Benzie Conservation District

06/05/2026

For the first time ever, we’re launching a limited-time, online merch sale! Show your love for local landscapes and waterways with BCD gear.

How it works:

Next week, we’ll share a direct link to the online store, where you can shop a wide selection of indoor and outdoor clothes, like sweatshirts for chilly nights by the bonfire and UPF t-shirts for your next trip to the lake.

Products will be shipped directly to you!

Dates: Three weeks only! The sale runs June 10 - July 1.

Follow along for the official link 🛍️

06/03/2026

Happy ! Last week, we had an incredible speaker lineup at our Northwest Michigan Watersheds Coalition spring meeting.

The conversation covered arts-based environmental education, natural shoreline design, and septic system health—things that all flow back to water quality.

Actions in everyday life have a direct impact on the health of our waters. At NMWC meetings like this one, lake associations, government leaders, and other stakeholders share creative ideas and the latest research so we can work together to improve our region’s waters.

Special thanks to our guest speakers, including:

Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department

Platte Lake Improvement Association

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Ben Eiler, Master’s Student at the Department of Fisheries & Wildlife at Michigan State University

And Ann Lake Property Owners Association.

Let’s keep the conversation going. Reach out to our Watersheds Coordinator, Eric Moore, to learn more about how YOU can get involved in keeping Northwest Michigan’s waters clean and beautiful. 💙

06/02/2026

Calling all volunteers! Enjoy a morning on the Upper Platte while helping keep the river beautiful and trash-free.

Join us for a paddle from Veterans Memorial Park to Platte River Park, where we’ll remove debris like water bottles, flip flops, and fishing line. Meet us at Veterans Memorial Park in Honor at 9:30 am on June 12. We’ll bring the snacks and cleanup supplies!

Will we see you there? Let us know by signing up online at benziecd.org/events.

06/01/2026

We’re so grateful to have this project in Benzie County! 🌲

05/27/2026

A clean boat is a fast boat! Visit a free boat wash station near you to freshen up your watercraft and stop the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Most aquatic invaders travel by hitching a ride on boats and gear. That harmless looking puddle on your boat may just be the start of an infestation.

Protect your favorite lakes and rivers by:

✅ Cleaning mud, plants, and other debris off your boat, paddle, and gear before and after visiting the water

✅ Drying everything out between visits

✅ Draining bilges, ballast tanks, and live wells

✅ NOT dumping bait in the water

Stop by one of the boat wash stations on our map for easy access to cleaning supplies. Thanks for protecting our waters!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1sUqT2a_XBp15_gU0Z_JrSjgUjYuoLqs&usp=sharing

Use this map to find places to Clean, Drain, Dry in Northwest Lower Michigan. This includes both water and waterless systems as well as staffed and self-service stations. If a boat cleaning station is missing, please contact the Benzie Conservation District ([email protected]).

05/20/2026

It’s almost summertime in Northern Michigan! Now’s the time to brush up on how to slow the spread of aquatic invasive species.

As we go into boating season, remember these key tips:

✅ Michigan law requires boats, trailers, and gear to be free of all plants, mud, and debris before and after visiting the water. Save yourself a $100 ticket!

✅ Clean your boat, drain all water, and dry everything. Even small amounts of moisture can spread fish diseases and invasive species between lakes.

✅ Dispose of unused bait, don’t dump it in the water. This also protects lakes from invasive species and diseases.

Thank you for doing your part to protect our waters!

05/18/2026

Is your garden helping you manage your land? If not, it can!

Native plants provide so much more than natural beauty. Their deep roots help hold shifting soil in place and drink up heavy rains.

While no garden can stop the effects of severe weather, native plants are important teammates for limiting those effects.

Increasingly, people are minimizing stormwater damage and erosion by planting rain gardens. Balancing beauty with biology, rain gardens feature strategically placed native plants that absorb the impact of rainfall.

Fun fact: native plants even protect our lakes by filtering harmful substances that rainfall would otherwise carry into the water!

Learn more in our latest column of the Benzie County Record Patriot: https://www.recordpatriot.com/columns/article/native-plants-stormwater-michigan-22249225.php

Follow us for more fun facts 🌎

05/18/2026

05/15/2026

Once you’ve seen ephemeral wildflowers, that’s when it really starts to feel like spring!

Earlier this week, Cheryl Gross, President of PIW - Plant It Wild, led a guided hike with us at Railroad Point Natural Area. Together, we saw Dutchman's breeches, trilliums, squirrel corn, violets, and more. Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the hike!

Be sure to follow and subscribe to our e-news to discover more events like this.

05/15/2026

Time for more garlic mustard events! The rest of our yearly garlic mustard workbees are happening next week. Come join us at one of our upcoming events! If you bring your willingness to pull garlic mustard, we'll bring some donuts and trash bags 🎉

🌱 Tuesday, May 19th, 10am - 12pm: Magoon Creek Natural Area
🌱 Wednesday, May 20th, 10am - 12pm: in partnership with Leelanau Conservancy at Clay Cliffs Natural Area
🌱 Thursday, May 21st, 10am - 12pm: in partnership with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and Benzie Conservation District at Railroad Point Natural Area
You can sign up for these events on our website at www.HabitatMatters.org/Events - signing up for an event ensures that there's a donut waiting for you!