(a message from Founder Al Smith)
This is not why the Good Lord put these rivers in our custody and I did not want to have to explain to Him why some people were treating the river this way. So I thought someone should do something about it. She has been a good friend to many who have grown up along her banks; and you would be surprised how many letters I receive from individuals sharing fond memories of the "Ole St. Joe"; and they are delighted that something is being done to preserve her. We only get out of this world what we put into it. So we had better take care of what we have. We only get one chance, and there are no more rivers being created.
Our St. Joe River has a watershed that encompasses several counties in both Michigan and Indiana and drains some 4,600 square miles of our wetlands as she meanders down her 210 mile path to Lake Michigan. There are many communities that have been forming their own groups locally to clean their stretch of the river and all we are attempting to do is to bring all of these small groups together into one organization so we can concentrate on working together towards the same goal. That is why I started the "Friends of the St. Joe River Association, Inc."
We are incorporated with the State of Michigan as a non profit organization and have our 501(c)(3) tax exempt status with the IRS. This organization was started in 1994. We have installed 29 "Chapters" thus far, from Hillsdale to Lake Michigan and will need more as we go along. Each chapter is headed up by a "Chair-person" whose duty is to form a group of local dedicated citizens to join together each spring and also sometimes in the fall, to clean and monitor their assigned stretch of river. Each stretch linking up with those on either side of them to form a chain so that every foot of river is covered for the complete 210 miles. The Chair-persons are considered the "Back-Bone" of this organization. They are the persons that have stepped forward to say "Yes, I will take over this section of the river, and clean it up!" They are the individuals that pull it all together!
The people making up these "Chapters" are from all walks of life. We have Attorneys, Doctors, Engineers, retirees from factories and farms. Everyone is concerned about our river water.
The Friends of the St. Joe River Association has been funded by local community foundations in Michigan, namely: Berrien Community Foundation, Branch County Community Foundation, Hillsdale County Community Foundation, The Sturgis Foundation, The Fredrick S. Upton Foundation of St. Joseph, MI and the Evergreene Foundation of Three Rivers, MI. We would also like to acknowledge generous annual donations from American Electric Power Company. The interest and support that has been provided in the form of donations by Northern Indiana Public Service Company, individuals from both states and various service organizations has been much appreciated. Were it not for the above mentioned organizations that believed in us when we were in the planning and organizational phase, The Friends of the St. Joe River Association would not be where it is today. To them, we are ever so grateful. If any other funding organizations, companies, or individuals in either Michigan or Indiana feel they would like to offer their assistance, please contact any member of our organization, or our business office.
I recently read an article concerning various groups working on different aspects of cleaning a watershed in the Detroit area. The drain commissioner stated: "We have a problem here--there are 47 different communities all dancing to different tunes". That pretty well sums it up. What we are attempting to do is pull the various communities together so we can all dance to the same tune, and this is being accomplished through the Friends of the St. Joe River Association, Inc."
Join Us! I can't begin to tell you how very proud I am of the people working in all of our chapters and within the organization as a whole. Every organization should be as fortunate as we are to have the same type of dedicated volunteers. We all owe them a great debt of gratitude. So as you view our web site, please tell others about what we are doing and how to access our web site so they too can learn more about the Friends organization. We welcome everyone!
To support the issues which concern the welfare of the St. Joseph River:
The conservation of the water supply in the river and its watershed, the maintenance of the water quality of the river, evaluation of hydrological data of the river and its tributaries so that decisions and actions of the corporation may be conducive to the betterment of the river and to operate exclusively for education, historical, charitable, and scientific purposes.
St. Joe River.net
Watershed Management Planning Project