Friends of Buck Creek (FoBC) is a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore the health of the Buck Creek Watershed through community education, hands-on stewardship, monitoring and local advocacy. Buck Creek is a rare cold-water, urban trout stream that flows through Grandville, Wyoming, Kentwood, and other communities, and is a tributary to the Grand River.
FoBC organizes multiple volunteer events each year to help preserve the creek by removing invasive species, planting native perennials and trees, and cleaning up trash. The annual cleanup each summer (now in its 13th year) is their most enduring event, with trash in the creek being the original concern that led to the formation of FoBC. Attendance for the cleanup has grown over the years, with over 100 volunteers attending the last several cleanups each August. The earliest cleanup events focused on downstream sections of the creek in Grandville and Wyoming through their partnership with Schrems West Michigan Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Friends of Buck Creek is working to expand upstream and target sections of the creek in Kentwood, Byron, and Gaines that have not been cleaned before.
FoBC also participates in various community events, particularly within the City of Grandville, where the group has attended the Fourth of July parade, Vintage Fest, and multiple events organized by the Grandville Environmental Sustainability Committee. At these events, the group educates the public about challenges and solutions to creek health, empowers community members to better steward the creek, and offers opportunities to become more involved with conservation.
FoBC helps educate the community by also working with local schools such as Oakestown Intermediate to teach creek stewardship. Additionally, Friends of Buck Creek maintains a creek monitor that actively broadcasts water quality data to the community, by installing native plantings and raingardens to reduce stormwater runoff, and by presenting their goals and activities to local city councils and township trustees.
Anyone interested in becoming involved with FoBC can visit the organization’s website at mibuckcreek.org, follow them on social media, or email the group at mibuckcreek@gmail.com and ask to be added to the mailing list.
West Michigan Conservation Network 