Cass County Conservation District

06/19/2026

NACD!

06/18/2026

Look into these alternative options and be sure to contact us for soil erosion control permitting prior to starting your next project.

Seawalls and hardened shorelines are quietly damaging Michigan’s inland lakes.
They wipe out fish and wildlife habitat, increase runoff, and degrade water quality.

There’s a better way.

If you own lakefront property, you can protect your shoreline and improve your lake’s health with natural solutions like native plants, buffer zones, and woody habitat structures ("fish sticks").

These approaches reduce erosion, restore habitat, and help keep shorelines stable and resilient.

Explore resources to help you get started: michigan.gov/ShorelineProtection

Get inspired by real shoreline projects across Michigan in our interactive story map: https://tinyurl.com/4xv25evw

06/13/2026

ROOTS!
Here’s another good post about them.

And all those long roots store carbon too!
Photo credit - our friends over at DuPage County Stormwater Management

06/08/2026

Download the new app today and help in reporting invasive species.

06/08/2026

Please report the turtle nesting activities you observe.

It's that time of year again! Have you seen any of these turtles crossing roads or digging nests on your property? If so, please consider submitting your observations to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory Rare Species Form to help inform turtle conservation efforts across the state!

Click here to learn about the Rare Species Form:
https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/species/report

Click here to learn more about MNFI, the Natural Heritage Database, and the work that we do:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/10cff7ddf03240c395fbb384a0ab76e9

06/04/2026

05/28/2026

Everyone please welcome our 2026 Strike Team! They will be out and about surveying and treating Invasive species in Southwest Michigan all Summer. Feel free to give them a wave if you see them!

From Left to right: Danny, Skyler, Brad, and as always Jena.

05/28/2026

🚫 Please Do NOT Drain Pool Water into Lakes or Waterways 🚫

Dumping swimming pool water directly into lakes, streams, storm drains, or other surface waters can harm fish, wildlife, and water quality due to chlorine and other pool chemicals. This activity is not acceptable and may violate environmental regulations.

If you witness someone discharging pool water into a lake or other waterbody, please report it immediately to the Michigan EGLE Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) Hotline so officials can respond as quickly as possible:

📞 Michigan EGLE Pollution Hotline: 800-292-4706

Protecting our lakes starts with all of us. Thank you for helping keep our local waterways clean and healthy! 🌊🐟💧

05/28/2026

Anyone interested in looking for these at one of our County Parks? We haven’t scheduled Hikes with a Naturalist due to Korie’s ankle surgery recovery but we might be able to pull something together in June if you are interested. Please message us if you are interested and what park you are closest to.

How many of these little critters have you seen lately? 👀

You can find a link to download a PDF copy of the handout in the comments.

05/26/2026

FYI while out swimming this summer:

MDHHS is reminding residents and visitors to avoid foam on Michigan lakes, rivers, and other surface waters.