In 1994, LMWCC founders John Gorys and Howard Roberts were appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to serve on a committee studying the advisability of having the Little Manistee River designated as a Wild and Scenic River under the federal government’s program of that name. Shortly after the Council was incorporated in 1996, members were asked at an annual meeting if they were in favor of seeking a Wild and Scenic designation for the river. Most members feared ownership implications of such a designation, and the proposal was defeated.
In 2014, the LMWCC Trustees began the process of developing a Watershed Management Plan that would meet the standards of both the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and those of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. Much of the draft document is concerned with monitoring and regulating development throughout the Little Manistee Watershed to protect the resource. It makes no attempt to restrict or limit property ownership or succession that was the major concern of the members who voted against the Wild and Scenic designation.
In 1970, the Michigan legislature passed the Natural River Act that created a process for communities along a river to develop common zoning rules to keep the ecosystem healthy and riverfront property owners happy. The new law authorized the DNR to develop a system of Natural Rivers in the interest of the people of the state and future generations, for the purpose of preserving and enhancing a river’s values for a variety of reasons, including; aesthetics, free-flowing condition, recreation, boating, historic, water conservation, floodplain, and fisheries and wildlife habitat.
Unlike the Wild and Scenic River program which is only concerned with land under federal jurisdiction, The Natural River Act is a Michigan only statute, and it recognizes the preponderance of privately-owned property along the state’s rivers. The basic concept of river protection is at the heart of Michigan’s pioneering Natural River Act. Michigan’s natural river systems support entire regions they cross. Riverbank vegetation filters pollution and protects water quality. And natural river lands stimulate local economies with fish, wildlife, scenic beauty, and an attractive quality of life. Michigan’s Natural Rivers program is a river protection effort that protects the natural quality of select river systems throughout the state by regulating their use and development through zoning rules. The Natural Rivers Program was developed to preserve, protect and enhance our state’s finest river systems for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations by allowing property owners their right to reasonable development, while protecting Michigan’s unique river resources. Since 1970, 2,091 miles on sixteen rivers or segments of rivers have been designated into Michigan’s Natural River System. In the order they were designated, those river systems include the Jordan, Betsie, Rogue, Two Hearted, White, Boardman, Huron, Pere Marquette, Flat, Rifle, Lower Kalamazoo, Pigeon, AuSable, Fox, Pine and Upper Manistee rivers.
Rather than restricting private ownership, the law was designed to protect river corridors by encouraging river-front landowners to follow basic tenets of environmentally responsible land use practices. Michigan’s rivers are clearly statewide public assets. They also are lined with private property that is under tremendous real estate and resort development pressure. But riverbanks covered by construction and impervious surfaces, stripped of natural vegetation can no longer stop erosion, filter pollution, or support habitat and a genuine outdoor environment for visitors and local residents. Without taking some simple, basic steps in their construction plans, property owners can unwittingly undermine the natural resources that attracted them in the first place.
The 1970 law created a process for communities along a river to develop common zoning rules to keep the ecosystem healthy and riverfront property owners happy. The whole process — from enabling Act to local implementation — is called the Natural River Program. It establishes simple zoning criteria that local communities use to design a plan for protecting their river together across township and county boundaries. The criteria revolve around the river’s “riparian area,” that streamside zone that buffers pollution, supports wildlife, and keeps rivers natural and healthy for everyone. Protecting the riparian area is a basic matter of maintaining natural vegetation strips on riverbanks, requiring minimum lot widths to avoid overcrowding, and establishing reasonable setback distances for buildings and septic systems to minimize pollution and keep wildlife corridors open. The Natural River Program sets up a permit process in which property owners learn how their construction choices can best protect the river and their economic investment. Each of these principles is consistent with the LMWCC Mission statement: “…to bring together persons and organizations who have an interest in the resource conservation and restoration of the Little Manistee River and its watershed. Our goals are to restore, protect, and preserve the natural character of the watershed by communicating resource problems and then offering and implementing problem resolution…” These are the fundamental principles driving the LMWCC’s pursuit of an MDEQ and EPA approved Watershed Management Plan. While the Natural River designation does not create a non-developmental zone, it puts into place standards that will be unique to the Little Manistee River, defining “best usage” of the river’s corridor within 400 feet of either side of the river’s banks. The WMP has a broader focus of protecting the entire watershed including tributaries, in- land lakes, wetlands, and groundwater beyond the 400 foot riparian zone. Obviously the two, the WMP and the Natural River designation, dovetail in providing the most comprehensive protections for the river and its watershed without infringing on responsible ownership and development.
