Conservation News

The WCCD has a transplanter that can plant up to 300 seedlings / hour! Soil conditions in fall are often the best for tree survival. The transplanter is on a trailer with a license plate allows easier transport on roads.

Michigan has an estimated 1.3 million septic systems serving roughly half of its population, and over 20% of them may be failing. Michigan is the only state lacking a statewide code regulating septic systems.

SepticSmart Week aims to encourage homeowners to properly use and maintain their systems. WCCD staff are currently working on an education project aiming to educate residents of the Ottawa-Stony North Watershed on how to reduce pollution risks from their septic systems.

Want to give your input on the work we do at WCCD? Want to help shape the direction of our Farmer Programs and conservation within the county? Then volunteer and join WCCD’s Farmer Committee. For over 78 years WCCD has been working with county landowners and producers in conserving our natural resources and farmers have been as a part of our leadership every step of the way.

In August 2026, the Washtenaw County Conservation District hosted an expanded field day, focused on regenerative farming practices. The event focused on soil health, and encouraged networking, education, and peer to peer conversations.

Joy brings more than 20 years of public sector and nonprofit leadership experience, most recently as Chief Mission Officer at Austin Parks Foundation, and relocated to Washtenaw County to be closer to family.

A new project to address water quality is here and being implemented.

Ten first-generation farmers (those who did not grow up on or inherit a family farm) will be matched with experienced mentors for one-on-one guidance tailored to their farming goals. Learn more and apply!

Shopping is open for Native Plants including bare-root conifers, garden kits, wildflowers, & potted trees & shrubs. All can be pre-ordered now for pick-up on 8/25 at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. Many discounts are provided by partners: MDNR Forest to MI Faucet, and City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability & Innovations.

MDARD awarded a Regenerative Farmer Network Grant (RFNG) to the newly formed, farmer-led Washtenaw Agroecology Network. WCCD is serving as the collaborator of the new network, which consists of Michigan row crop farmers with between several hundred to over a thousand acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat, and is providing expanded soil testing.