The Pine River, part of the Manistee River Watershed, is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. This cold-water system supports populations of wild brown, brook, and rainbow trout, all sustained through natural reproduction.

Conservation Resource Alliance and partners including the Michigan DNR – Fisheries Division, Michigan DEQ, Knoop Excavating and Four Seasons Nursery implemented several Best Management Practices to improve a key tributary.

As the largest tributary to the Manistee River below Tippy Dam, Bear Creek (Manistee County) is stream to appreciate and conserve. Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) has several active projects to improve fish habitat and reduce erosion in this watershed.

In 2011-2012, CRA and partners including the Bear Creek Watershed Council, Michigan DNR and Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club came together to install woody structures in stretches of the stream that lacked fish cover.

In 2013, CRA is working with the Michigan DNR through a $40,000 grant from the Michigan Habitat Improvement Fund and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership to further enhance aquatic habitat, reduce erosion and improve water quality.

By Todd Hogrefe, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The Sustain Our Great Lakes program announced $8.4 Million in grants for Great Lakes restoration. This public–private partnership is funding 29 projects enabling $16.2 million of on-the-ground impact in U.S. and Canada during the latest round of grant awards.

CRA recently received great news! We were awarded a grant through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Sustain Our Great Lakes program for work on the Betsie and Platte rivers to restore aquatic connectivity and improve in-stream habitat.