The following is a list of facts pertaining to the Natural River Program provided by the DNR and Michigan State University. These should clarify the information already provided and assist members in preparing to vote on the issue at the annual meeting on July 6th.
Facts about the Natural River Program
A comprehensive 1996 Michigan State University study found that property on designated Natural Rivers sells at higher prices and sells more readily than land on non-designated rivers. In particular, the study found:
- The number of property sales on Natural Rivers increased at a rate of 20.8% from 1986 to 1995, while non-designated rivers showed no upward trend.
- Prices paid for Natural River properties were both higher and increased faster — at a rate of 17.8% from 1986 to 1995 —than on non-designated rivers.
- Prices paid for vacant, undeveloped land were the same along Natural Rivers and non-designated rivers. That is, Natural River zoning restrictions had no negative effect on a property’s potential in the eyes of buyers.
Private property along designated Natural Rivers DOES NOT become public land.
The public MAY NOT use private property along designated Natural Rivers without the property owner’s permission.
The Natural River Act DOES NOT authorize condemnation of private land.
Existing structures DO NOT have to be moved away from the river.
Existing lawns can continue to be mowed, and property owners WILL NOT be required to convert lawn areas to native plants (although for the benefit of the river corridor, it is recommended that lawns be converted to native plants).
Vegetative buffer zones ARE NOT “no cut” zones.
There WILL NOT be a 400 foot building set-back or “no development zone” established.
There WILL NOT be a prohibition on land divisions (as long as the divisions meet minimum lot width and area standards).
Small, legally established lots WILL NOT be declared unbuildable due only to their size, assuming they are otherwise buildable lots.
Properly administered Natural River or other zoning DOES NOT constitute a “taking” of private property under current law.
It is the hope of the LMWCC board of trustees that the information contained in this article will guide members in drawing reasonable conclusions about the advisability of pursuing a Natural River designation for the Little Manistee.
There will be a vote of all members present at the Annual Meeting on July 6th to determine if LMWCC shall proceed in seeking such a designation for our river from the Michigan DNR. Brian Bury of the DNR’s Natural River Program will be our guest speaker at the meeting.
Last Updated: June 7, 2022 by lmwcc
Presidents Annual Review 2019
This past year was a really challenging one as the wet weather and high waters in the river kept us from being able to complete several projects. For a brief period in August it let up enough to make it possible to work the Syers Dam removal project. It took almost a month and a half to de-water the pond and remove the deteriorated earthen berm then replace it with a culvert. Several delays were caused by the continuous wet weather however the contractor pushed through it all and did a wonderful job of helping restore the creek to its natural and consistent flow rate. The annual macro-invertebrate study was delayed and a second one completed later in the year because of the high flow rates limiting access in the river during the first one. Overall the results were very satisfactory indicating once again a healthy “bug” population that helps support a healthy fish population.
Our work on continued erosion remediation projects has been on hold as the high water makes “in-stream” and bank restoration ineffective as the type of structures cannot be properly installed until water levels are normal to low. Don’t ask me, I do not know the engineering aspects of it all; but have been assured that’s the way it has to be in order to get it done right.
We are planning on completing several delayed and now three or four additional sites this coming year. When we complete these sites we will have completed work on all the major and moderate sites we have been able to get permission from the land owners to do. A total of some 32 sites will have been completed just over a four year period.
Also we have contracted for CRA to conduct a second erosion survey in the spring as it has been over six years since the last one and with this past year’s historic massive rainfall and flooding we anticipate there will be several more sites needing attention. The work never stops; but we all do what we can to help keep the river healthy.
