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 We have started to develop the framework for inventorying dams throughout Northeast Michigan and to address the sites where we can have the most impact.
Partners like Trout Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are critical in bringing such a program to our region in the near future.
Song of the Morning Ranch
November 26, 2008: This summer, a tragedy occurred on the Pigeon River. A dam release led to excessive sediment flowing out of the impoundment at Song of the Morning Ranch and killing fish downstream. With time, rivers can recover, but in order to protect the Pigeon River from further degredation the dam cannot remain.
Where the sediment-filled impoundment is located now would become a freeflowing stream. From what we’ve seen in other areas where dams have been removed, the vegetation in these former impoundment areas comes back very quickly and the amount of dredging in projects nowadays is very small.
In the 1938 view (below), the river channel is still quite obvious. By 2005, the build-up of sediment has changed things dramatically.
Huron Pines has a 35-year history of forming diverse partnerships to solve a variety of conservation problems. At the request of Song of the Morning Ranch board members, we hosted a meeting to review the issues associated with decommissioning the dam. As is always the case, Huron Pines feels that bringing together potential partners to work for a common cause and avoiding litigation often leads to projects completed in a way that’s better for the resource and in a much more timely manner.
Resources
Learn more about our Dam Summit.
The Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited has a number of great resources on their website. To learn more about conservation topics, visit Conservation.
To view “Effects of Dam Removal on Fluvial Geomorphology and Fish (2007)” by Bryan A. Burroughs, visit:
To learn more about dams, visit:
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