Know Your Watershed

Did you know...in order to understand your watershed,
it is necessary to know about natural communities?

A natural community is a complex interaction of the
landscape —rock and soils, and plant and animal
communities. Various types of habitat exist within a
watershed as a result of the soil varieties and rock
structures.

Historically, the dominant natural community on the
foundation of limestone, sandstone and shale in the
South Grand River watershed was prairie with oak
savannas and open woodlands present along and near
streams. With the loss of a large portion of this
habitat, many of the species dependent on it are in
serious decline. Because of the connection of
biological and geographical systems, many changes are
set in motion when habitat is altered or destroyed.
These changes ripple throughout the watershed and
impact the water resource all life depends on. Visit
www.southgrandwatershed.com to learn more about
natural communities and how you can help improve water
quality by protecting or restoring habitat.