Fall/Winter - Conservation Resource Alliance

Conservation Resource Alliance
FALL / WINTER 2014
From No Trespassing to a Red Carpet
Welcome – Custer Weir Now Open
If you visited the Custer Weir, just south of US 10, earlier this year, you would have been
greeted by no trespassing signs, tall fences and rusting equipment. It was a foreboding
and potentially dangerous site. Now, as a result of two very special grants, CRA and
partners removed the declining buildings and defunct lamprey barrier to create a
new, inviting, all access site to the Pere
Marquette River.
The new and improved site is the first
and only universally designed fishing
platforms and related amenities,
including a bathroom facility, docking
cleats, educational signage, river
access steps, additional parking and a
new boardwalk to safely connect the
fishing platforms to the boat launch,
on the Pere Marquette River. Watch
for a spring ribbon cutting at the site to
celebrate this great project. Details coming soon!
Special thanks to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and Great Lakes Fishery Trust
for leading the project funding. Also, big thanks to Custer Township, Mason-Lake
Conservation District, Michigan DEQ , Michigan DNR, Natural Resources Conservation
Service, OxyChem, Pere Marquette Watershed Council, Spicer Group, U.S. Forest
Service, Swidorski Brothers Excavating and the Village of Custer for their efforts.
New fishing platforms and updated features make Custer Weir the ideal place to enjoy the Pere Marquette.
www.rivercare.org
About CRA
Amy Beyer
Director
Sue Antaya
Accounting
Kimberly Balke
Biologist
Brandon Glowacki
Field Technician
Chris Pierce
Biologist
Casey Ressl
Annual Gifts Coordinator
Jill Rowley
Administrative Assistant
Matt Thomas
Development Coordinator
Diane VanderVeen
Contracted Chief Financial Officer
Nate Winkler
Biologist
In 1968, Conservation Resource Alliance
was established with one goal – to
preserve and protect northern Michigan’s
waterways, wildlife, and forests for future
generations. CRA is a private, not-for-profit
Staff Updates
We are pleased to
announce Brandon
Glowacki will be staying
on with CRA. Brandon
is a native of Traverse
City and started in
May as one of our
interns. As a graduate
of Central Michigan
University with a degree
in Environmental & Land Use Planning, Brandon
has a strong background in Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) and we’re eager to put him to work
on our private landowner programs and watershed
management efforts.
Thank you Mary
Applegate for serving
over 900 hours at CRA
this year! Mary joined
our team through the
Huron Pines AmeriCorps
program for six months.
While serving as a
restoration technician,
she inventoried
hundreds of road/stream crossings throughout
northern Michigan as well as participated in a
variety of environmental education events and
hands-on restoration activities. Mary’s service
allowed us to complete important projects and
offer environmental education services we wouldn’t
otherwise be able to do.
501(c)(3) organization. Through our River
Care™ and Wild Link™ programs, we restore
and protect over 700 miles of rivers, 5,000
miles of tributaries and diverse forests
throughout 4 million acres in 15 counties of
Northern Michigan.
We’ve been able to care for this region’s
natural resources because our partners and
supporters continue to be the backbone of
our organization. Thank you to all of our
members for supporting hands-on feetwet conservation. If you haven’t donated,
please join us as a supporting member.
Your commitment is critical to keep this
important work moving forward.
www.rivercare.org
Save the Date – The Boathouse
Wild Game Wine Dinner
The Boathouse restaurant on Old Mission Peninsula
is hosting a Michigan Wild Game Wine Dinner
on Saturday, February 7 and will donate $10 from
each meal to CRA. The cost is $65 per person and
the event will feature wine pairings for each course
from Bowers Harbor Vineyard, oils and vinegars
from Fustini’s, and venison from the Michigan
Venison Company.
We would love to fill the restaurant with CRA
friends, so please consider sharing this opportunity
with anyone you know that might be interested
in great dining for a great cause. Please make your
reservations directly with The Boathouse by calling
231-223-4030.
The Boardman: A River Reborn Update
Work to restore the Boardman River is rounding the next bend as the phase to remove Boardman Dam comes
into focus. CRA and the many partners that keep this project moving forward are pleased to report several
important milestones and exciting plans ahead.
