1st Brown Trout Planting in U.S.A. and A Dandy Brown!

Short History of the Pere Marquette Watershed Council

One of the oldest "grass roots " conservation groups in existence, the Pere Marquette Watershed Council has been active in protecting, enhancing and restoring the entire river system since 1970. Originally, the Council was set up by local residents to end the negative impact of canoeists on the river and stop the building of dams on river tributaries which were raising water temperatures. The Pere Marquette had never been dammed and the new and proposed impoundments would have ended the rivers' history as a cold running river. The Council's initial actions reduced sand inundation, water pollution, erosion and property destruction.

While educational means were used to reduce a number of problems, the Councils efforts also helped in the passage of the Inland Lakes and Streams Act which prohibited future damming. Fish enhancing structures, following the technology available, were installed which further improved the condition of the river.

Incorporated in 1971, The Pere Marquette Watershed Council used local effort and initiative to slowly built a program aimed at maintaining watershed quality and helping landowners solve local problems. Cooperative programs were arranged with Soil Conservation Districts in the Watershed. A 1985 Streambank Erosion Inventory supported by the Council and supervised by the PM River Restoration Committee. A partnership of the Northwest Michigan Resource Conservation and Development Council, PMWC, T.U., Mason Lake Soil Conservation Service, MDNR and the USFWS was formed to implement strategy. This Partnership still exists. In 1986, restoration activities in the headwaters of the watershed were begun. Restoration work on the mainstream began in 1988 aided by MDNR funding of almost $1.4 Million. The work has taken almost 10 years, and is substantially completed in the main waterways and plans are being drawn up to initiate restoration of the Big South Branch in the future.

Kinne Creek, Pere Marquette River Today and Before Stabilization

The Pere Marquette is designated a National Scenic River and the Big South Branch a Michigan Natural River. The Watershed Council was able to obtain these designations and further increase its activities in the Watershed under these legal definitions. In 1993, the PMWC became a 501(c)(3) corporation. The Council depends on a great deal of dedicated local effort. By becoming a tax deductible corporation, all donations to the PMWC became tax deductible, must be used for specific purposes and outside funds and grants can be made to the Council. The PMWC has raised funds, identified problems, assisted landowners and fostered and formalized cooperative action by all groups operating in the Watershed. Many of their activities have since been copied by numerous working conservation groups in Michigan and the Midwest because they work.

What about the people who make the Watershed Council work? They are too numerous to mention. As a group effort, individuals are recognized for their contributions but self publicity has never been their goal. Congratulations for a job well done is all they have ever asked. Current activities now involve continued river and stream improvements with new goals of fishery management of this World-Class fishery and scientific study of man's impact on the watershed. To find out more about current projects see Mainstream and other pages reporting on the "Current State of the Pere Marquette Watershed Council".