Boardman-Ottaway River

Flowing through Kalkaska and Grand Traverse Counties before emptying into Grand Traverse Bay, the Boardman-Ottaway River is one of Michigan’s premier coldwater river systems and among the state’s top trout fisheries. Originally known as the Ottaway River by the Anishinaabe people, the watershed is celebrated for its clear water, recreational opportunities, and ecological significance.

Over the past two decades, Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) has played a leading role in one of the Midwest’s most transformative river restoration efforts: the Boardman-Ottaway River Restoration Project. This landmark initiative removed three aging dams, restored more than 250 acres of wetlands and floodplain habitat, and reconnected over 160 miles of river and tributaries that had been fragmented for more than a century. Today, the Boardman-Ottaway stands as a national model for large-scale river restoration and collaborative conservation.