Conservation crews assist in relief effort
MARQUETTE — The Superior Watershed Partnership has deployed two four-person Great Lakes Conservation Corps crews to assist with disaster relief in Houghton and Keweenaw counties.
Both crews were on site within 24 hours of the flood event and will continue to assist for at least two weeks, possibly longer if funding allows, according to a press release.
“I never thought a disaster would happen like this in the U.P.,” Braxton Hjelle, GLCC crew leader, said in the release. “Our crews have worked in some challenging sites, but nothing like this. The storm impacts are simply astounding.”
GLCC crews are assisting with all aspects of disaster relief including but not limited to: debris removal, erosion control, road closure projects, site assessments, stream inventories and building cleanup. GLCC crews are assisting families and the elderly with debris removal, home cleanup and site stabilization.
Crews are also assisting Houghton County Emergency Management, the Houghton County Road Commission, the cities of Houghton and Hancock, and local townships.
According to Houghton County Emergency Manager Chris Van Arsdale, this was a 1,000-year storm event.
Hjelle’s crews were on site early Monday morning.
“The GLCC is a local program,” he said. “The men and women of the GLCC are proud to be among the first to assist these local communities.”
Local, state and federal coordinators have requested additional assistance and the SWP is planning to send additional GLCC crews soon.
The SWP, in cooperation with Partners for Watershed Restoration and the Ottawa National Forest, are providing funding to cover current GLCC crew costs for related disaster relief. Eventually, after community and residential disaster relief priorities have been addressed, the SWP and GLCC crews will also assist with comprehensive stream inventories to evaluate and prioritize future erosion control, habitat restoration and riparian buffer restoration projects.
Since 2000, GLCC crews have worked across jurisdictional boundaries in all 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula to implement hands-on conservation and restoration projects within three Great Lakes watersheds — Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior. GLCC crews are equipped with trucks, tools, safety equipment and camping gear for overnight stays at remote sites if needed.
All crew members wear uniforms and receive Red Cross first aid along with other project-specific training prior to each field season.
GLCC crews are experienced in a wide range of conservation and community projects including, but not limited to, stream restoration, erosion control, habitat restoration, environmental monitoring, trail building, public access improvements and disaster relief.
The SWP is a Great Lakes nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the rivers, watershed and coastal areas of the U.P.