Another area where we have had success is that we now have completed our Watershed Management Plan and are submitting it to the state and federal governments for formal approval. By enacting the WMP we feel we can be more competitive in securing grants that will fund a more diversified array of projects that will support protecting and preserving the river. We are currently pursuing a major FGHP state grant that will allow us to rework a major section on the river that due to several factors has resulted in loss of proper habitat that supports in turn a healthy and flourishing fish population. Finally, we have proceeded with an educational effort to better explain the state Natural Rivers Program and the possibility of the DNR pursuing such a designation for the Little Manistee. We are currently taking a survey of people and organizations who have in the past shown interest in what the LMWCC does. The results will be given to the director of the program indicating what level of agreement there is in support or not of the DNR pursuing the designation. It would then be up to the state to proceed or not as they wish. Well that is about it in a short form; once again the Board of Trustees of the LMWCC could not accomplish any of the varied things we do without the help of our membership both financially and through volunteer efforts. We are all in the same place in supporting our goals of preserving, protecting and enjoying our precious resource The Little Manistee River. Please feel free to contact us look us up on on Facebook as well.
Get involved, you’ll like it!!
Wishing you a joyous season to all,
Tim Phillips
Last Updated: June 7, 2022 by lmwcc
Little Manistee River Private Lands Sites: Before, During, After Flooding in July 2019
Date: December 18, 2019
Subject: Little Manistee River Private Lands Sites -Before, During, After Flooding
Author: Nate Winkler, Biologist
Project Overview
The projects illustrated herein were performed on privately-owned lands along the Little Manistee River. The sites are in Stronach Township, Manistee County and were identified through an inventory of eroding streambanks and bluffs contracted to Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) by the Little Manistee River Watershed Conservation Council. Also, design and permit application work was completed by CRA with construction being performed by Kanouse Outdoor Restoration during July 2017 using materials from on-site.
Sites #56, #57, and #60 (Grooters-Latham) had approximately 300 yds3 of wood material (whole trees, tops, slash, rootwads) incorporated into protecting 450 linear feet of streambank/bluff edge and providing overhead and lateral fish cover. Site #63 (Reif) was treated in the same manner with 40 yds3 of wood material incorporated into protecting 60 linear feet of bluff edge and providing overhead and lateral fish cover.
Heavy Precipitation Event and Flood
In late July 2019, an extremely localized heavy rain event occurred partially in the Little Manistee River watershed and resulted in substantially higher flows than normal. Unfortunately, there no longer is a USGS gage station on the river so total discharge can only be guessed at. At any rate, it was enough to cause the river to access the floodplain and move wood debris and sediment within the channel in observable quantities. Photos taken during and subsequent to the event were taken by CRA staff to record the effect on the work described above.
Summary and Recommendation
In general, the work held up very well and performed the services intended. The exceptions are the lower-most downstream site (#60) at Grooters-Latham adjacent to an abandoned gravel pit. The white pines utilized were swept pretty neatly away by the river and may have something to do with the amount of hydraulic force that particular site is exposed to. Another factor may be the highly erodible material making up the bank, which sloughs very easily (as was observed by CRA during the flood). The other issue was the top Grooters-Latham site (#56) in which the actual top of the bluff settled due to the rain and pushed the toe of the bluff and installed wood out further into the river.
The MDEQ (now “EGLE”) permit for the Grooters-Latham site is still valid and will remain so until September 2021. If funds are available, CRA recommends going back in and shoring up #56 and replacing the material at #60 with larger diameter wood as well as the finer material originally installed. The level of flow, while not unprecedented, was obviously not expected so soon after installation. If #60 had more time to “season”, the structure would, in all likelihood, have held.
2017-2019 Little Manistee River (Grooter-Reif) Before During After High Water_121819
Last Updated: June 9, 2020 by lmwcc
2019 Water Quality and Macroinvertebrate Study Results
The 2019 Water Quality Survey results are in. Check out the Annual Water Quality Survey page for more information on the study and view the current and results from past years.
