Bridgeport ... A Community Living and Growing Together

REGULAR Town Board Meeting: Wednesday, April 2, 2024 | Election Commission Agendas & Minutes | More Information: Agendas  , Minutes  , Schedules

Winter doldrums got you down? Make plans to plant a tree (or ten!) in your yard come spring to improve your local habitat. Trees are both beautiful and functional. They shade your house from scorching sun in the summer and block it from icy winds in the winter. A mature tree canopy can intercept 1600 gallons of rainwater per year; this is stormwater that may otherwise run off of roofs and streets, causing pollution to local water bodies. Trees improve air quality by catching dust in the air and provide valuable habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Winters can have a lot of snow, but in our mid-state region the thermometer can hit 45º in February or March. Although March can be the snowiest month of the year, it also marks the official start to spring. It brings the possibility of a few warm days. But it also means melting snow which produces muddy roads and soggy yards in the Saginaw Valley.

Unfortunately, the spring melt can wreak as much havoc on our local rivers, ponds and the Saginaw Bay as it does in our yards. That dirty snow which has sat for the last three or four months accumulating dust, trash, and other debris, will melt and carry its dirt and garbage down the street, gutters, ditches and into our local waterways.