Working with volunteers to improve fish habitats ...
GRDA Planning 2009 "Rush For Brush" Workshops

Vinita — In an effort to make its popular “Rush For Brush” workshops available to more volunteers, the Grand River Dam Authority Ecosystems Management Department is announcing some changes for its 2009 dates. In previous years, the workshops have been two-day events, with volunteers building the habitats on Friday and picking them up for placement on Saturday. However, this year, all the events will be one-day only.

“By holding one day events, on Saturdays, we feel like we can accommodate more volunteers,” said GRDA Fisheries Coordinator Brent Davis. “We’ve seen a lot of interest from people who wanted to participate but were unable to be there on Fridays. We want to give all those people the opportunity to participate this year.”

Rush For Brush workshops are a concentrated effort to improve the fish habitat in GRDA’s Grand and Hudson lakes. At the workshops, GRDA provides the materials necessary to build the “spider block” habitats and lake area volunteers provide the muscle and manpower. Working together, volunteers and GRDA have built well over a thousand habitats in previous years.

Dates and locations for the 2009 Rush For Brush workshops are: Saturday, April 11 (Martin’s Landing, Grand Lake); Saturday, April 18 (Lake Hudson Inn, Lake Hudson); and Saturday, May 9, (boat ramp between Pensacola Dam’ east spillways, Grand Lake).

According to GRDA Ecosystems Management Director Dr. Darrell Townsend, Rush For Brush is just another project utilized by GRDA Ecosystems Department to fulfill the GRDA responsibility of being a good steward for the waters of the Grand River.

“Shoreline cleanup efforts, water monitoring, and other initiatives we have in place are helping GRDA bring a greater focus to lake management and habitat enhancement issues,” said Townsend. “With 70,000 surface acres of water under its control, GRDA has a tremendous responsibility to be a good steward and we are working to be just that, everyday.”

Supplies for the 2009 events are limited, so individuals interested in reserving a workshop kit should contact GRDA Ecosystems' Jackyln Jaggars at (918) 256-5545. For more information on Rush For Brush, GRDA's ecosystems management efforts or other lake related issues, you can also visit grda.com.

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Grand River Dam Authority News Release
Contact: Justin Alberty
Corporate Communications Director
Grand River Dam Authority
(918) 256 5545
jalberty@grda.com
www.grda.com

 

For immediate release: 2/25/09