The Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS) is a collaboration of Calvin faculty, staff and students in addition to churches, schools and community partners working to restore the health and beauty of the Plaster Creek Watershed in west Michigan.

PCS has received two grants, one for $629,178 from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and another for $178,837 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Since 2011, PCS has received nearly $3 million in grants.

The newest MDEQ grant supports all three PCS areas of focus, including education, research and restoration at three sites. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant will involve a partnership with Grand Rapids Christian High School in restoring wetlands at Indian Trails Golf Course in Grand Rapids.

“Our mission is not just to clean up a creek. If that was true, we could get it all cleaned up and leave. But if behaviors don’t change, it will become degraded again,” said Dave Warners, professor of biology. “The key is to address the relationship, get people to care for the creek and start to develop an affection for it.”