The 2019 Macroinvertebrate Study results can be found on our Annual Macroinvertebrate Study page.
Thank you to Joyce Durdel and team of volunteers for their continued hard work on these fantastic studies of the Little Manistee River from year to year.
2020 Study dates TBD. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us.
Last Updated: June 7, 2022 by lmwcc
What is the Natural River Program?
In 1994, LMWCC founders John Gorys and Howard Roberts were appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to serve on a committee studying the advisability of having the Little Manistee River designated as a Wild and Scenic River under the federal government’s program of that name. Shortly after the Council was incorporated in 1996, members were asked at an annual meeting if they were in favor of seeking a Wild and Scenic designation for the river. Most members feared ownership implications of such a designation, and the proposal was defeated.
In 2014, the LMWCC Trustees began the process of developing a Watershed Management Plan that would meet the standards of both the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and those of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. Much of the draft document is concerned with monitoring and regulating development throughout the Little Manistee Watershed to protect the resource. It makes no attempt to restrict or limit property ownership or succession that was the major concern of the members who voted against the Wild and Scenic designation.
In 1970, the Michigan legislature passed the Natural River Act that created a process for communities along a river to develop common zoning rules to keep the ecosystem healthy and riverfront property owners happy. The new law authorized the DNR to develop a system of Natural Rivers in the interest of the people of the state and future generations, for the purpose of preserving and enhancing a river’s values for a variety of reasons, including; aesthetics, free-flowing condition, recreation, boating, historic, water conservation, floodplain, and fisheries and wildlife habitat.
Unlike the Wild and Scenic River program which is only concerned with land under federal jurisdiction, The Natural River Act is a Michigan only statute, and it recognizes the preponderance of privately-owned property along the state’s rivers. The basic concept of river protection is at the heart of Michigan’s pioneering Natural River Act. Michigan’s natural river systems support entire regions they cross. Riverbank vegetation filters pollution and protects water quality. And natural river lands stimulate local economies with fish, wildlife, scenic beauty, and an attractive quality of life. Michigan’s Natural Rivers program is a river protection effort that protects the natural quality of select river systems throughout the state by regulating their use and development through zoning rules. The Natural Rivers Program was developed to preserve, protect and enhance our state’s finest river systems for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations by allowing property owners their right to reasonable development, while protecting Michigan’s unique river resources. Since 1970, 2,091 miles on sixteen rivers or segments of rivers have been designated into Michigan’s Natural River System. In the order they were designated, those river systems include the Jordan, Betsie, Rogue, Two Hearted, White, Boardman, Huron, Pere Marquette, Flat, Rifle, Lower Kalamazoo, Pigeon, AuSable, Fox, Pine and Upper Manistee rivers.
Rather than restricting private ownership, the law was designed to protect river corridors by encouraging river-front landowners to follow basic tenets of environmentally responsible land use practices. Michigan’s rivers are clearly statewide public assets. They also are lined with private property that is under tremendous real estate and resort development pressure. But riverbanks covered by construction and impervious surfaces, stripped of natural vegetation can no longer stop erosion, filter pollution, or support habitat and a genuine outdoor environment for visitors and local residents. Without taking some simple, basic steps in their construction plans, property owners can unwittingly undermine the natural resources that attracted them in the first place.
