Clinton River Coldwater
Conservation Project
Clinton River AssessmentThe Michigan Department of Natural Resources has recently completed the draft Clinton River Assessment. This comprehensive report outlines the physical and biological characteristics and activities associated with the Clinton River watershed. This assessment addresses geography, history, geology, soils and landuse, dams and barriers, water quality, biological communities, fisheries management, recreational use and citizen involvement. Management options are identified to provide a foundation for public discussion, priority setting, and to assist with future planning of the Clinton River. The draft report can be accessed directly at the MDNR website. For further information and correspondence, please contact: |
The Clinton River Coldwater Conservation Project seeks to generate public support for the Clinton River watershed as a valued recreational resource through efforts to improve the water quality, aesthetics, and access to the Clinton River and its tributaries.
- Forty percent (40%) of Michigan's population lives in the three-county metropolitan Detroit area (Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties) in the southeast portion of the state.
- Less than ½ of 1 percent of Michigan's designated trout streams are located in these same counties.
- None of the premier trout streams are located in this heavily populated area.
Three major watersheds dominate this area:
- The Clinton River which flows into Lake St. Clair
- The River Rouge that flows into the Detroit River
- The Huron River which flows into Lake Erie
The Clinton has the most coldwater potential of the three streams. The Clinton watershed includes three DNR designated trout streams and several more tributaries that are known to harbor trout year-round. There is an established steelhead run in the lower mainstream of the Clinton. The Clinton Valley Chapter TU has invested more than fifteen years toward habitat restoration and improvement projects on Paint Creek, the Clinton's premier designated trout stream tributary.
The Clinton River Coldwater Conservation Project has been selected by TU National as a stream improvement project for organizational development and capacity building under the Mott Grant for the Great Lakes region. A project steering committee is in place, which consists of representatives from Trout Unlimited (Challenge, Clinton Valley, Paul H. Young, and Vanguard Chapters), Clinton River Watershed Council, City of Auburn Hills, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Project Description:
The goal for the first phase of the project was to assess and develop the coldwater potential and public access opportunities in lower Galloway Creek and the middle mainstem section of the Clinton River to become a designated trout stream. The skills and partnerships developed in this specific section of the Clinton River watershed will then be used for additional coldwater opportunities throughout the watershed. The majority of the inventory work was completed during the summer of 2003.
The goal for the second phase of this project was to enhance and/or create trout in-stream and streamside habitat that protects and creates trout spawing habitat. The second phase of the project began in 2005 and continues in 2006.
Contact us for information on how to get involved in these "hands- on" restoration opportunities.