The pond, or impoundment, is contained by the Portage River Dam, which is “in need of repair or removal,” according to City Manager Joe Bippus. The topic was brought before the commission because grant funding of $500,000 is available from the State of Michigan for either repair or removal of the dam, with a requirement of a $50,000 match if awarded.
Deborah Haak-Frost
With just a few more days left for one of the county’s time-honored traditions, Watershed Voice took a walk through the festivities at the fairgrounds.
June 3 marks the first Huss Project Farmer’s Market of the 2023 season. The market will take place every Saturday under the pavilion at 1008 8th St. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through September. Here’s a full rundown of what to expect this weekend, and throughout the summer.
Sow Good Seeds columnist Deborah Haak-Frost writes, “I don’t know if chipmunks feel gratified by their stores of food after busy days of harvesting, but I definitely feel a sense of satisfaction as I watch the metamorphosis from piles of vegetables on my counter to containers in the freezer or jars in the basement.”
Watershed Voice staff will head to the Independent News Sustainability Summit in Austin, Texas this week, where journalists from across the country will gather for learning and skill-building, as well as the 2022 LION Local Journalism Awards. Watershed will not publish on Thursday and Friday as a result.
Watershed Voice columnist Deborah Haak-Frost weighs the pros and cons of mulberry trees, and the importance of using what you have to get what you need.
“The field of permaculture holds a principle of ‘obtaining a yield’ — in other words, work with the world around you to get or produce what you need. This seems fairly obvious: the point of a vegetable garden is to yield vegetables, after all. Working a job yields monetary income, which pays the bills. But what if the idea of yield was expanded? Where can we see potential and possibility for greater yield?”
Watershed’s Deborah Haak-Frost writes, “Permaculture is a way to approach things like gardens and ecosystems, but it’s equally as valuable a tool for understanding and designing community dynamics, social relationships, and one’s inner, emotional workings.”
Sow Good Seeds columnist Deborah Haak-Frost writes, “This isn’t a call to abandon grocery stores and restaurants, and start threshing wheat in our backyards to make bread in wood-fired ovens, but it is an invitation to reconsider how we see our time, skills, and the story of our food in today’s world.”
Watershed Voice’s Deborah Haak-Frost recently spoke with Three Rivers Park Manager/Zookeeper Britney Wendzel about her role with the City of Three Rivers, Wendzel’s take on Three Rivers’ new Parks and Recreation Master Plan, climate change, and her hopes for the city’s parks, zoo, and other recreational areas.
WSV columnist Deborah Haak-Frost writes, “In this list, I share my top five Sow Good Seeds columns of 2021. My hope is that they may invite you to see yourself more deeply in the context of this planet, to consider a perspective you may not have had previously, to plant some seeds in your mind about how our lives are so intricately interwoven with the natural world.”
WSV’s Deborah Haak-Frost writes, “There’s more than a twinge of disappointment as I harvest the last of the tomatoes. Remote work has a glamorous aspect when carried out from the patio, barefooted in the dappled shade. And as the angle of light changes through our west-facing glass door, it has a way of giving the cat hair and dust bunnies on the dining room floor a nice glow at sunset.”
HarmonyFest, a free music festival held annually on Labor Day weekend to promote harmony and inclusion, took place Sunday in downtown Three Rivers. Check out our gallery to see what you missed!
Approximately 75 people braved the heat to attend the first annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase in Three Rivers Saturday. Folks did their best to stay hydrated and were treated to performances from six unique and talented artists for what turned out to be a two and a half hour concert
Doug and Alek are joined by Sow Good Seeds columnist and the most talented member of the Haak-Frost household Deborah Haak-Frost. The trio discuss the wonders of permaculture, why lawns are a problem, the many pursuits of Three Rivers nonprofit *culture is not optional, scones, and the GilChrist Retreat Center.
WSV’s Deborah Haak-Frost writes, “I’ve written about the future in a previous column, and the subject came up for me again, unsurprisingly, as I watched The Tomorrow War, an Amazon-exclusive film. If you haven’t seen it and you don’t want spoilers, stop reading now and come back after you’ve watched it.”
Hundreds lined the streets of Three Rivers as the annual Water Festival parade made its triumphant return Thursday, June 17, after last year’s festival was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The George Washington Carver Community Center hosted a virtual event on Thursday, May 29 to discuss trauma, grief, and resilience, particularly as those issues intersect with the African American community and the COVID-19 pandemic.
WSV’s Deborah Haak-Frost writes, “As I write this, April – Earth Month – has just come to a close. I’m admiring the seedlings awaiting daylight in the windowsill; I’m recycling my local pizza box from dinner; and I’m pleased at the Biden administration’s announcement about reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As wonderful as those things are, I’m actually here to talk about something else. I’m here to talk about menstruation.”