BARK RIVER, Mich. (WZMQ) – Wednesday evening, the Delta Conservation District celebrated another year of promoting and preserving the area’s natural resources.
“We’re in our 75th year,” said Delta Conservation District Board Chair Joe Kaplan. “Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a public gathering or celebration like this since 2019, just promoting the work of conservation districts. Sometimes they don’t have as much exposure in the community, so this is just a way to share our message to be better stewards of the land.”
The Conservation District held its annual meeting at Northern Sun Winery, which served as a perfect backdrop for Delta County organizations to share their work with the public.
“It just gives our producers exposure to promote local agriculture,” Kaplan said. “We had speakers talking about pollinator gardens, which can really be applied at any scale.”
Attendees also voted to fill a vacant position on the Conservation District Board of Directors. The race was between MSU Forestry Innovation Center office manager Adrienne St. Vincent and former Delta County Airport manager Andrea Nummilien. Voters elected St. Vincent to serve on the board.
“We’ll now have a full board of five members, and they’ll all be new within the last year and some change,” said Kaplan. “Our board members all bring a lot of experience—some within business, some within the hunting and angling community, and also the conservation community. We really do have expertise in all sorts of areas.”
Moving forward, Kaplan says the board’s focus is on the Conservation District’s missions of conservation, forestry, and agriculture.
“We’re all big proponents of using native plants within the landscape, addressing invasive species issues, and public outreach,” he said. “Just letting people be aware that there’s a lot of good things going on—within our community, within our district, within our county—to promote conservation.”
Follow the Delta Conservation District on Facebook to receive updates on future public meetings and outreach events.