This fall, the City of Traverse City and the
Implementation Team accepted a settlement
agreement with respect to the October 6, 2012
dewatering incident during the removal of the
Brown Bridge Dam. The total settlement award was
$300,000 to be paid by the contractor’s insurer. This
amount includes a sum of $180,000 for monitoring
and habitat work in the river.
CRA also announced several major funding awards
including $1.5 million through the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation’s Sustain Our Great Lakes
Program, $25,000 from Rotary Charities, $400,000
from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust, $100,000 from
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Basin
Fish Habitat Partnership and $500,000 from the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife
Restoration Act.
Engineers collect geotechnical data for the dam removal and
Cass Road Bridge designs.
Next year will bring changes at Cass Road Bridge and Boardman Dam. Construction of the new bridge
will take place first, potentially beginning in 2015, with removal of the dam to follow. The team is actively
working to raise the balance of funding, including important match dollars for the recent grant awards.
Thank you for your continued support and interest in this exciting project, and don’t hesitate to call us if you
have questions!
Protecting Beaver Island’s Biodiversity
Defending Beaver Island’s diverse native flora and fauna from invasive species is paramount to the
island’s future. That’s why CRA and partners recently concluded treatment of several invasive plants
including phragmites, reed canary grass, firstyear marsh thistle, autumn olive, honeysuckle,
multiflora rose and oriental bittersweet. The work
was concentrated on the island’s Great Lakes
shoreline as well as inland properties.
Invasive phragmites treatment totaled over six
acres around the island’s entire shoreline. Areas
of native phragmites were also noted and left to
grow. CRA and partners will be back in the spring
to treat spotted knapweed, sweet clover and bladder
campion as well as another round of fall treatment.
Special thanks to the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation Sustain Our Great Lakes program
for providing critical funding for this project and
thank you to our project partners including Beaver
Island Association, Central Michigan University,
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Little
Traverse Conservancy, Michigan DNR, Peaine
Township, The Nature Conservancy and Wildlife
and Wetlands Solutions.
CRA noticed we had an invasive species problem right in our
own backyard! AmeriCorps member Mary Applegate and
Annual Gifts Coordinator Casey Ressl pulled over 100 purple
loosestrife plants from the banks of Kids Creek.
Timber Bridges and Healthy Rivers
CRA completes up to a dozen road/stream crossing projects every year. These projects involve removing
undersized and aging culverts and replacing them with structures that reduce the impact on the water, fish
and wildlife moving beneath them. Many of the crossings we work on are refitted with timber bridges. As a
building material, wood is abundant, versatile and a renewable resource. Timber bridges are strong, relatively
lightweight and can easily last 50 years or more. And, they’re picturesque!
We celebrated two great timber bridge projects this fall. The first was on Springbrook Road where it crosses
the North Branch of the Boyne River. This bridge was installed in 2012 to replace two perched culverts that
were severely degrading the Boyne River Watershed. The second was on Ely Bridge Road where it crosses
the Maple River. The Maple River Watershed has a number of crossings we’ve inventoried, ranked and are
tackling on a prioritized basis – the goal in this watershed is 100% connectivity. Thanks to all who joined us
and all the great partners in these watersheds!
Support for Jordan River Bridge
CRA is pleased to announce several big steps forward toward funding a bridge project over the Jordan River.
Recent awards include $50,000 from the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, $100,000 from the
Frey Foundation and $150,000 from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.
Known locally as Chestonia Bridge, two 16’ wide culverts currently sit where Old State Road crosses the
Jordan River (Antrim County). These culverts along with eroding streambanks and worn access trails are
causing unnatural stream changes and speed up stream flow to the point where some fish and other aquatic
species cannot get upstream. As a popular canoe and kayak launch, this site has a high recreational value as
well. Both the health of the river and making this
a safe, accessible site for recreationists are top
priorities.
Thank you to the Charlevoix County Community
Foundation and the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife
Restoration Act for seed funding for this project.
We’re eager to start stacking more support with
these new private funds to reach the $1 million
goal needed for this site. Want to help? Contact
CRA to support projects like the Old State Road
crossing that benefit the water and people of
northern Michigan.
Leelanau County
Grand Traverse County
Benzie County
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Otter Creek
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Green Lake
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Manistee County
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Since 2008, CRA and partners have poured efforts
into the Betsie River, Platte River and Otter Creek.
