Representatives from a Sturgis company, and a Kalamazoo County authority on macroinvertebrate, were recognized by the St. Joseph County Conservation District at its annual meeting Wednesday.
Kim Bush, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist for Abbott Nutrition, was on hand to accept the “River Stewardship Award.” Bush and Abbott’s 42-member “Green Team” last summer spent a day tackling a portion of the Portage River from Portage Lake in Mendon Township to Hoffman Road in Three Rivers.
Crews were staggered at various starting points to ensure the eight-miles-long stretch was covered from one end to the other.
Meanwhile, Denny Stelzer was acknowledged as the recipient of the “Macroinvertebrate Award.” Conservation district executive director Carolyn Grace said both Abbott and Stelzer were worthy recipients.
Grace said Stelzer has had a lifelong interest in macroinvertebrate and has been a valuable resource for the Centreville-based agency.
As for Abbott, Grace said last year was the first time a single company formed a team of volunteers to stage an exclusive cleanup day.