April 23, 2010
Upper Manistee Protection & Restoration Project

The North Branch of the Manistee River is a cold, groundwater-fed tributary to the Manistee River and is a state designated Natural River. It has a naturally reproducing population of brook trout small brown trout population. The new world record brown trout was caught from the Manistee River in September 2009. The riparian corridor surrounding this river functions as an important regional wildlife corridor and is buffered by thousands of acres of state owned land. These ecological hot spots are threatened and degraded by impacts at the Mecum Road crossing of the North Branch and the abandoned Flowing Well Trout Farm, a 1720 acre property recently acquired by the State of Michigan. Poorly managed private parcels in this corridor also contribute to the degradation of water and upland habitat in the area. Through this project, CRA will coordinate the replacement of the existing Mecum Road crossing with a new Timber Bridge structure and the complete restoration of the Flowing Wells Trout Farm for fish passage and habitat improvement.
Implementing the above activities will restore and open up approximately 14 miles of tributary upstream of Mecum Road for fish passage and improve approximately 4 miles of downstream habitat to the confluence of the main stem of the Manistee River. The stream will no longer be impounded, sand and sediment will be transported naturally, stream temperatures will recover, stream habitat recovers, and wild brook trout will be able to return to a reach that has been segmented for approximately 40 years. The North Branch of the Manistee River is an unstocked trout stream with a self sustaining population of brook trout. This project will benefit the wild brook trout and the anglers that pursue them by restoring proper stream function to this reach. This project will also improve the overall ecological health of the riparian corridor by working on habitat improvement and water quality protection with the relatively few private landowners along the North Branch and its tributaries. It is estimated that this project will work directly with 10-30 private landowners owning 1675-3000 acres of riparian habitat. A conservative estimate of the results of this collaboration is 15 acres of invasive species removed, 3 streambanks stabilized, 8 sustainable forestry projects implemented on 300 acres, and 60 acres of native trees and shrubs planted.