These watersheds course through large tracts of
public land and are popular for just about every
outdoor sport. Our approach for restoration work
has been one of packaging multiple projects into
larger phases of funding and labor. In doing so, we
save capital resources and time while seeing real
change on a watershed-wide scale.
Over the last six years, we’ve implemented three
major phases of work in Benzie County. This is the
first time we’ve condensed all these projects onto
one map. CRA is proud to say this is some of the
most effective work we’ve ever done in terms of
having a high impact on our water and getting the
most out of every dollar. You can see for yourself just
how much work we’ve completed in these gorgeous
rivers. Please visit our website for more detailed
information on each site.
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The Big Picture in Benzie County
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Benzie County
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Betsie River Watershed
Completed Projects
1.Otter Creek Timber Bridge
2.
Otter Creek Grand Traverse Band Brook Trout Study
3.
Brozofsky Creek & Platte Road Culvert Replacement
4.
Tamarack Trout Farm Restoration
5.
Platte River & South Street Stabilization
6.
Platte River & Burnt Mill Road Timber Bridge
7.
Platte River & Burnt Mill Road Instream Habitat
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Platte River & Reynolds Road Timber Bridge
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Stanley Creek & Hulbert Road Culvert Replacement
10.Kinney Creek & Stanley Road Culvert Replacement
11.Dair Creek Recovery including Dam Removal & Culvert Replacements,
and Betsie River Stabilization & Instream Habitat
12.Dair Creek & Landis Road Culvert Replacement
13.Misty Acres Dam Removal, Road Crossing Removal, Instream Habitat &
Streambank Stabilization
14.Betsie River & Aiken Road Instream Habitat
15.Betsie Day Use Facility Stabilization
16.Betsie River & King Road Improvements
17.Little Betsie & Nessen Road Timber Bridge
Upcoming Projects
A.North Branch Platte River Culvert Removals (2)
B.North Branch Platte River & Gudemoos Rd Culvert Replacement & Stabilization
C.Woodcock Creek & Burnt Mill Road Timber Bridge
D.Dair Creek Instream Habitat
E.Red Creek & Haze Rd Culvert Replacement, Stabilization & Instream Habitat
F.Betsie Streambank Stabilization & Instream Habitat
Flowing Well Celebration
Over 30 friends and partners joined us at Flowing
Well this August to celebrate one of our largest
restoration projects. The former hatchery on the
North Branch of the Manistee River and Flowing
Well Creek contained 12 small dams and a host
of environmental concerns. Over the last several
years, we’ve reconnected 37 river miles, improved
100 acres of wetland habitat and restored 150
acres of riparian habitat. We also partnered with
neighboring landowners to protect adjacent lands.
Brandon Fewins, N. Michigan Regional Manager
for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, commented,
“It’s inspiring to witness private, public and nonprofit
entities come together and make projects like this be
successful. Flowing Well is a great example of how to
collaborate and leverage programs like the Great Lakes
Restoration Initiative to have a big impact in Michigan.”
Thank you to everyone who came and all the
great partners that made this project a success.
For all the details on Flowing Well, check out the
project summary online. To request a copy, please
contact us at 231-946-6817.
Thank you Patagonia and Ann Arbor Bivouac
Big thanks to Patagonia and Ann Arbor Bivouac for hosting a screening of
the film DamNation. Proceeds from the screening benefited CRA. Patagonia’s
Environmental Programs Department also awarded CRA $1,500 through a
conservation grant in partnership with Patagonia’s wholesale grants program.
If you haven’t seen DamNation, be sure to check it out – it’s now available on
Netflix. It is a powerful film exploring the sea change in our national attitude
from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that
our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. The film’s majestic
cinematography and unexpected discoveries move through rivers and landscapes
altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of
the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.
Our annual campaign is underway and it’s easy
to jump on board. Some of you already have –
Thank you! The rest of us can beat the year end clock
by making a donation online, by phone, in person, or
with the return envelope that you recently received in
your mailbox. If your employer or company offers a
matching program, please take advantage of that
perk and let them be part of the effort as well.
Thank you and Happy Holidays!
