Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council

10/08/2026

It’s DAF Day!

If you have a donor-advised fund, today is a great reminder to recommend a grant to Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. Your support helps us monitor water quality, educate and engage our communities, and protect and restore Northern Michigan’s waters.

To recommend a grant, contact your donor-advised fund provider and designate Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council as the recipient.

Thank you for helping protect the waters you care about!

Donate:

MAKE A DONATION Make a donation today! With your donation, you will join your neighbors, friends, and regional businesses who, like you, care deeply about our beloved Northern Michigan waters. The […]

10/07/2026

Stream monitoring with Beaver Island Community School was a blast! You can learn more about previous monitoring results for Cable's Creek on our website: https://watershedcouncil.org/waterbody/cables-creek/

10/05/2026

DAF Day is this Thursday, October 8. Consider recommending a grant to Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council to support the work that keeps Northern Michigan’s lakes, rivers, wetlands, and groundwater healthy.

It’s a simple way to make an impact in the places and waters you care about.

Learn more:

Honor a Loved One with Memorial & Tribute Gifts Recognize a family member who has passed away or commemorate a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary. Make a donation […]

10/02/2026

Have a donor-advised fund? You can recommend a grant to the Watershed Council and help protect and restore Northern Michigan’s waters. Your support helps fund water quality monitoring, community education, and watershed restoration.

DAF Day is October 8, a great reminder to put your charitable dollars to work for the lakes, rivers, and communities you care about. To recommend a grant, contact your donor-advised fund provider and designate Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council as the recipient.

09/24/2026

The Watershed Discovery Center will be closed through October 13 while we have some construction work underway.

Our staff will be working remotely during this time, and we’re available by email or phone if you need to reach us. Thanks for your patience while we make a few improvements to our space!

09/16/2026

It’s SepticSmart Week!

Proper septic system care can help protect your home, your health, and our freshwaters. Remember to:

Think at the sink: Keep fats, oils, and grease out of your drains.

Don’t strain your drain: Use water efficiently and avoid overwhelming your system.

Shield your field: Keep vehicles, heavy equipment, and deep-rooted plants away from your drainfield.

Inspect it and protect it: Regular inspections (about every 3 years) and pumping can help catch problems before they become costly repairs.

Check out more tips, webinars, and resources from the SepticSmart program: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/drinking-water-and-environmental-health/onsite-wastewater-management/septicsmart?fbclid=IwY2xjawUXctNwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMW5WWlNVRlpYODJOSFFHa3pzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeCgYQyo_B9-BCOsKTWKslh9tZqRvB9AcipgKiDj1A71-Hn6qb8844PcEHqzY_aem_LrIoLbV_jaY-nLJbC7miMg

EPA's SepticSmart Program educates homeowners about proper septic system care and maintenance all year long. In addition, it serves as an online resource for industry practitioners, local governments, and community organizations, providing access to tools to educate clients and residents.

09/15/2026

What a day! On Sunday, about 280 juvenile lake sturgeon were released into the Sturgeon River during the annual Nmé Celebration in Wolverine. Our partners at LTBB Odawa Natural Resources Department raised and tagged the sturgeon before the release. Among the fish was our very own Fin Diesel, who joined his fellow sturgeon for the journey ahead. We’re wishing all 280 fish safe travels and hope to see them return to the Sturgeon River to spawn in the coming decades!

We’re so grateful to everyone who helped make the celebration possible. Thank you to Grain Train Natural Foods Market, Plath's Meats Inc, and Miss Behavin’ Baked Goods for donating food, and to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission for bringing invasive sea lamprey for attendees to learn about. And thank you to everyone who joined in to help release sturgeon!

09/09/2026

Fall stream monitoring is underway!

A big thank you to our friends at Friends of the Boyne River and all of our volunteer monitors who are back out on Northern Michigan’s streams collecting the data that helps us track stream health over time.

If you're interested in joining a monitoring team, come to our next volunteer training on September 20! Sign up here: https://watershedcouncil.org/event/volunteer-stream-monitoring-fall-training-2026/