The GLFT recently approved four proposals for funding through its 2024 Habitat Protection and Restoration program. These projects, which total $715,000, will restore fish passage by removing barriers along rivers.
Summaries of the projects are below.
Funding Awards for 2024 Habitat Protection and Restoration Proposals
Trout Unlimited FOR Restoring Fish Passage on Claybank Creek
Trout Unlimited and its partners will replace a culvert on Claybank Creek and Pine Creek Road in Manistee County, Michigan. The current culvert is undersized relative to the natural stream channel dimensions, inhibits aquatic organism passage, and disrupts natural ecological processes.
Conservation resource alliance FOR Baldwin Dam Removal Final Design and Permitting Phase
Conservation Resource Alliance and its partners will work with an engineering team to design and acquire permits for removal of the infrastructure of a deteriorating dam and former fish farm on the Baldwin River. This effort aims to restore a healthy stream channel, reconstruct the nearby railroad trail bridge, and install a seasonal sea lamprey barrier.
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay FOR Mitchell Creek Railroad Crossing Replacement Project
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay and its partners will replace an undersized railroad crossing culvert on Mitchell Creek to restore natural stream function and improve fish passage. Efforts will focus on replacing the culvert to maintain proper stream dimensions and sediment transport mechanisms, thus improving natural stream function and in-stream habitat.
Conservation Resource Alliance FOR Crystal River Fish Passage and Restoration Project
Conservation Resource Alliance and its partners will increase fish passage and restore access to spawning and tributary habitats along the Crystal River in Leelanau County. The plan includes replacing three undersized culverts with three new bridges along the river.