News Release

Contact: Jeri Kornegay
Director of Media and Public Relations
260-982-5285  jskornegay@manchester.edu

6 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 16

The Honeywell Center

Public meeting to gather local

comment about Eel River water quality

Area residents – from farmers and anglers to conservationists, business leaders and other concerned citizens – are invited to share their comments and questions about the water quality of the middle Eel River at a public meeting Monday, March 16.

Sponsored by the Middle Eel River Watershed Initiative, the meeting also offers free entertainment by musician Tim Grimm, a southern Indiana hay farmer whose songs reflect his romance with the family farm and rural America.

The meeting is 6 to 8 p.m. on March 16, in the Honeywell Room of The Honeywell Center in Wabash. Reservations are not necessary.

Assistant State Conservationist Teresah Caire will provide an overview of the new Farm Bill and a panel of experts will discuss the water quality of the middle Eel River. The experts, and their topics:

Suspended sediment – Dr. Jerry Sweeten, director of environmental studies for Manchester College
E. coli – Dr. David Kreps, chair of the Biology Department, Manchester College
Fish communities – Ed Braun, district fisheries biologist, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Watershed – Angie Brown, watershed specialist, Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Best management practices – Joe Updike, soil conservationist, Wabash County Natural Resources Conservation Service
Geologic history – Dr. Bill Eberly, professor emeritus of biology, Manchester College

The Middle Eel River Watershed Initiative comprises research, a watershed management plan, water quality monitoring, implementation of cost share program for best management practices on targeted areas, and public outreach and education for a 30-mile stretch between North Manchester and Mexico, Ind. The river is on the “impaired” list of the Environmental Protection Agency for its excessive levels of E. coli, PCBs, mercury and other pollutants.

The Initiative is funded by nearly $600,000 in Clean Water Act funds of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and augmented by $400,000 in contributions from stakeholders in the quality of the Eel River.

Manchester College leads the Initiative, collaborating with Wabash and Miami county agencies, organizations, landowners and others. For more information, contact the watershed coordinator, Terri Michaelis at 260-982-5101 or tmmichaelis@manchester.edu.

March 2009