Help Turn Storm Damage Into Maple River Restoration

Project Overview

The next phase of restoration on the Maple River transforms one of Northern Michigan’s most destructive recent natural events into an opportunity for long-term ecological recovery. 

Following the devastating ice storm of March 2025, thousands of trees fell across Northern Michigan, damaging infrastructure, altering waterways, and leaving behind widespread debris throughout the region. Among the hardest-hit areas was the Maple River Valley in Emmet County. 

Additional flooding in April 2026 intensified conditions along the river corridor. Large debris jams redirected water into adjacent cedar lowlands, carving new flow paths around natural meander bends and accelerating erosion across vulnerable riverbanks and floodplains. 

After conducting drone flyovers and extensive field reconnaissance, CRA and project partners documented more than 50 major log jams fully spanning the river channel between Woodland Road and Brutus Road. These blockages now threaten river function, increase pressure on streambanks, and place nearby infrastructure at greater risk during future flood events. 

What was once a highly valued stretch of river for paddlers, anglers, and local residents has become increasingly difficult—and in some areas impossible—to navigate. 

Yet within this challenge lies a rare restoration opportunity. 

Turning Storm Damage Into Habitat Restoration 

Since the removal of Lake Kathleen Dam in 2018 and the replacement of the Woodland Road crossing, the Maple River has begun reclaiming natural ecological processes that were interrupted for more than a century. 

For the first time in generations, sediment, nutrients, and woody material are once again moving freely through the river system. 

Rather than removing fallen trees from the river corridor, CRA and its partners will strategically reposition select downed trees and reorganize debris accumulations to restore the type of large woody habitat historically found in Northern Michigan rivers before the logging era and widespread channel manipulation. 

Properly placed large wood plays a critical role in healthy river systems. These structures help: 

– Stabilize eroding banks  

– Redirect flow away from vulnerable infrastructure  

– Create deeper scour pools and riffles  

– Improve trout cover and spawning habitat  

– Increase aquatic biodiversity  

– Restore natural stream function and floodplain connectivity  

This work will enhance approximately three miles of the Maple River while improving habitat complexity for fish, aquatic insects, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals that depend on a functioning cold-water river ecosystem. 

The result is a stronger, more resilient Maple River—one better equipped to withstand future floods, support wildlife, and reconnect people to the river they love. 

Help Restore the Maple River 

CRA is now working to secure $100,000 in private donor support to help advance this critical phase of Maple River restoration. The broader restoration effort carries an estimated total project cost of $400,000, with significant momentum already underway through recently awarded funding and pending commitments. Thanks to support from several private foundations, individual contributions to this campaign will be matched up to $100,000—doubling the impact of every gift made toward restoring and safeguarding the Maple River.

This project represents more than habitat improvement. It is an investment in the long-term health, resilience, and accessibility of one of Northern Michigan’s most treasured river systems. Private support will help CRA and project partners restore navigability and recreational access, stabilize vulnerable riverbanks, protect nearby infrastructure from future erosion, rebuild critical trout and aquatic habitat, and advance long-term ecological recovery throughout the Maple River Valley.

The Maple River has always been a defining natural asset for Northern Michigan. Now, after unprecedented storm impacts, we have an opportunity to help shape its recovery for generations to come.

With your support, we can turn devastation into restoration.

Please consider making a gift today to help us reach our $100,000 matching goal and continue restoring the Maple River. When making your donation, please indicate “Maple River Habitat Improvement Project” in the notes section of the online giving portal to direct your gift toward this effort.

Projects like this are not possible without the help of our funders and partners. We’d like to send a special thank you to:

Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, Elevated Media LLC.