One of the largest projects involving SWMTU is underway this summer. It’s called the Kent County Brook Trout Project, and is funded by the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Plainfield Township, Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited, and City of Rockford. The first phase is $125,000, and covers projects in the Rogue River, Shaw Creek, Cedar Creek, and Blakeslee Creek.
In Phase 1, Schrems TU members and the Home Rivers Intern have started planting shade trees along the Rogue River upstream of the old paper plant location near Childsdale Avenue. On July 30th, the Michigan DEQ will visit the paper plant site to provide in-kind data recording before the in-stream work of removing concrete rubble left from the 1986 Childsdale Dam failure. That concrete rubble should be removed sometime in August was removed in late Speptember 2014. Other habitat projects in Phase 1 are pending permits and are in various stages of development.
Phase 2 will cover more work in Cedar Creek, as well as projects in Rum Creek, Stegman Creek, and Tyler Creek. Phase 2 is currently applied for through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and is currently pending review (hopefully we get it!!).
I’ve included a picture here of Rich Reszka and his son Rowan helping to plant shade trees along the Rogue upstream from Childsdale Avenue. There will be lotsa pictures to come later this summer/fall.
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