew, initiated this project which has achieved nearly 100 percent landowner participation, over 4000 hours of volunteer labor, and the restoration of about 10 hours of canoe pathway in Lapeer County. While Joe and one of the Steves have retired from their work with the obstruction removal team, we continue their efforts with volunteers. Please contact
Peter McCreedy
to learn more.
Education/Outreach:
The Lapeer Chapter takes the FRWC message of working to protect, promote, and improve the Flint River watershed to local officials, schools, and organizations throughout Lapeer County. Contact
Peter McCreedy
to learn more.
Resources:
- Service Learning Opportunities in Lapeer County: Looking for additional ways to get involved? Complete FRWC's Volunteer form HERE or contact Peter McCreedy for more information.
- Love the convenience of bottled water? There are better options out there for you, your wallet, and the environment. Check out this slideshow for more information.
