Help us buy a new (used) truck!
Thank you to everyone who has made a donation so far! We still have a few gifts leftover to give, so we’ve decided to extend our donation campaign for ONE MORE WEEK to help us get closer to our final goal! Gifts will be available to receive from donations until 4:30 on September 6th.
Back in late June, a storm boasting 80 mph straight-line winds took out an oak tree near our parking lot which sadly landed directly onto three of our District trucks. While two of the trucks were repairable, our old Ford Ranger took the brunt of the blow and was totaled. Unfortunately the amount we received through insurance does not cover the price of a new used truck.
We need your help!
These trucks help our staff complete vital natural resource services throughout Ottawa County and beyond. The OCD houses two invasive species field crews totaling 8 staff who use our trucks daily to provide invasive species management services to treat Hemlock trees against invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and manage a variety of terrestrial and aquatic invasive plants. Our Agricultural and Watershed Staff utilize the trucks to conduct site visits, verify conservation practices, enroll landowners into our cost share programs, conduct water quality monitoring, and host educational workshops.
Our goal is to raise $15,000 to purchase a used truck in good working condition to both keep our staff safe and continue our mission of providing natural resource managment services to Ottawa County residents and beyond. Without your help, our services could be delayed or event halted.
Please consider making a donation to the Ottawa Conservation District to help us achieve our fundraising goals and purchase a safe and reliable field truck. Not only does your donation support our local boots-on-the-ground conservation work, but you’ll be eligible to recieve a gift in return as well! We have limited stocks of our gifts so check out the donation tiers below and make your donation today!
- Tier 1 ($25): The first 100 people to donate $25 will recieve a voucher for a free 3″ native plant from our Fall Native Plant Sale on October 5th, 2024.
- Tier 2 ($50): The first 75 people to donate $50 will recieve a “Conservation Starts Here” t-shirt.
- Tier 3 ($125): The first 25 people to donate $125 will recieve a Rain Barrel and “Conservation Starts Here” t-shirt.
- Tier 4 ($250): The first 20 people to donate $250 will recieve a hand-crafted wood cutting board engraved with the “Conservation Starts Here” logo made by our very own Watershed Programs Coordinator, Ben Jordan PLUS a Rain Barrel, and “Conservation Starts Here” t-shirt and a native plant voucher.
- Tier 5 ($1,000): The first 4 people to donate $1,000 will recieve a “Conservation Starts Here” t-shirt and will be able to bring a friend along with our Watershed Programs Staff for a half day Fish Shocking and Macroinvertebrate Testing experience! You + a friend will learn one-on-one from our Watershed Programs Staff about how these biological surveys help us determine water qualtiy and will be able to assist us by netting up and identifying shocked fish and benthic macroinvertebrates (river bottom-dwelling bugs!). *Donators and their guests are not allowed to handle the backpack shockers themselves, but you’ll be right there with us catching the fish!*
Donate today at https://ottawacd.org/donate/