Northern Great Lakes Water Stewards
Northern Great Lakes Water Stewards is a faith-based initiative to establish a collaborative partnership to monitor, protect, and sanctify the lakes and rivers of our Upper Peninsula.
October marks the beginning of our 3rd year in this 4-year interfaith environmental initiative to help protect, preserve and sanctify (with prayers and rituals) our Upper Michigan’s streams and lakes. This collaborative effort is, as the Buddhist priest who is working with us insightfully reminds us, about “deepening our consciousness and connection to the planet we call home.”
Jordan Matterella, a 2019 NMU graduate, serves as our coordinator.
Here’s a glimpse of the Initiative’s Benchmarks thus far:
- 38 columns written by 38 different writers for the Marquette Monthly on the “Gift of Water.” Edited by Paul Lehmberg
- A Facebook/Internet presence established.
- 8 Public Service Announcements written, recorded and distributed to area radio stations
- 7 congregational forums involving 127 persons
- 350 educational pamphlets distributed on the “Gift of Water.”
- 2250 Northern white cedar trees planted by 78 volunteers
- 6 community events (public gatherings / presentations)
- Establishment of a student chapter of Water Stewards at Northern Michigan University followed by a public presentation on the Flint Water Crisis
- Financial support sent to the interfaith community in Flint to help manage water distribution in for that contaminated municipal water supply.
- Support for a delegation that traveled to Standing Rock to support Native American Treaty rights and an ongoing to resistance for a proposed oil piple line that would impact that community’s water sources.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Jordan at jmattare@nmu.edu or call her at 231-709-3001
The Water Stewards strategic planning team can always use additional volunteers. Please let us know if you’re interested in knowing more. More community presentation and educational forums are being planned for the months ahead. Also the possibility of training water monitoring teams, based in parishes and congregations and serving as “watchdogs” across the Upper Peninsula will be under consideration.
