Pere Marquette Watershed | Baldwin River Tributary
Construction wrapped late last year on a long-standing barrier along North Cole Creek, a cold-water tributary to the Baldwin River in the Pere Marquette watershed. The project replaced three undersized and perched culverts with a channel-spanning timber bridge, restoring the creek’s natural flow and reconnecting more than three miles of high-quality upstream habitat.
The former culverts restricted fish passage, created excessive water velocity, and trapped sediment upstream. As a result, juvenile trout and salmon, along with other native species such as sculpin, dace, and white sucker, were unable to reach important spawning and refuge areas near the creek’s headwaters.
Site conditions revealed deep organic soils, making a bridge the most effective and durable solution. By fully spanning the stream channel, the new structure allows water, sediment, nutrients, and aquatic organisms to move freely, restoring natural stream processes and fish passage.
With the barrier removed, North Cole Creek once again functions as a fully connected cold-water stream. This project complements ongoing dam removal and restoration work on the Baldwin River mainstem and helps advance broader watershed efforts to restore full, bi-directional fish passage.
In addition to ecological benefits, the project provides lasting value to Lake County’s recreation economy. The Baldwin and Pere Marquette rivers are nationally recognized fishing destinations, and improved access to high-quality habitat supports healthy wild fish populations and local businesses. The before-and-after transformation at North Cole Creek shows how well-designed infrastructure can strengthen rivers while supporting the communities that depend on them.
Before Photos — Swipe to See More
After Photos — Swipe to See the Transformation
Project Partners & Funders
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians | Michigan Department of Natural Resources – America the Beautiful Challenge Program | Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Habitat Grant Program | National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Sustain Our Great Lakes Program | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration Act | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fish Passage Program | Lake County Road Commission | Krenn Timber Bridge | John Henry Excavating, Inc. | Spicer Group
With support from River Care Funders: Packaging Corporation of America | DTE Foundation | Serra Family Foundation | Andrew R. and Janet F. Miller Foundation | Walters Family Foundation | The Brookby Foundation | Bell’s Brewery