D.J. Angus leads Grand River Expedition

 As the paddlers on the Grand River Expedition 2010 reach Grand Haven at the end of their 13 day journey, they will be met by the D.J. Angus vessel from Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI).

Mayor Roger Bergman of Grand Haven and other invited guests will be onboard Monday, July 26, at 2 p.m. near the Holiday Inn in Grand Haven. An AWRI pontoon boat will accompany the group from Riverside Park to Grand Haven.

Expedition 2010 is a chance to highlight the importance of the Grand River and its connection to Lake Michigan. AWRI's annual Making Lake Michigan Great public outreach tours, using its research vessels, stress the importance of watersheds to the well-being of Lake Michigan.

Grand Haven is one of the 33 ports of call that have been part of these tours since 1998. This year’s tour stop in Grand Haven is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office.

“The tours have been a chance to showcase local stewardship efforts and to inform the public about the Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan,” said Janet Vail, AWRI associate professor and co-chair of the EPA Lake Michigan Forum.

AWRI Director Alan Steinman said: “The vision of the plan is a sustainable Lake Michigan ecosystem that ensures environmental integrity and that supports and is supported by economically viable, healthy human communities. Expedition 2010 and the work of AWRI and the many other organizations in Grand River Watershed are worth highlighting in the next update of the plan.”

The Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan can be viewed at www.epa.gov/greatlakes/michigan.html

For more information, contact Janet Vail at (616) 331-3048 or Grand Valley News and Information Services at (616) 331-2221.