The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration selected WMSRDC’s proposal for the Lake Michigan Coastal Rivers and Wetlands Regional Partnership in 2020, with the potential for funding up to $14,123,471.00 for priority fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects.  The NOAA/WMSRDC Regional Partnership is designed to restore fish and wildlife habitat in eastern Lake Michigan drowned river mouth systems and coastal wetlands.

NOAA has initiated the Regional Partnership with funding for three priority projects, including feasibility, engineering/design and implementation:

1) Little Cedar Creek Fish Passage and Stream Habitat Restoration in the Muskegon River Watershed in Muskegon County. Little Cedar Creek is the longest tributary of Cedar Creek and is a high-quality cold-water tributary to the Muskegon River. By replacing two road stream crossings and restoring 500 feet of in-stream fish habitat, this project will restore 3.5 miles of fish passage and reconnect 12 acres of wetland habitat and essential spawning and nursery habitat for lake-run and resident fish species such as Brook Trout, Brown Trout and Sculpin. Project partners include Muskegon County Road Commission (MCRC), GVSU AWRI, GEI Consultants, and private landowners.

For instream fish habitat, log deflector structures were installed below the Michillinda Rd crossing. MCRC completed the culvert replacements at Sweeter Rd and Michilinda Rd crossings in 2023. To complete the project’s survey work, GVSU AWRI will duplicate the Tier 1 fish survey of both the Michillinda and Sweeter crossing locations, done prior to restoration activities, in the summer of 2024.

Construction efforts at Little Cedar Creek and Sweeter Road crossing.

2) White River Fish Passage and Stream Habitat Restoration in Oceana County.  The White River is a County Scenic River under Michigan’s Natural Rivers Act. This project includes three road stream crossing in Swinton Creek and one in Cushman Creek. By removing the impassable structures, replacing them with open span structures, and restoring 1,000 feet of instream habitat; 7.2 miles of stream will be reconnected, and 7.6 acres of wetland floodplain habitat will open for the native fish and wildlife. Project partners include Oceana County Road Commission (OCRC), GVSU AWRI, GEI Consultants, and private landowners.

Over 1,000 ft of instream habitat restoration has been designed for Swinton Creek, with roughly 1,000 ft located between 144th Ave. and Buchanan Rd. and 150 ft immediately below the Pierce St. crossing. All permits have been obtained and Catskill Remedial is set to complete this restoration in 2024.

In 2023, the 114th Ave and Swinton Creek crossing and the Pierce Rd and Swinton Creek crossing were replaced with arch culverts of more appropriate size for fish passage by the OCRC. In 2024, OCRC will replace the crossings at Buchanan Rd and Swinton Creek and Roosevelt Rd and Cushman Creek with open span timber bridges.

GVSU AWRI completing Tier 1 pre-restoration monitoring on Swinton Creek.

3) Stony Creek Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration in Oceana County. The project includes dam remnant removal, removal of two old bridges and three culverts, a bridge replacement, and 500 feet of instream habitat replacement. This will open 6.5 miles of stream and 18 acres of adjacent wetlands. Giving Lake Michigan anglers the opportunity to catch steelhead and salmon naturally produced in Stony Creek. Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) has funding for engineered designs of 2,000 feet of instream habitat upstream of the WMSRDC project footprint and inclusion of recreational access to the stream. Additional project partners include OCRC, GVSU AWRI, Oceana County Parks, GEI Consultants, and private landowners.

This project will close the existing roadway, install temporary erosion controls, remove the existing bridges and culverts, and construct a new stream channel in the current culvert location. A new timber bridge and roadway approaches will be installed, and the creek will be drawn down for dam removal and bank stabilization. Improvements to the habitat will include removal of invasive species, plantings of native species, and installation of instream woody structures. In addition to the fish passage and habitat restoration, a boardwalk and fishing platforms will be installed for public access and recreation.

Contractors JE Kloote Contracting and Catskill Remedial are preparing to begin bridge construction and habitat restoration respectively in April of 2024.

Survey work at Stony Creek to inform habitat engineering and design.