Neighbor to Neighbor: Kyle Axtell
By Anne Damm

Kyle Axtell began working for the Benzie Conservation District last December, located in a small office on Benzie Boulevard in downtown Beulah, right next to the East Shore Market. He sure has the background for it: He has a Bachelor of Fisheries and Wildlife Management degree from Lake Superior University, interned for a summer with the Grand Traverse Conservation District and, while he was there, surveyed the Boardman River watershed checking for stream bank erosion—something that hadn’t been done in almost 15 years.

The survey covered 280 square miles of watershed; mostly, Kyle says, the problems he and his coworkers found were typical of “high-quality watersheds” like the Boardman—sedimentation. But he said work done to shore up eroding banks has held up remarkably well and serves to inspire his work in our county.

Anne: What is the Benzie Conservation District working on?
Kyle: Currently, we have grant funding made available through the Great Lakes Basin Program to help landowners install vegetated buffer strips that can minimize soil erosion from stream banks and lakeshores. These greenbelts along our waterways are very effective if implemented correctly. For example a green lawn cut at 3” down to the waters edge has a negative effect; soil erosion and nutrient runoff problems are a consequence. However, native grasses planted on stream banks grow much deeper root systems, 6-10 feet, and hold the stream banks well. These practices are encouraged.

Platte River and Platte Lake have phosphorous problems, which have somewhat improved since the DNR fish hatchery updated its practices. The greenbelt concept will be encouraged for managing the waters edge. Using native plants and grasses can help soak up phosphorous. A good practice in late fall or early winter is to cut down these grasses and take away the plant material which has absorbed the phosphorous. Also using lake water to water lawns and gardens near the lakeshore allows the earth to act as a natural filter as water returns to the lake.

The Herring Lakes have less sediment problems, but excess nitrogen and phosphorus are major concerns. There is a need to continue encouraging good agricultural practices and to educate landowners about minimizing the use of lawn fertilizers near surface waters.

The Betsie River Watershed has historically been managed by the Conservation Resource Alliance of Traverse City.  They have been a productive partner of the Benzie Conservation District and we look forward to continuing work with them in the future.

Anne: What services does your office provide?
Kyle: We do outreach work to educate the public on good practices in conserving our natural resources. One project is the Leave No Trace canoe trip, where students learn about environmental stewardship. This is coordinated by our office and the Benzie Fishery Coalition, National Park Service, and Riverside Canoes.  John Nickerson, a science teacher at Buckley High School, is a big supporter of this program. We work with other teachers like Raquel Huddleston of Benzie Central, who is doing water testing with her students at Herring Creek.

We have a recycling program that collects roughly 1,000 pounds of batteries annually. We also operate an inkjet cartridge and cell phone recycling fundraiser. These items are very toxic to the environment. Benzie County residents who participate in this program help the environment in two ways. First, they actively keep the items out of our landfills. Second, they financially support the Benzie Conservation District and its mission of promoting the responsible use of our natural resources.

Forestry Assistance is available to all Benzie County residents by our District Forester, Diane Hash. Diane can help landowners develop stewardship plans, forestry and wildlife management plans, as well as help with the diagnosis of tree pests and diseases. She coordinates our annual native seedling and perennial sales. We sell a few non-native plants that are not invasive, such as Red Cedar, which deer will typically avoid. The common White Cedar is one of their favorite foods, and can be difficult to keep from being eaten. We sell Rosa Rugosa, a hearty rosebush, hybrid fruit trees, and the Northland Blueberry. We are here to offer advice on planting native and non-invasive species, as well.

Anne: how is the organization structured?
Kyle: The Benzie Conservation District is a non-regulatory, local unit of state government. We also have 501(c)3 non-profit status. Diane Hash, our forester, is also our Executive Director. We have an elected board including Martin Smeltzer, Judy Webber, Ray Kadlec, Deb Lindgren and Brian Putney. They work at fundraising and finding sponsors, budget oversight, and other duties.

Anne: How are you funded?
Kyle: We are funded by annual grants from state and federal government, and private grants and donations. We used to receive annual funding from the county commission, but that was discontinued a few years back. We are one of only a few counties in the entire state that does not fund its conservation district. 

However, we are hoping to receive grant funding to work on four major road-stream crossings in the Platte River watershed that are in bad condition, including Haze Road, Pioneer Road, South Street, and Saffron Road. The Benzie County Road Commission is a major partner on this project.

Anne: What are your aspirations for the job if you can get needed funding?
Kyle: To provide more workshops on watershed projects throughout the county, encourage the public to not use fertilizers in and around our waterways and help create a good public understanding of watershed management. I am also very interested in getting funding to do a stream bank inventory like the very successful project on the Boardman River. We have never taken an inventory to evaluate this problem and create a plan to fix sites that are deteriorating. As a trained watershed manager, I see this as a priority for future environmental planning to protect our watersheds in Benzie County.

Anne: Thank you Kyle.
Kyle: Thank you for your interest. I’m available four days a week at the office and can be reached at kyleaxtell@charterinternet.com for any questions or concerns Benzie County residents may have about natural resource issues.

Anne Damm is the director of the Beulah Public Library. She is the Democratic candidate for Benzie County Commissioner in the 4th District. Reach her at annedamm@sbcglobal.net.