The FotSJR assists partners with education and outreach efforts related to watershed projects. 

• St. Joseph River Inventory 2020-2021 - Observations Map

  This map (click the title above to link to the map) was created to help share some of the many observations of invasive species and other environmental conditions and features found while kayaking along the main channel of the St. Joseph River as part of a project conducted by the St. Joseph County (Michigan) Conservation District and the Southern Michigan Invasive Species Team beginning in August 2020. The project team kayaked, captured video, and took water quality measurements over the length of the St. Joseph River, a distance of 206 miles from the headwaters in Hillsdale, Michigan to the river mouth at St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Michigan. The goal of the project, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, was to conduct an inventory of invasive plant and animal species and related environmental factors to help three regional Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs) in their efforts to protect native habitats, native biodiversity, and water quality in the St. Joseph River watershed. Additional funding was received from the Friends of the St. Joseph River, and in-kind support was provided by WaterWays|SEM, L3C.

  The types of observations made and mapped include aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, birds and other wildlife, excessive algae growth, wooded floodplains and wetlands, eroding river banks, important fish and wildlife habitat features, old bridges and other structures, accumulated trash and other debris, stormwater and wastewater discharges, and water quality including water clarity, dissolved oxygen, water temperature and specific conductance. The map also includes links to several short video segments obtained during the inventory. Several videos provide interactive 360 degree river views. These links offer a first-hand virtual look at the river as it was observed during the project. Follow this link to view the St. Joseph River from Niles, Michigan, downstream to where the river empties into Lake Michigan at St. Joseph, Michigan (courtesy of earthviews.com). The project team hopes that sharing this information will help inform and inspire continued efforts throughout the watershed to learn about, protect, and restore this remarkable river.

• "A St. Joseph River Inventory" - Use this link to see this feature article (about the project described above) as found in The Michigan Riparian magazine (Winter 2022 edition). The magazine publisher's link [for the Michigan Lakes & Streams Association (MLSA)] is: https://mymlsa.org/
  

• St. Joseph River Wetland Partnership - Established a bi-state Wetland Coalition and media campaign to increase and prioritize wetland restoration and protection efforts in the St. Joseph River Watershed.  More information on this project is available here.

• Reducing the Impacts of Road Stream Crossings & Dams in the St. Joseph River Watershed - Assisted the Potawatomi RC&D in gathering local information about fish migration barriers and hosted a workshop on the results of the prioritization process. An inventory of large barriers (i.e. dams) has been completed for the entire watershed. The final report is meant to provide guidance and justification for the funding of barrier removal projects and passage studies by local partners. The final report for the St. Joseph River Watershed Fish Migration Barrier Inventory and the workshop presentations are available.
  
  
• Hodunk-Messenger Chain of Lakes Watershed Implementation Project - Assisted the Branch County Conservation District with stream monitoring.

• Prairie River Watershed Management Planning Project - Assisted the Branch County Conservation District with Watershed Management Planning.

• Stormwater Management Education Project - Assisted the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission with workshops related to lawn care practices and landscaping for water quality.

• Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) in SE Lake Michigan WS - Assisted the Calhoun County Conservation District with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) AWEP implementation.