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New map charts wildlife, trash and more along the St. Joseph River

A man in an orange shirt and orange safety vest paddles in a yellow kayak (the paddle is yellow too) on the river. The water looks calm. There is a covered red bridge in the distance.
Dan Robinson
/
WMUK
Doug McLaughlin on the St. Joseph River near Covered Bridge Farm Park in St. Joseph County, in May 2022.

A survey team traveled the length of the river, taking notes and recording videos.

On a mild spring evening, water quality scientist Doug McLaughlin slips his kayak into the St. Joseph River near Mendon. He is revisiting familiar territory.

McLaughlin is now the executive director of the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council. But previously, he worked with St. Joseph County Conservation District staff to inventory invasive species in the river. As they traveled its length, beginning in August of 2020, the team also checked out native wildlife.

“We made note of turtles and snakes, of birds that we saw, fish,” McLaughlin said. “We made a number of different kinds of notes of habitat, things that are important to fish. We made note of waters that were shallow or deeper.”

McLaughlin and the conservation district staff even charted the locations of large pieces of trash in the water – things like barrels and shopping carts.

The team then created an online map. Users can click on pins to find observations on habitat, water quality, and features like bridges and dams. They can even watch videos the survey team took along the way. (One, shot underwater near the Indiana border, shows a feathery patch of the invasive plant starry stonewort.)

McLaughlin said the inventory is a resource for conservationists, boaters, anglers and other enthusiasts.

“The river has so much to offer, that being able to find ways, new ways, to work together for the long-term stewardship of the river is a priority,” he said.