Telephone: 231-946-6817

www.rivercare.org

Email: info@rivercare.org

Project Cost: $10,000

Contributors:

MDNR – HIA

*In-kind contributions

- Spirit of the Woods Conservation

club

- Bear Creek Watershed Council

- Conservation Resource Alliance

Partners involved:

Conservation Resource Alliance • Bear Creek Watershed Council •

Michigan DNR • Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club

Best Management Practices:

• streambank stabilization

• large woody debris fish cover

structures

• log revetments

• native plant revegetation

• stream channel enhancement

Project Benefits:

• Fish Habitat

• Stream Channel and Streambank

Stability

• LWD provides important habitat for a

variety of fauna

• Woody debris adds biological diversity

to the stream channel and provides a

critical habitat component for aquatic

species.

• Promotes sediment deposition

• MDNR Fisheries Status and Trends site

allows for pre/post monitoring

Bear Creek is the largest tributary to the Manistee River below Tippy Dam. It

hosts self-sustaining populations of steelhead, Chinook salmon, and coho salmon

in addition to self-sustaining populations of resident brown and brook trout.

However, some stretches of Bear Creek lack woody cover for holding adult

trout. The reach where the habitat enhancement would be conducted is very

accessible, as it is on property owned by the Spirit of the Woods Conservation

Club. The Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club allows the public to access

Bear Creek and park on club property. In addition, the club has an accessible

trail that allows those with mobility issues to access Bear Creek and fish. The

reach of Bear Creek flowing through the Spirit of the Woods property is very

heavily fished by anglers, as it is some of the more easily accessible water on

Bear Creek. This stream reach provides good spawning gravel and juvenile

trout habitat, but lacks overhead cover and depth to grow larger trout

(Tonello 2010). Much of the stream in this area is overly wide and shallow.

Installing woody structure would help to mitigate that problem. The wood

structure installed would be natural in appearance. We would add to existing

log jams, create new logjams, and strategically place logs to narrow and deepen

the stream.

Location

Section 18 of Dickson Twp., Manistee Co., MI

N44.31215; W86.04802

Bear Creek-LWD/Fish Cover Habitat Project Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club

2011-2012

Eroding streambank with hiking and access trail located on club property.

Whole tree revetments were secured along the toe of the streambank stabilizing the erosion and providing

overhead cover for fish

Before picture documenting the lack of LWD structure in the channel

After the addition of LWD structure

All together 14 LWD structures were installed on Bear Creek along the Spirit of the Woods Club property

Double Culverts

Before Project