Michigan Waterways Stewards
Our 2025 Capital City Plan
Taking A Comprehensive Approach Toward Sustainability.Let's protect our Capital City's enviable position of providing Michigan's most scenic, pleasant, and varied urban waterways destination.
River cleanups should be considered the last resort of waterways stewardship. They are the least efficient, most costly, and most dangerous. They are an indicator of a community’s collective 'failure' to be good stewards. Those most effective and longest lasting measures take place far away from our waterways.
We will discuss several easy-to-execute, common sense, stewardship measures, which will significantly improve our Capital City's rivers health, appearance, and usage. Implemented collectively they will create the greatest impact. Our proposed 2025 Capital City Plan represents the most comprehensive approach toward urban waterways stewardship. Each element is currently available, can be customized, and implemented within as few as two weeks. We are certain other cities will follow. Vertical Divider
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Our Beginning.If we lose sight for the reason for our beginning. we risk having our rivers's health and appearance falling back to prior conditions.
It was difficult to imagine that such conditions existed, anywhere, |
Taking A Year-Round, Community-Wide, Collaborative Approach, Toward Waterways Stewardship.We offer a long menu of items to steward our Capital City waterways.
1. Twice Yearly Community-Wide Events.
Our twice-yearly stewardship campaigns are set to take place early spring and late fall to create and sustain the greatest impact. These campaigns are more than the unveiling of our treasured and vulnerable waterways, they are the unveiling of community spirit and civic pride. Our first this year takes place Saturday, June 7, 2025. Hosted by Potter Park Zoo and in partnership with City of Lansing Parks and Recreation and Lansing Lugnuts, this event combines stewardship, hospitality, recreation, entertainment, and includes a strong focus on environmental education. It is expected to will be our largest community-wide event to date. |
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River Town Adventure's owner Paul Brogan seen on the Red Cedar River.
2. Pop-Up Events | Quick Response.
We conduct pop-up events to respond to those needs as they arise and provide greater attention to those predictable high-need areas.
This may include work in response to; litter, trash, and other unwanted debris after the winter season, a previously overlooked problem, or a seasonal or situational factors as they arise.
We conduct pop-up events to respond to those needs as they arise and provide greater attention to those predictable high-need areas.
This may include work in response to; litter, trash, and other unwanted debris after the winter season, a previously overlooked problem, or a seasonal or situational factors as they arise.
Ladies from Lansing Community College taking in a Grand River view.
3. Eco-Tours.
Many tell us that they have never been on our Capital City's rivers. To create greater awareness we offer Eco-Tours. This is a two-to-four hour tour that may, or may not, include an element of stewardship.
We see with every Eco-Tour the element of surprise, often awe, and certainly an increased interest to steward our treasured and vulnerable waterways.
Many tell us that they have never been on our Capital City's rivers. To create greater awareness we offer Eco-Tours. This is a two-to-four hour tour that may, or may not, include an element of stewardship.
We see with every Eco-Tour the element of surprise, often awe, and certainly an increased interest to steward our treasured and vulnerable waterways.
MSU's Crew Club may be our most committed and energetic Adopt A River partner.
4. Adopt A River.
To provide another layer of stewardship we created our Adopt A River program. Similar to Adopt A Highway, this is a voluntary program, a prideful designation and legacy building claim.
It recognizes those environmental/conservation minded persons and organizations who pledge to steward a stretch of our capital city’s rivers
To provide another layer of stewardship we created our Adopt A River program. Similar to Adopt A Highway, this is a voluntary program, a prideful designation and legacy building claim.
It recognizes those environmental/conservation minded persons and organizations who pledge to steward a stretch of our capital city’s rivers
Too few know of the incredible scenic, varied, and pleasant views of our Capital City's rivers.
5. Custom Team Building Events.
A waterway stewardship project is a great team team building event. It is a great way to build teamwork, empathy, and a sense of purpose among participants. I
We customize each event to create the greatest impact and be of greatest value to you and your team; whether it be on or along the river, or both.
A waterway stewardship project is a great team team building event. It is a great way to build teamwork, empathy, and a sense of purpose among participants. I
We customize each event to create the greatest impact and be of greatest value to you and your team; whether it be on or along the river, or both.
Creating and Managing A Capital City Waterways Stewardship Area.
To manage a need or address challenge, it's always helpful to define it then create awareness and offer steps on how to solve.
