| November 7, 2005 |
Higgins Lake is a 9,900-acre high-quality lake located in Roscommon County. The lake, 140 feet at its deepest point, is a tremendous natural resource, attracting thousands of people to live near it and thousands more to visit each year. Protecting the water quality of Higgins Lake requires the involvement and commitment of landowners, resource professionals, and community leaders. Even with this level of cooperation, it’s the financial support that turns good ideas into on the ground results.
One of the primary partnership projects for the improvement and protection of Higgins Lake has been the watershed management effort. Through the last five years, stakeholders throughout the watershed have been a part of developing and implementing an action plan for the lake, leading to improved coordination of projects by local leaders and a cost-effective method for getting results.
The watershed protection effort was launched with the financial support of the Higgins Lake Foundation, Roscommon County Community Foundation, Department of Environmental Quality, and the Schroeder Foundation. Recent and current projects include the shoreline stewardship outreach project, the greenbelt installation project, watershed inventories, land use planning and landscape contractor workshops, distribution of land use materials to residents and local officials, the Gerrish Township Park erosion control project, and site visits with numerous landowners. The continued commitment by all community organizations, including new ones that have formed in response to resource problems, is essential to the continued protection of this resource.
The multi-partner, multi-faceted approach to controlling Eurasian watermilfoil in Higgins Lake is another example of success. Due to the unique characteristics of Higgins Lake and the fact that the problem is in its early stages, Huron Pines worked with partners such as the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, Wege Foundation, Higgins Lake Property Owner’s Association, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources, Higgins Lake Foundation, and the Roscommon County Community Foundation to implement an integrated management program tailored specifically to Higgins Lake. The strategy, employed one small site at a time, is designed for the long-term health of the Higgins Lake ecosystem, keeping costs – both financial and ecological – to a minimum. The program includes the following: 1) Biological control through the stocking of milfoil weevils at test locations, 2) Chemical treatment at key access sites, 3) Bottom barriers installed by volunteers, 4) A community outreach program, and 5) Continued monitoring.
Huron Pines, a nonprofit, non-governmental organization, is currently utilizing support from many of the organizations listed above to continue our mission; that is, building and strengthening local partnerships in order to implement resource conservation and community improvement projects throughout Northeast Michigan. While we serve 11 counties, in just Roscommon County alone this fall we will see installation of an improved road-stream crossing at the Pine Drive-South Branch Road Stream Crossing, helping to greatly improve water quality through a project with the Roscommon County Road Commission and other partners; a report on the effectiveness of the milfoil weevil treatment in Higgins Lake; design of greenbelts at nine waterfront sites with installation in the spring of 2006; development of a water quality commercial for educational use in the region; planting of 150 cedars along the banks of the S. Branch Au Sable River, and installation of a “sod dock” to demonstrate more environmentally friendly alternatives. We look forward to building on these successes and continuing to work with the many excellent partners found around both Higgins Lake and throughout Roscommon County.
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| brad@huronpines.org |
| Roscommon County |
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