“A lot of good things are happening in the upper part of the Saginaw Bay Watershed, and they often go unsung. Well, tonight we are going to sing about the work of seven women who have made special and unique and important contributions to the quality of life in our communities.”
So said Chippewa Watershed Conservancy (CWC) Executive Director Stan Lilley on the evening of October 27, 2014, at the 3rd Annual Fall Fundraiser sponsored by Dianne and Mike Morey, of Bandit Industries. This year’s event, titled, “A Salute to Women,” was held at Camille’s on the River in Mount Pleasant, and raised nearly $8,000 in new contributions to help the CWC preserve important open space and wildlife habitat and provide recreational and education opportunities to the public.
Certificates of appreciation and flower bouquets were given to these women for their work in a wide range of significant ways:
Lynn Dominguez, an Associate Professor in the Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services Department at Central Michigan University (CMU), who is a nationally known canoe and kayak instructor of not only students, but other instructors, and who is a strong advocate for “Leave No Trace” recreational use of our rivers.
Sister Marie Kopin, a local Mycologist who is active in the Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club, and has taught mushroom identification classes for youth, led mushroom walks on CWC preserves and taught classes at the Isabella County Commission on Aging.
Cathy Murray, who has been a driving force in efforts to remove autumn olive and glossy buckthorn, two habitat hogging invasive species, from her Hiawatha Hills neighborhood as well as on several CWC preserves.
Daelyn Woolnough, an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at CMU, who is conducting research on mussels in the Saginaw Bay Watershed to determine their health and distribution, as indicators of the water quality, and to aid in the protection of endangered species.
Carey Pauquette, Water Quality Specialist for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, who, with her team, has been doing water quality monitoring to test for the presence of e. coli bacteria, and who put together a package to qualify the Tribe to apply for EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 funds to fix nonpoint source pollution problems within the Isabella Indian Reservation.
Jane Keon, Chair, and member of the Pine River Superfund Citizens Task Force since the 1990’s, working on pollution and water quality issues on the Pine River in Gratiot County, bringing millions of dollars for environmental cleanup.
Dianne Morey, whose sponsorship of the CWC Fall Fundraiser since 2012 has raised thousands of dollars each year to help preserve habitat, protect water quality and provide recreational opportunities for the public.
“This is not an all-inclusive list, and yes, there are men who are doing important work in the watershed too, but tonight we are recognizing the efforts of these women,” said Lilley.
Thank you to Jim Holton, for making Camille’s on the River available for the event, to 3 Wishes Floral & Design Studio for donating the flower bouquets, and to Dianne and Mike Morey for sponsoring another great fundraiser.