6. Defining A Protective Eco-Zone.
Riparian zones, or areas, are lands that occur along the edges of rivers, streams, lakes, and other water bodies. An Eco-Zone is a defined area created to enact intentional acts of stewardship to protect, care for, and improve our treasured and vulnerable waterways.
For purposes of discussion we define an Eco-Zone as the distance of 150-feet from the edge of river, lake, creek, or stream. This then creates a purposeful Capital City waterways management area.
Riparian zones, or areas, are lands that occur along the edges of rivers, streams, lakes, and other water bodies. An Eco-Zone is a defined area created to enact intentional acts of stewardship to protect, care for, and improve our treasured and vulnerable waterways.
For purposes of discussion we define an Eco-Zone as the distance of 150-feet from the edge of river, lake, creek, or stream. This then creates a purposeful Capital City waterways management area.
7. Create Awareness of Our Eco-Zone.
To ensure acceptance of us all having a role in protecting and caring for our fragile Eco-Zone, signage will be placed in this most trafficked areas, such as: parks, boat launches, along and on the river trail, perimeter of natural areas, high-density residential properties, and riverfront commercial properties.
Areas of particular importance are those those sensitive ecologies, natural areas used by wildlife and migratory waterfowl.
To ensure acceptance of us all having a role in protecting and caring for our fragile Eco-Zone, signage will be placed in this most trafficked areas, such as: parks, boat launches, along and on the river trail, perimeter of natural areas, high-density residential properties, and riverfront commercial properties.
Areas of particular importance are those those sensitive ecologies, natural areas used by wildlife and migratory waterfowl.
8. Heighten Awareness About the Importance of Eco-Zone Stewardship.
Public service announcements (PSA) are effective for creating awareness about a need to change behavior. PSAs can be conducted via all media and placed nearly anywhere along our Capital City’s Eco-Zone.
Well designed and well messaged, they should be immediately intuitive, emotionally engaging, and actionable.
Public service announcements (PSA) are effective for creating awareness about a need to change behavior. PSAs can be conducted via all media and placed nearly anywhere along our Capital City’s Eco-Zone.
Well designed and well messaged, they should be immediately intuitive, emotionally engaging, and actionable.
9. Enact Protective Eco-Zone Measures.
To demonstrate our commitment to steward its waterways, to sustain those gains made, we will propose creating legislation to deter intentional acts of destruction of our Capital City's Eco-Zone.
A doubling of fines makes sense as the environmental impact of littering in this area is disproportionately greater, as well as the effort, cost, and risk of personal injury to clear unwanted litter, trash, and other unwanted debris.
To demonstrate our commitment to steward its waterways, to sustain those gains made, we will propose creating legislation to deter intentional acts of destruction of our Capital City's Eco-Zone.
A doubling of fines makes sense as the environmental impact of littering in this area is disproportionately greater, as well as the effort, cost, and risk of personal injury to clear unwanted litter, trash, and other unwanted debris.
Improving Our Capital City's Waterway.
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10. Park Beautifications
Beginning in the winter of '23-'24 we began our work on Capital City parks beautification. By providing greater focus on those non-point pollution sources we can help prevent litter, trash, and other unwanted debris making its way to our treasured waterways. 2025 Capital City Park Beautification Projects.
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11. Creating NEW Urban Parks
While conducting Capital City beautification projects, two areas came to mind as candidates for NEW Capital City parks. Combined their total length is one-mile. Rarely are such discoveries made and opportunities to create such impact arise. 2025 NEW Capital City Parks.
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12. Creating Natural Areas
Our Capital City's waterways are a popular destination for wildlife and migratory waterfowl. As such, we proposed creating two designated Natural Areas to ensure habitat protection and encourage minimal human encroachment. 2025 NEW Natural Zones.
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More Capital City Waterways Improvement Plans to be Announced Soon!
Many Hands Makes Light Work.It is amazing the joy and ease with which we can accomplish great things when working together.
REIMAGINE • REDISCOVER • RECONNECTIt is because of our incredible partners, sponsors, and thousands of awesome volunteers, here in our Capital City new now present Michigan's most pleasant, varied, and scenic, urban waterways destination.
Below are a few pictures of our Capital City's Grand and Red Cedar Rivers. You too will see why so many are excited about the transformation our Capital City's waterways. Vertical Divider
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JOIN US. CREATE LASTING IMPACT. |
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Michigan Waterways Stewards
We are a federally tax-exempt Michigan nonprofit corporation. EIN: 92-1772858
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