Looking Glass River Friends Care for Watershed

Portland is the city of two rivers, and while the Grand River often gets the most attention due to running through the middle of the city, the Looking Glass too has fans. In fact, the river which makes up the second part of Portland’s dynamic duo runs more than 70 miles from northeast Livingston county to where it joins the Grand River in Portland. Along the way the river runs through Shiawassee, Clinton, and Ionia counties.

For communities upriver, like Wacousta and Dewitt, the Looking Glass is “the river” in much the same way Portlanders talk about the Grand River. Over all those miles of meandering through farm fields and towns, the Looking Glass has gained a lot of friends who care for the waterway. One of those friends is Dane Vermeulen who took over leadership of the Friends of the Looking Glass River in 2020. Since 1990, the group has grown in its mission as a local non-profit environmental advocacy group centered on the Looking Glass watershed. “All the watersheds are connected,” says Vermeulen, “it's equally important to treat our river with the same level of care as we would one of the Great Lakes.”

Like the headwaters of a stream, the group’s efforts started gradually, with informal groups of members picking up trash while paddling their favorite stretches of the river. The group now organizes three major community clean up events a year in May, July, and August. In between, smaller groups of members participate in numerous smaller cleaning efforts including clearing fallen trees clearing the way for other paddlers to enjoy the river.

“We would love to have small groups of volunteers to help take ownership over their home stretches of the river,” says Vermeulen, “we desperately need help in the Portland area.” In addition to cleaning trash another way to help is to send GPS coordinates and photos of blockages and obstructions you come upon floating the river. According to Vermeulen, “getting residents involved is the best way to get local governments to step up and help improve the river as well.”

The Looking Glass is one the most significant tributaries of the Grand River which flows into Lake Michigan, says Vermeulen, “every time you paddle and pull a floating piece of trash from the water, it helps to keep our Great Lakes watershed healthier!”

The Friends of the Looking Glass has a Fall Colors River Float planned for Novembers 5. To learn more about this event and how to get involved in future clean up efforts, check out the groups website or follow them on Facebook.

PHOTO: Friends of the Looking Glass River