Thank You for Your Recent Support of CRA, River Care and Wild Link
TM
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Bivouac Ann Arbor
Jim Bedford
Frederick & Patricia Lawless
Crystal Lake Watershed Association
Theodore & Judith Bernhard
Greg & Suzanne Lonnee
Elliott Donnelley Chapter of Trout
Unlimited
Chuck & Amy Beyer
Edson D. MacDonald
Paul & Maude Bigford
Scott & Barb Myckowiak
Eric G. Carpenter
John Nuske
Bob Carstens
Gary Pomeroy
Yvon Chouinard
Annis Pratt
James W. Coursey
Leonard Rossa
Denny & Vickie Douglas
Tom Rozich
Pete & Anne Eardley
Jacob Snider
Mark Elliott & Heather Kingham
Armas & Rose Soorus
Muskegon River Watershed Assembly
Nick & Cindy Fant
Matt & Jenny Thomas
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
Barbara Fessell
John & Diane VanderVeen
Norcross Wildlife Foundation, Inc.
Bob & Marlene Flannery
Maurice White
Patagonia
Robert Garner
Eddy Williams
Petoskey Harbor Springs Area
Community Foundation
John & Lois Gorys
Charles Wilson
Ken Gum M.D.
Brian & Vicki Woolcock
Richard & Barbara Hansen
Dennis Wyckoff
Jim Holzbach
In honor of Nate Winkler
Mary Lee Orr
Fischer Insurance Agency
Great Lakes Fishery Trust, Inc.
Henry E. & Consuelo S. Wenger
Foundation
Huron Pines
Jenifer Thomas Design & Illustration
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa
Indians
Rotary Charities
Traverse City Products, Inc.
Trout & Salmon Foundation
US Army Corps of Engineers
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Wayne Andersen
Dan & Barb Hubbell
Welcome New Members!
Charles Kehr
Larry & Nancy Bordine
Patrick & Mary Kelly
David & Ann Irish
Greg & Audrey Landsfeld
Bill & Sue Arnold
Mark Pickett
Tad R. Lane
✁
Yes! I Want to Support
Name:
CRA and Practical Conservation!
Enclosed is my CRA Membership
contribution:
Address: Supporter  $100 Email:
Leader Patron  $500  $5000  $50  $35
 $250  $1000
 Lg Business $500
 Sm Business $100  Other $
 My employer will match (send forms)
 I wish my support to be anonymous
 Memorial, honorarium or gift membership
Your donation is tax-deductible.
City/State/Zip:
Phone:
Please Charge My Credit Card
 VISA  MASTERCARD
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Signature:
Credit card payments are also accepted online at: www.rivercare.org
Make all checks payable to: Conservation Resource Alliance
10850 Traverse Highway, Suite 1180
Traverse City, MI 49684
Thank you!
FALL / WINTER 2014
Conservation Resource Alliance
10850 Traverse Hwy
Suite 1180
Traverse City, MI 49684
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Petoskey, MI
Permit No. 110
231-946-6817
[email protected]
www.rivercare.org
Stewardship Spotlight
Fischer Insurance Agency
Understanding the needs of northern Michigan businesses, organizations and individuals is important for
any insurance agency. Providing the excellent service, advice and the most appropriate coverage for every
situation is a lofty goal to reach for.
For the Fischer Insurance Agency, it’s about more than these high benchmarks of success. This family owned
and operated company is vested in their customer’s satisfaction, seeking solutions that do more than simply
reduce risk and anticipate the unforeseen situations that can impact their lives and businesses. Their 45 years
and three generations of family involvement means they’re in it for the long term and are dedicated to one
goal: To make their customers the most important member of their family.
As an insurance agent for CRA, the Fischer Team has come to understand the unique needs associated with
a non-profit organization that coordinates large-scale conservation projects with dozens of diverse partners
throughout the region. They also share a passion for the high quality resources that we are so dedicated to
caring for. Supporting CRA’s work, participating in project site tours and celebrations, is how the Fischer crew
demonstrates that business is more than just business.
Thank you to the Fischer Insurance Agency for all the personal
and professional service provided to CRA while together we
care for northern Michigan’s resources! Learn more at
www.fischerins.com or contact them at 1-800-453-6170.
Printed on eco-friendly tree free paper.