Tuesday environment briefs: Got something to offer a farmer? Meet your match at upcoming job fair

Posted on Tue, Apr 6, 2010 : 8 a.m.

In a push to grow the local food system and match job seekers with employers, there will be a farm-themed career day and job fair scheduled at Washtenaw Community College.

The event, called a Small Holder Farm Career Day and Job Fair, is meant to attract farmers looking for skills from Web site creation book keeping and food safety coordination to welding, machine repair or field labor, among other things.

The job fair will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Morris Lawrence Building, at 4800 E. Huron River Dr., on Monday, April 19.

Before the fair, there will be a few panel events including Hiring 101 for farmers at 1 p.m. and information about what a person needs to know to work on a farm at 2 p.m.

For more information, contact Victoria Bennett at 734-973-3364.

Who wants to look for bugs?

The Huron River RoundUp is around the corner and the Huron River Watershed Council is looking for volunteers who can look for river bugs to measure water quality.

As part of the event, volunteers will be trained by a leader to search through rocks, leaves and sand to find bugs that indicate the health of the river. Volunteers meet in Ann Arbor and carpool to two different sites.

It will begin at either 8:45 a.m. or 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 24. Volunteers must register by April 6 to be placed on a team.

The event is free. For more information, visit http://www.hrwc.org/

U-M graduate student teams win for sustainability

An idea for getting a device to the developing world that could produce light by combusting waste is among one of the University of Michigan graduate student teams to be awarded a $10,000 sustainability awards from Dow, it was announced today.

Teams were asked to come up with the most innovative ideas for addressing sustainability issues for the 2010 Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge. Among other winning ideas included a business model to more effectively distribute water rollers to improve access to water in the developing world and a software company that would help lower the cost of installed photovoltaic technology systems.

"We are honored to be taking part in this unique program," said Don Scavia, director of the Graham Institute and special counsel to the U-M president on sustainability in a release. "Wwe're very proud to represent an educational institution that spurs such innovative thinking toward sustainability solutions."

Conservation easement in Scio Township purchased

Scio Township purchased a conservation easement on 38 acres off of Marshall Road west of Zeeb Road.

The property is owned by Dan and Norma Green who were interested in turning their land into a township park, it was announced by the township. The property has a trail network through mature woods and old fields. The project allows public access to the Green property, however visitors are encouraged to contact the Greens before using the property at 734-663-4968. Access is prohibited during all firearms seasons.

For more information about land preservation in Scio Township, call 734-223-2321.

Have local environmental news or events you want to share? Conrtact Tina Reed at AnnArbor.com at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.