MID-MICHIGAN Peer Group for Soil Erosion Professionals

I am working with Joe LaGrow, from Price and Company, to set up a Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control peer group here in Mid-Michigan. I have tentatively called it the Mid-Michigan Soil Erosion Group (MiMISEG). If you found this page, then I would call you a professional just due to your interest in soil erosion. Everyone is welcome.

Our first (organizational) meeting will be held on

Thursday, February 22, 2007

At

2:00pm

In the basement of the

Eaton County Farm Services Building
551 Courthouse Drive
Charlotte, MI 48813

At this meeting, we will review some organizational material, set up a small temporary board, and start planning a Field Day for this summer. Bring your ideas of what you and others might need to see.

RSVP (517) 543-3886
kkalmbach@eatoncounty.org

Sincerely,
Kevin J. Kalmbach
Soil Erosion Engineer

Conquest of the Land through 7000 years

A wonderful personal report by Dr. Walter Clay Lowdermilk detailing historical soil erosion over the history of the world has been re-published by the USDA. See this link

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ecs/agecol/conquest.html

He covers soil erosion from the beginnings of post-flood civilization in Mesopotamia to current (1930's) catastrophes such as the Dust Bowl . He ends the paper with the "Eleventh Commandment"

Thou shalt inherit the Holy Earth as a faithful steward, conserving its resources and productivity from generation to generation. Thou shalt safeguard thy fields from soil erosion, thy living waters from drying up, thy forests from desolation, and protect thy hills from overgrazing by thy herds, that thy descendants may have abundance forever. If any shall fail in this stewardship of the land thy fruitful fields shall become sterile stony ground and wasting gullies, and thy descendants shall decrease and live in poverty or perish from off the face of the earth.

Seeding requirements for Michigan

I have recently been asked what requirements there are for achieving final stabilization (seed or sod or other final landscaping). The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Land and Water Management Div. Rule 323.1709 states that

(5) A person shall complete permanent soil erosion control measures for all slopes, channels, ditches, or any disturbed land area within 5 calendar days after final grading or the final earth change has been completed. If it is not possible to permanently stabilize a disturbed area after an earth change has been completed or if significant earth change activity ceases, then a person shall maintain temporary soil erosion and sedimentation control measures until permanent soil erosion control measures are in place and the area is stabilized.

This portion of the rules applies to all earth disturbances. The area of the rule that states "If it is not possible..." means that conditions beyond the control of the contractor and owner. Excuses that are not valid include (but I hear a new one every day)

• My Landscaper told me it was better to plant my grass in August.
• Its not in my contract.
• The Landscaper wants to do 5 homes at once to make it worth him coming all the way over here.
• I don't have the money for grass seed, my gold plated kitchen used up all the discretionary funds.
• My Realtor told me ...?
• I've been building for 20 years and never had to do that!

Rain, snow, or the lack thereof is more than a good excuse. I will be the first to back you on weather related delays. Now, here's the kicker, its January 5 and I just picked a plate full of fresh broccoli from my garden. Now is a great time to be out working and seeding lawns (dormant seeding).