The 1970 law created a process for communities along a river to develop common zoning rules to keep the ecosystem healthy and riverfront property owners happy. The whole process — from enabling Act to local implementation — is called the Natural River Program. It establishes simple zoning criteria that local communities use to design a plan for protecting their river together across township and county boundaries. The criteria revolve around the river’s “riparian area,” that streamside zone that buffers pollution, supports wildlife, and keeps rivers natural and healthy for everyone. Protecting the riparian area is a basic matter of maintaining natural vegetation strips on riverbanks, requiring minimum lot widths to avoid overcrowding, and establishing reasonable setback distances for buildings and septic systems to minimize pollution and keep wildlife corridors open. The Natural River Program sets up a permit process in which property owners learn how their construction choices can best protect the river and their economic investment. Each of these principles is consistent with the LMWCC Mission statement: “…to bring together persons and organizations who have an interest in the resource conservation and restoration of the Little Manistee River and its watershed. Our goals are to restore, protect, and preserve the natural character of the watershed by communicating resource problems and then offering and implementing problem resolution…” These are the fundamental principles driving the LMWCC’s pursuit of an MDEQ and EPA approved Watershed Management Plan. While the Natural River designation does not create a non-developmental zone, it puts into place standards that will be unique to the Little Manistee River, defining “best usage” of the river’s corridor within 400 feet of either side of the river’s banks. The WMP has a broader focus of protecting the entire watershed including tributaries, in- land lakes, wetlands, and groundwater beyond the 400 foot riparian zone. Obviously the two, the WMP and the Natural River designation, dovetail in providing the most comprehensive protections for the river and its watershed without infringing on responsible ownership and development.
The following is a list of facts pertaining to the Natural River Program provided by the DNR and Michigan State University. These should clarify the information already provided and assist members in preparing to vote on the issue at the annual meeting on July 6th.
Facts about the Natural River Program
A comprehensive 1996 Michigan State University study found that property on designated Natural Rivers sells at higher prices and sells more readily than land on non-designated rivers. In particular, the study found:
Private property along designated Natural Rivers DOES NOT become public land.
The public MAY NOT use private property along designated Natural Rivers without the property owner’s permission.
The Natural River Act DOES NOT authorize condemnation of private land.
Existing structures DO NOT have to be moved away from the river.
Existing lawns can continue to be mowed, and property owners WILL NOT be required to convert lawn areas to native plants (although for the benefit of the river corridor, it is recommended that lawns be converted to native plants).
Vegetative buffer zones ARE NOT “no cut” zones.
There WILL NOT be a 400 foot building set-back or “no development zone” established.
There WILL NOT be a prohibition on land divisions (as long as the divisions meet minimum lot width and area standards).
Small, legally established lots WILL NOT be declared unbuildable due only to their size, assuming they are otherwise buildable lots.
Properly administered Natural River or other zoning DOES NOT constitute a “taking” of private property under current law.
It is the hope of the LMWCC board of trustees that the information contained in this article will guide members in drawing reasonable conclusions about the advisability of pursuing a Natural River designation for the Little Manistee.
There will be a vote of all members present at the Annual Meeting on July 6th to determine if LMWCC shall proceed in seeking such a designation for our river from the Michigan DNR. Brian Bury of the DNR’s Natural River Program will be our guest speaker at the meeting.
Last Updated: January 4, 2020 by lmwcc
2018 Water Quality and Macroinvertebrate Survey Results
The 2018 Water Quality Survey results are in. Check out the Annual Water Quality Survey page for more information on the study and view the current and results from past years.
The 2018 Macroinvertebrate Study results can be found on our Annual Macroinvertebrate Study page.
Thank you to Joyce Durdel and team of volunteers for their continued hard work on these fantastic studies of the Little Manistee River from year to year.
2019 Study scheduled for May 19, rain date May 25.
Last Updated: January 4, 2020 by lmwcc
Day with Nature at Magoon Creek
Coordinated by Deb Laws
Youth Agent, Manistee Co. 4-H
May 2017
On a brisk but enjoyable day in May, about 130 students from several Manistee area schools, came to the Magoon Creek Nature Center to have an out-door, hands-on classroom experience. Several Program Presenters shared their favorite topics about nature with the students. Featured below, Kayla Knoll, Conservation Specialist with Manistee Co. Conservation District, with help from Joyce Durdel, a volunteer with the Little Manistee Watershed Conservation Council, assist the students in learning that macroinvertabrates are unique aquatic insects that find their homes in streams like Magoon Creek. A number of ‘ooos’ and ‘yucks’ could be heard before the students began to find out how intriguing these insects really are. Soon the comments turned into ‘cool’ and ‘wow’ and ‘this really turns into a dragonfly?’.
