The Little Manistee Watershed Conservation Council will be holding public meetings on February 12th and February 22nd at 6 P.M. in the Elk Township Hall, 8966 N Bass Lake Rd, Irons Michigan to share results of the recent survey the LMWCC contracted Grand Valley State University to conduct.
We invite the public to attend and take part in the meetings. The purpose of the survey is to understand the interest property owners in the Little Manistee Watershed have in including the Little Manistee River in the Michigan Natural Rivers Program. The survey mailings took place from July to November of 2023 and targeted all landowners along the Little Manistee River, all members of the Little Manistee Watershed Conservation Council, most of which own land along the river, and a similar sized sampling of other landowners within the watershed. Grand Valley State University has analyzed the data and prepared a report and presentation of the results.
View survey results and informational brochure PDFs below.
From our President: The Little Manistee River Watershed Management Plan 2020 – 2030 identifies land use and development as the biggest threat to the Little Manistee River but does not hold any regulatory authority or create laws. For most of the river corridor there is no protection from uncontrolled development.
Michigan’s Natural Rivers Program provides a framework for a local citizens’ watershed committee to identify acceptable components of a Natural Rivers Management Plan specific to each river to protect the natural quality of the river system. It regulates land use and development through zoning rules applied to the river corridor 400 feet from the banks of the river on private land. The Natural Rivers Program was developed to preserve, protect and enhance our state’s finest river systems for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations by allowing property owners their right to reasonable development while protecting Michigan’s unique river resources. The Natural Rivers program is not intended to prevent development, but to foster locally driven solutions for land protection and developmental challenges. While the Natural Rivers program will impact many current river residents and the ways in which they are able to build on their property in the future, the protection it provides to the watershed will conserve use and aesthetic quality of this rare resource for generations to come. Existing structures are ”Grandfathered” and can be maintained in their current condition.
We believe the Little Manistee Rivers deserves the protection of the Michigan Natural Rivers Program and ask that you read the attached Letter of Support and return it to us with your signature for presentation to the Michigan DNR to encourage them to designate the Little Manistee as a Michigan Natural River.
Sincerely, Armas Soorus, President, Little Manistee Watershed Conservation Council
Natural Rivers Program
The Little Manistee Watershed Conservation Council will be holding public meetings on February 12th and February 22nd at 6 P.M. in the Elk Township Hall, 8966 N Bass Lake Rd, Irons Michigan to share results of the recent survey the LMWCC contracted Grand Valley State University to conduct.
We invite the public to attend and take part in the meetings. The purpose of the survey is to understand the interest property owners in the Little Manistee Watershed have in including the Little Manistee River in the Michigan Natural Rivers Program. The survey mailings took place from July to November of 2023 and targeted all landowners along the Little Manistee River, all members of the Little Manistee Watershed Conservation Council, most of which own land along the river, and a similar sized sampling of other landowners within the watershed. Grand Valley State University has analyzed the data and prepared a report and presentation of the results.
View survey results and informational brochure PDFs below.
For more detailed information from Michigan DNR, visit: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/fisheries/natural-rivers
From our President:
The Little Manistee River Watershed Management Plan 2020 – 2030 identifies land use and development as the biggest threat to the Little Manistee River but does not hold any regulatory authority or create laws. For most of the river corridor there is no protection from uncontrolled development.
Michigan’s Natural Rivers Program provides a framework for a local citizens’ watershed committee to identify acceptable components of a Natural Rivers Management Plan specific to each river to protect the natural quality of the river system. It regulates land use and development through zoning rules applied to the river corridor 400 feet from the banks of the river on private land. The Natural Rivers Program was developed to preserve, protect and enhance our state’s finest river systems for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations by allowing property owners their right to reasonable development while protecting Michigan’s unique river resources. The Natural Rivers program is not intended to prevent development, but to foster locally driven solutions for land protection and developmental challenges. While the Natural Rivers program will impact many current river residents and the ways in which they are able to build on their property in the future, the protection it provides to the watershed will conserve use and aesthetic quality of this rare resource for generations to come. Existing structures are ”Grandfathered” and can be maintained in their current condition.
We believe the Little Manistee Rivers deserves the protection of the Michigan Natural Rivers Program and ask that you read the attached Letter of Support and return it to us with your signature for presentation to the Michigan DNR to encourage them to designate the Little Manistee as a Michigan Natural River.
Sincerely,
Armas Soorus, President, Little Manistee Watershed Conservation Council