ADRIAN — The River Raisin Watershed Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the health of the River Raisin and its watershed area, is marking a half-century of operation this year.

The watershed council is planning a 50th Anniversary Gala at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, in the Tobias Center at Adrian College. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are $50 per person. Supporters can also reserve a table of eight for $400. 

The River Raisin Watershed Council was formed in 1974 under the state of Michigan’s Local River Management Act and is governed by a board of directors appointed by member municipalities. 

The watershed council’s mission is to inspire behaviors that promote stewardship, improve water quality, and encourage public participation to protect, preserve and enhance the River Raisin Watershed. The council works with partners on various activities, including classroom and public education, outreach to farmers, water quality monitoring, volunteer cleanups, and encouraging recreation on the river. 

The River Raisin watershed covers about 1,072 square miles, including most of Lenawee County and parts of Jackson, Hillsdale, Monroe and Washtenaw counties in Michigan and Fulton County in Ohio. It includes the land surrounding the River Raisin and its tributaries, and also contains more than 400 lakes and ponds. It is one of the watersheds that drains into the Western Lake Erie Basin.

For more information or to reserve tickets for the River Raisin Watershed Council 50th Anniversary Gala, go to riverraisin.org/gala.