The third – and final – visioning session to plot the restoration and future use of Sadony Bayou in White River Township is set for Dec. 4.
To register for the presentation, scheduled to start at 5 p.m. at the White Lake Community Library, 3900 White Lake Drive, contact makeitrightchemours@gmail.com or call Claire Schlaff at 231-670-2724.
The visioning process has been funded by a $10,000 grant from the Lois Ekstrand Fund, through the White Lake Community Fund and the Community Foundation for Muskegon County. It was awarded to the Muskegon County Environmental Coordinating Council (MCECC), fiscal sponsor for the Chemours Environmental Impact Committee (CEIC), which has been organizing and promoting the events.
CEIC has also been a party to a $36,711 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to the Muskegon Conservation District that funded a one-year evaluation of Sadony Bayou that concluded this fall.
CEIC is a group of White Lake-area citizens that formed in 2018 to continue the effort to clean up and conserve the 1,300-acre site of the former DuPont chemical-manufacturing plant in White River Township. In 2023 CEIC noted the need for restoration of nearby Sadony Bayou as a viable natural resource and reached out to Marty Holtgren, aquatic biologist and founder of Encompass Socio-ecological Consulting (ESC).
The visioning sessions have been presented by Holtgren and graphic designer Spencer High of Querkus Creative, aided by restoration specialists Melanie Manion, Stephanie Ogren, and Melanie Knapp.
During Session #3, summaries from the first two sessions will be presented, and participants will learn about the “vision” that is developing for Sadony Bayou and how to stay involved in the next steps of the restoration.
