Educators Explore Forest, Water Connections at First LHF School
On Feb. 2, partners of the Lake Huron Forever (LHF) initiative welcomed educators from across Northern Michigan to Alcona Community Schools — the first Lake Huron Forever School — to explore the link between healthy forests and water quality and to learn ways they can help their students understand this deep connection.
The Lake Huron Watershed is the largest of all five Great Lakes, encompassing 51,700 square miles (134,000 square kilometers) of forests, lakes, streams, cities and farmland in Michigan and Ontario, all draining into Lake Huron. Watersheds with more forest cover make for better water quality than those with fewer trees, since forests act as natural filters by taking up rain and snowmelt through their roots, stabilizing soil and recharging groundwater. Protecting existing forests and planting new trees throughout the region are highly effective ways of improving Lake Huron’s water quality, and both strategies are being demonstrated by Alcona’s staff and students with the full support of the LHF initiative.
Last month’s “Healthy Forests Mean Healthy Waters” workshop was designed for public school and homeschool teachers interested in learning ways to make these connections and to help strengthen their place-based lessons for their students. More than a dozen educators joined staff of Huron Pines, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, who shared their expert knowledge and resources for a day of classroom and field instruction. Participating teachers earned continuing-education credits toward their professional development hours.
Throughout the day, educators explored the fundamentals of forest health and their connection to water quality, learned techniques for planting trees and managing school forests to benefit wildlife and plant communities, and practiced ways to engage their students in real-world environmental research and stewardship. That afternoon, participants enjoyed a snowy guided tour of the 43-acre school forest which serves as an outdoor classroom where students practice forest stewardship with tree plantings, wildlife monitoring and invasive species management.
Participants explore the Alcona Community School Forest.
Alcona Community Schools took the LHF Pledge in June 2025, committing to actions which protect Lake Huron’s water quality while empowering its students to become the next generation of community and conservation leaders. Along with caring for their school forest, students maintain a rain garden at nearby Harrisville Harbor, which captures and filters runoff while serving as a showpiece of native landscaping for their coastal community.
Read more: Alcona Community Schools Becomes First ‘Lake Huron Forever School’
“Our group of teachers were really interested in the portion of the day that focused on prescribed fire as a tool for forest management,” said Maddie Khuri, Community Educator for Huron Pines. “Our organization maintains an equipment trailer for conducting prescribed burns with our conservation partners and we are planning opportunities to make it available for student tours so they can explore the different tools and techniques we use to restore forest health with fire.”
This professional-development workshop was funded in part with a grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust in direct support of the school’s LHF pledge goals. Your next chance to learn with the Lake Huron Forever initiative will occur with the upcoming LHF Peer Learning Circle, slated for spring 2026. You can stay up to date with this opportunity and more by signing up for the Lake Huron Forever newsletter here.