DNR’s Habitat Improvement Account to fund five projects on key rivers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 6, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — The Department of Natural Resources has announced five recipients of its Habitat Improvement Account (HIA) for fiscal year 2016. The HIA funds projects to improve aquatic habitat, fishing access, water quality and the DNR’s understanding of resources on the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon rivers.  The account was established to mitigate resource impacts from hydropower dam operations.

The five recipients were selected by the DNR’s Fisheries Division, with a total of $278,000 to be distributed over the next two years. The projects approved for fiscal year 2016 include:

• Upper Manistee River Fishing Access Site Improvement – Upper Manistee River Restoration Committee (Kalkaska County, 1 year, $13,295)
  This project will upgrade two heavily used access sites along the upper Manistee River. It will provide improved access for the public while protecting the river and riparian zone from excessive sediment and bank trampling.
• Muskegon River Barrier Inventory – Muskegon River Watershed Assembly (Clare, Mecosta, Missaukee, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Osceola, and Roscommon counties, 1 year, $20,000)
  The project will collect data on barriers in the Muskegon River watershed, organize the data, and make it public to aid in planning and prioritizing infrastructure upgrades.
• Buhl Dam Removal – Huron Pines Research Conservation and Development Council (Alcona County, 2 years, $47,520)
  This project will remove the Buhl Dam on the Pine River, a tributary to the lower Au Sable River.
• West Branch of the Big Creek Habitat Improvement Project – Mason Griffith Founders Chapter of Trout Unlimited(Crawford County, 2 years, $165,085)
  The project will continue stream habitat improvements on the West Branch of Big Creek, a tributary to the Au Sable River. It will cover approximately five stream miles.
• Old Orchard Park Boat Launch Upgrade – Oscoda Township (Iosco County, 1 year, $32,100)
  This project will upgrade the boat access located at Old Orchard Park, a large popular campground on Foote Pond, located on the Au Sable River.

“The HIA is funded by Consumers Energy as part of a major settlement agreement that relicensed the company’s hydropower projects on the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon rivers,” said the DNR’s Habitat Management Unit supervisor, Jessica Mistak. “The HIA has contributed in excess of $8.5 million and funded more than 150 projects since its inception in 1994.”

For more information on habitat management efforts in Michigan, visit michigan.gov/fishing.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go towww.michigan.gov/dnr.

Contact: Kyle Kruger, 989-826-3211 (ext. 7073) or Jessica Mistak, 906-789-8212