A group that wants to protect Manitowoc County’s water that drains into Lake Michigan and other water bodies has formed.
The creation of the Seven Rivers Soil Cooperative was formed by President Michael Slattery to help slow phosphates in farmland from getting into water bodies, improve soil, and help stop mitigate carbon emissions from affecting climate change.
He says it starts with having more plants that absorb greenhouse gases like carbon.
He explained to Seehafer News that “The more organic matter you have on your ground, even through the winter season, when either you plant life is dormant or nothing is growing, the more you deter from wind and water erosion, your phosphate which are really in your upper levels of soil or on top of the ground, the more you deter that runoff.”
So far, there are ten people in the group that have put in several thousand dollars into the cooperative.
They also applied for the DATCP matching grant and were accepted.
“Different groups applied for $1.6 million but DATCP only had $1 million to distribute,” Slattery noted. “There were only two of the applicants that got what was fully applied for so we’re one of them.”
He says nine of the members are under the age of 35, which is impressive to him because they want to do something about climate change.
He says the group should be fully formed and ready by the beginning of 2024.
More information about the group can be found by contacting Slattery at w_michael_slattery@hotmail.com .
