GLADSTONE, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Friday, the Delta Conservation District Board got an in-depth look at the difference that district staff members are making in the community.
Board members sat down with the district forester and various program specialists throughout the day. Forester Ben Marchant says the goal was to give the board a better understanding of their responsibilities.
“I’m pretty much talking about the Forestry Assistance Program,” he said. “I’m available to private landowners to give them guidance on their private lands. If they wanted to plant trees or if they wanted to do a timber harvest, I can push them in the right direction on what steps to take next. Then, I can put them in touch with a consulting forester, which would be the person who would contract out a logger, take that wood to the mill, and all those steps after the fact.”
Marchant also informed board members of his work with local municipal leaders on ongoing beautification projects and future events. Another part of his job is writing recipes for the neighboring Schoolcraft Conservation District’s newsletter.
“One of the recipes I’m doing is stuffed wild turkey breast with fetta and nettles,” Marchant said. “The recipe will walk you through how to prepare the nettles to stuff the turkey breast. I’m going to try to do one every quarter to have a seasonal recipe, so if you have a successful fishing day or something you can prepare a meal for the family based on what you have around you in the woods.”
The quarterly newsletters are currently available at schoolcraftcd.org. Merchant also plans to include recipe links on the Delta Conservation District’s website, deltacd.org, in the near future.
Marchant says having the staff share details about their roles gives board members a deeper knowledge of ongoing projects, future plans, and what the district is accomplishing day after day.
“For them to be able to understand what we’re doing and how we help landowners, it kind of helps everybody get a scope of our objectives and stuff,” said Marchant. “We’re going to be able to get a good idea of what we can do collectively together as a group, as a conservation district.”
For members of the public interested in learning more about conservation, the district is hosting a trivia night at Saunders Point Brewing on April 3. Topics will include hunting, fishing, cooking, and forestry. For details on the trivia night, click here.
Orders are still open for the Delta Conservation District’s annual Tree Fundraiser. Visit deltacd.org to view available trees and shrubs.
