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Natural Rivers Program

The Little Manistee River Watershed Management Plan 2020 – 2030 identifies land use and development as the biggest threat to the Little Manistee River but does not hold any regulatory authority or create laws. For most of the river corridor there is no protection from uncontrolled development.

Michigan’s Natural Rivers Program provides a framework for a local citizens’ watershed committee to identify acceptable components of a Natural Rivers Management Plan specific to each river to protect the natural quality of the river system. It regulates land use and development through zoning rules applied to the river corridor 400 feet from the banks of the river on private land. 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. The Natural Rivers program is not intended to prevent development, but to foster locally driven solutions for land protection and developmental challenges. While the Natural Rivers program will impact many current river residents and the ways in which they are able to build on their property in the future, the protection it provides to the watershed will conserve use and aesthetic quality of this rare resource for generations to come. Existing structures are” Grandfathered” and can be maintained in their current condition.

The LMWCC trustees contracted with members of the sociology department at Grand Valley State University to design, distribute, and evaluate a scientifically based survey to codify the opinions of property owners and residents within the Little Manistee watershed. Those results were sent to the MDNR, as the Natural Rivers Act clearly states that the DNR is the sole authority in determining and recommending a river’s viability for inclusion in the program. Currently the DNR is conducting discussions about the program with local residents and other interested stakeholders as it is required to do by the statute. View survey results and informational brochure PDFs below.