(Pictures by Joyce Durdel)
Last Updated: June 7, 2022 by lmwcc
2016 Water Quality and Macroinvertebrate Survey Results
The 2016 Water Quality Survey results are in. Check out the Annual Water Quality Survey page for more information on the study and view the current and results from past years.
The 2016 Macroinvertebrate Study results can be found on our Annual Macroinvertebrate Study page.
Thank you to Joyce Durdel and team for their continued hard work on these fantastic studies of the Little Manistee River from year to year.
Last Updated: January 4, 2020 by lmwcc
Improvement on Carrieville Erosion sites
The LMWCC has been working in partnership with the Conservation Resource Alliance to improve a number of identified erosion sites on the Little Manistee River. This past summer we focused on three sites near Carrieville. A lot of hard work was put in and the results are great.
Last Updated: January 4, 2020 by lmwcc
2016 Macroinvertebrate Survey
Again this year a wonderful team of volunteers got together to test the Little Manistee River for Macroinvertebrates, we more commonly call this the “Bug Study”.
See the survey results here
Thanks to our volunteers! We appreciate the hard work.
Source: G. Carter via NOAA/GLERL
What are benthic macroinvertebrates?
Benthic (meaning “bottom-dwelling”) macroinvertebrates are small aquatic animals and the aquatic larval stages of insects. They include dragonfly and stonefly larvae, snails, worms, and beetles. They lack a backbone, are visible without the aid of a microscope and are found in and around water bodies during some period of their lives. Benthic macroinvertebrates are often found attached to rocks, vegetation, logs and sticks or burrowed into the bottom sand and sediments.
Why is it important to evaluate benthic macroinvertebrates?
Benthic macroinvertebrates are commonly used as indicators of the biological condition of waterbodies. They are reliable indicators because they spend all or most of their lives in water, are easy to collect and differ in their tolerance to pollution. Macroinvertebrates respond to human disturbance in fairly predictable ways, are relatively easy to identify in the laboratory, often live for more than a year and, unlike fish, have limited mobility.
In fact, because they cannot escape pollution, macroinvertebrates have the capacity to integrate the effects of the stressors to which they are exposed, in combination and over time. Biologists have been studying the health and composition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities for decades.
What do benthic macroinvertebrates tell us about the condition of water?
Evaluating the abundance and variety of benthic macroinvertebrates in a waterbody gives us an indication of the biological condition of that waterbody. Generally, waterbodies in healthy biological condition support a wide variety and high number of macroinvertebrate taxa, including many that are intolerant of pollution. Samples yielding only pollution–tolerant species or very little diversity or abundance may indicate a less healthy waterbody. Biological condition is the most comprehensive indicator of waterbody health. When the biology of a waterbody is healthy, the chemical and physical components of the waterbody are also typically in good condition. In addition to benthic macroinvertebrates, scientists also evaluate algae and fish populations to come up with robust estimates of biological condition.
Last Updated: June 9, 2020 by lmwcc
Syers Creek Habitat Improvement Shows in Fish Numbers
Water temperature type
Range of water temperature preferences
(°F)
14 June 2012
22-24 July 2015
Number of fish caught
Size range
(TL mm)
Number of fish caught
Size range
(TL mm)
Warm
46 – 86
1
79
Warm
34 – 97
6
47 – 65
Cool
39 – 64
2
56 – 57
3
33 – 51
Cold
34 – 72
8
137 – 172
7
45 – 211
Cold
41 – 78
25
51 – 225
39
32 – 249
Cool
63 – 72
23
78 – 46
47
44 – 80
Cold
32 – 75
11
36 – 90
Cold
32 – 62
8
38 – 90
Cool
45 – 77
1
67
Cool
39 – 64
7
42 – 51
Cool
NA
2
NA
1
115
Warm
59 – 90
7
66 – 98
Warm
39 – 72
8
55 – 91
Cold
32 – 77
2
51 – 63
26
35 – 158
Cold
32 – 62
70
52 – 100
79
23 – 108