Unified Management
The 30 year debate concerning Unified Management of the Pere Marquette River Watershed by the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) continues. The task at hand is how to best manage the the river system so that all areas are treated the same. The Pere Marquette Watershed Council has been involved and has been the facilitator for much of the discussion between the USFS and MDNR over the past three decades. Many recommendations have been voiced along the way, with even the members of the Board of Directors expressing differences of opinion on options.
It seems that there is agreement by all that there should be a unified managment of the river without property changing hands or one party being in entire control. That the river should be managed and protected universally. That also the values and regulations set forth by the Natural River Act and the Wild & Scenic Act should be endorsed and possibly guide how we treat the river.
Some of the major problems and threats that PMWC has identified are:
- lawless behavior by river users, such as drunkenness, trespass, littering, destruction of plant life and fragile river banks, fishing violations, destruction of woody debris, etc.
- too many recreational and livery vessels at peak times.
- renegade “guides” who are taking guests on the river for profit with neither the federal or state licenses.
- failure of the State to effectively limit/cap the numbers of legal guides from state sites, although as of this writing the State has taken a more effective stance on limiting state-sanctioned guide vessels.
- excessive numbers of both wading and vessel fishermen in peak seasons and times.
- inability to identify a vessel on the river as legal or not because of the unregulated state sites.
- too much of limited vessel permits are set aside by the USFS for livery users on the peak weekends, leaving the recreational visitor with his own kayak or canoe with no access.
- and, perhaps the most important problem is the lack of effective law enforcement.
Even if the State and the USFS find a way to more effectively regulate the river, it won’t be successful without sufficient law enforcement resources.
Discussions are still underway between the USFS and the MDNR, but the forward motion of this issue has again slowed. Obviously the above concerns remain. PMWC is committed to bring unified management to the watershed and will strive to find new avenues to resolve this issue.