Watershed Assessment Plan
The Watershed Assessment Plan was completed in 1999 and marked a momentous time for PMWC. It was the first collection of all information known about the Pere Marquette River basin and assembled in one location. Furthermore, it was the first time such an undertaking was completed through a private endeavor, as past assessments were the responsibility of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). The Plan was accomplished within one year’s time. Funding for the project was provided by the Frey Foundation, the Steelcase Foundation, PMWC and Northern Ecological Services of Reed City, who compiled the data and agreed to fund the cost overage at the completion of the project.
The purpose of the assessment was to identify what was known about the region and conversely, what was not known. Issues were identified that required attention which led PMWC to adopt a long-range plan. A brief recap by Dick Schwikert lists the issues below – problems and opportunites .
PROBLEMS:
- Brown trout population decline: sampling showed a continuing decline, with no clear reason identified. Competition between resident and anadromous species, management aimed toward salmon and steelhead fishing, and increased commercial exploitation were possible causes mentioned.
- Recreational user impacts: increased user demand resulted in intensifying conflicts between users, including riparians.
- Non-unified management: political and agency climates created conflicting management objectives and competition for control.
- Non-watershed based management: much of the land management has been conducted along political and jurisdictional boundaries, with only the MDNR switching over to a watershed-based management.
- Land use planning: rather than past patchwork development, future local land development should consider the river resource and plan accordingly.
OPPORTUNITIES:
- Continue road-stream-crossing improvements: the inventory of artificially induced sediment sites should be the basis for a plan to continued reduction of sand bedload.
- Complete/refine GIS (Geographical Information System) and mapping tools: Technology updates should be followed closely to provide unknown data (e.g. dam locations) as well as precisely location important sites (e.g. monitoring sites).
- Streambank stabilization on major tributaries: a more comprehensive inventory (with precise locations) of past stabilization sites and existing erosion banks should assist in recommending optimal treatment methods.
- Research sponsorship: there was a clear need for advanced research of the fishery, and is should be done withing the PM River system, not transcribed from another river’s findings.
- Increased monitoring efforts: past collections of a variety of data were not consistent, thorough, nor all-inclusive, which may lead to difficulty in interpreting the results of future land use practices.
- Pere Marquette River Protection Fund: an endowment fund should be established and devoted to both maintenance and future research projects.
- Information/Resource Sharing and Distribution: methods such as the website, symposiums and forums and partnerships should be extended to bring exposure and recognition to bolster fund-raising efforts.
- GPS/GIS Mapping Controls: future land management and spatial analysis will become increasingly important to best protect the resource.
- Stream System Classification and Study: no data existed to describe and classify the PM stream system to increase the understanding of the river’s form and function relative to its landscape. MDNR’s IFR development of MI-VSEC (Michigan Valley Segment Classification) identified critical areas within the watershed.
- Fish Assemblage and Distribution Study: index stations for monitoring fish populations should be established and used routinely and consistently to identify changes in the ecology of the river.
- Macro-invertebtate Assemblages, Abundance and Distribution: similar index stations for monitoring insect populations and changes would correlate with the fishery data collected.
- Geo-coding and Development of USFS and MDNR Forest Spatial Data Sets: the reference maps used by the two agencies are not compatible.
- Watershed Land Use Conference: opportunity existed to host a convention of specialists with experience in developing a first of its kind “Comprehensive PM River Watershed Land Use Plan” to foster unified future land use planning.
PMWC continues to consider this study in our long-range planning.