Milford, MI

Description: Earth Force partners with General Motors and the Leslie Science and Nature Center to engage Milford area youth in GREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network), in which young people develop into active citizens who improve conditions in their watersheds now and in the future.

Why We Are Here: Earth Force’s long standing partnership with General Motors prompted the GREEN program’s establishment in Milford, a small community established along the banks of the Huron River northwest of Detroit.

Milford is within the Huron River watershed, formed by glacial movements that defined the topography of the upper and lower basins that we recognize today. The 730 mile long upper basin stretches from the Huron River’s headwaters at Big Lake, through Milford in Oakland County southeast to the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti corridor. Land use within headwaters drainage area is mostly rural residential, with urban development at Walled Lake and Milford and a series of tributaries, lakes, and wetlands. There are two major lakes created by dams at Milford and Kensington MetroPark.

Major concerns within the watershed include groundwater contamination from sources like fertilizers and poorly functioning septic systems, runoff from development in expanding suburbs, dams and soil erosion.

Demographics: Milford Township:

Huron Valley School District - 22% of all students served are receiving free/reduced lunch

4.20%of families were below poverty level throughout Milford.

According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of Milford was:

• White: 98.18%

• Black or African American: 0.42%

• Native American: 0.69%

• Asian: 0.00%

• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.31%

• Some other race: 0.30%

• Two or more races: 0.00%

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 0.10%

Source: American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. "Milford, Michigan - ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2006-2008". Factfinder.census.gov. link. Retrieved 2010.

What We Are Doing: Our partner, General Motors, has had a presence in Milford for years, and through their support of the GREEN program Leslie Science and Nature Center has been able to develop programming in school districts throughout all the Milford 8th grades. For instance, Vaugn Smith, an 8th grade science teacher in Milford, has found the program to be beneficial for applying classroom lessons to the real world with GM environmental engineers like Jim Walters. Vaughn recently received the Chevrolet GREEN Educator Award for his outstanding work in bringing science to life through water monitoring. The Leslie Science and Nature Center is working to developing teacher trainings on the Protecting Our Watersheds Curriculum so that teachers like Vaughn can take the next step from water monitoring to action projects.

Earth Force History in this Community: Milford’s GREEN program began with a partnership between the Leslie Science and Nature Center, GM and Earth Force. GM’s Milford Proving Grounds contributes volunteer mentors for water monitoring, and funding for GREEN supplies and partner support.

Number of Youth: 846

Number of Educators: 10

Participating Partners: Leslie Science and Nature Center - http://www.lesliesnc.org/

General Motors – www.gm.com

Participating School Districts: Huron Valley School District - http://www.huronvalley.k12.mi.us/

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