Conservation Resource Alliance is pleased to announce the addition of Kevin Gay to its Board of Directors. Kevin joins the Board following retirement from his role as Executive Vice President of Three Rivers Corporation in Midland, MI in 2015.

The Pere Marquette River Restoration Committee and partners are working to connect all of Sanborn Creek, a major tributary to the Pere Marquette River. Complete stream connectivity means the critters that live in and near the creek can travel from the headwaters to the confluence without major obstructions, such as undersized culverts or dams. To reach this goal, the committee will be helping organize a range of activities.

It’s amazing what you’ll find out there. Just ask David Mifsud or “Turtle Dave” who spent a week on the Boardman River doing a herpetological survey.

“We found some great stuff out there including a juvenile milk snake. It’s been dry which means our crew has to work a little harder but we got a great start,” he noted.

Reptiles and amphibians are very sensitive to environmental changes; they tell you a lot about what’s happening in the environment around them.

Last year, we reported the West Branch of the Maple River in Emmet County, Michigan was officially “free.” Water from the headwaters now flows unrestricted all the way to the confluence with the East Branch. To make this happen, CRA and partners replaced four road/stream crossings with appropriately sized structures including three timber bridges. We have our sights set next on the Maple River mainstem where Brutus Road crosses the river. We are breaking ground this year to replace these three culverts with a timber bridge.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has approved six Aquatic Habitat Grant Program projects totaling $1.25 million. This is the third round of projects since the program began in 2014. It is funded annually by a portion of fishing and hunting license sales. Traverse City based Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) has been awarded two of the grant awards from the current funding cycle, $430,000 for their Free Span the Maple River Initiative in Emmet County, and $200,000 for the Bridging the Jordan River Restoration Project in Antrim County.