Maple River

Winding through Emmet and Charlevoix Counties before flowing into Burt Lake, the Maple River is defined by cold groundwater inputs, expansive wetlands, and some of the most intact trout habitat remaining in Northern Michigan. Widely recognized for its exceptional water quality and coldwater fishery, the watershed supports native brook trout along with healthy populations of brown and rainbow trout, while also providing important habitat for migratory fish species connected to the Inland Waterway system. The Maple River is also unique within Conservation Resource Alliance’s service region as the organization’s only watershed that ultimately drains into the Lake Huron basin through Michigan’s Inland Waterway.

Since 1999, Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) and project partners have worked across the watershed to reconnect fragmented habitat and restore the river’s natural function. What began as individual restoration projects evolved into a long-term, watershed-scale effort that included the removal of the Lake Kathleen Dam, replacement of failing road-stream crossings, and extensive in-stream habitat restoration. In 2024, that work was highlighted through the publication The Maple: A River Freed, documenting more than two decades of collaborative restoration across the watershed. Today, more than 55 miles of the Maple River system flow freely to Burt Lake and beyond, and the watershed is now part of ongoing efforts to reintroduce Arctic grayling to Michigan for the first time in nearly a century.