Shoe Club Teams Up with the MDNR

The East Jordan Middle School Shoe Club recently provided assistance to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council (TOMWC), and other regional and state natural resource organizations by conducting fish and invertebrate (“bug”) sampling on Brown Creek which happens to be on the school campus. In northern Michigan we are blessed with more water resources per unit area than almost anywhere else in North America; ensuring the continued health of these amazing resources requires lots of information! Monitoring the abundance of different types of fish and bugs in our waters over time allows us to detect problems and threats, and to take corrective management action when needed.
On Brown Creek, members of the Shoe Club used tape measures, temperature loggers, and cameras to document important habitat characteristics that make this creek a great place to live for brook trout, sculpins, and other important cold water fish species. Insects are the main food items for these fish, and the abundance of different types of insects can tell us a great deal about the health of the creek.
Having a place-based component to education is increasingly seen as critical to learning and later community involvement. The Shoe Club members are learning about an important place right in their backyard, while at the same time helping professionals monitor and protect that place. Their efforts are helping to make East Jordan and Charlevoix County a great place to live.