RIVERSIDE GRANT

To most people, words such as “wahoo,” “wafer ash,” “bladdernut” and “three-ridge mussel” don’t have much meaning. To someone from an organization such as Michigan State University’s Michigan Natural Features Inventory, those words stand out. They catch the attention of ecologists who know them as flora and fauna not available just anywhere.

Wafer ash, pawpaw, bladdernut and more are all found in and around Morenci’s Riverside Natural Area.

Most local residents don’t know these samples of trees and aquatic life. They might stroll right by them on a hike along Bean Creek and never become aware of their existence.

More likely than that, they’ll never make the stroll along the creek. Morenci’s city council had the wisdom last year to recognize the unique features of Riverside and reaffirm its support of “natural area” status. Now, through the leadership of the Bean-Tiffin Watershed Coalition, Riverside’s

beauty might become better known. The plants and animals that cause raised eyebrows to an ecologist in Lansing could become familiar to more of the public in this area.

City council’s support last week was essential in the Coalition’s attempt to obtain a federal grant for educational efforts at the park. Likewise, the added backing from various other agencies and organizations makes an enormous difference in the chances of winning a grant.

The Coalition was successful in obtaining a grant two years ago that brought students in Addison, Hudson and Morenci to the banks of the Bean to study aquatic life and write about their experiences.

The new attempt, with the creation of a fi eld guide, would help bring “students” of all ages to Bean Creek and Riverside—the first and only publicly-protected natural area of the Bean Creek watershed in Lenawee County.