Shiawassee River App

The Shiawassee River App is now available for download onto smartphones

Officially available at the Apple iTunes Store  May 21, 2013  at 11:00 am

 - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ishiawassee/id639131766?ls=1&mt=8

Article at MLive and Flint Journal with photos-
-
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/05/new_phone_app_guides_paddlers.html
-
-
-

iShiawassee App will Launch May 21, 2013

The iShiawassee App will be available online May 21st, 2013 via the Apple iTunes Store

This allows people to get it on their iPhones before the Memorial Holiday Weekend, 2013

The Shiawassee River Heritage Water Trail starts in Oakland County
at Waterworks Park in Holly, MI and flows to Bay City, MI

Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/shiawassee.app.1?fref=ts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alternate Link

 http://www.michigan-rivers.com/ishiawassee.php

 

-

-

-

Rare species in Oakland County

Rare Species Explorer

All plants and animals located in Oakland County
99 species 

Scientific Name	Common Name	Taxonomic Group
Acris crepitans blanchardi	Blanchard's cricket frog	Amphibians
Agalinis gattingeri	Gattinger's gerardia	Flowering Plants
Alasmidonta marginata	Elktoe	Mussels
Alasmidonta viridis	Slippershell	Mussels
Ammocrypta pellucida	Eastern sand darter	Fish
Ammodramus henslowii	Henslow's sparrow	Birds
Ammodramus savannarum	Grasshopper sparrow	Birds
Amorpha canescens	Leadplant	Flowering Plants
Angelica venenosa	Hairy angelica	Flowering Plants
Arabis missouriensis var. deamii	Missouri rock-cress	Flowering Plants
Aristida longespica	Three-awned grass	Flowering Plants
Asclepias sullivantii	Sullivant's milkweed	Flowering Plants
Asio otus	Long-eared owl	Birds
Astragalus canadensis	Canadian milk vetch	Flowering Plants
Baptisia lactea	White or prairie false indigo	Flowering Plants
Bouteloua curtipendula	Side-oats grama grass	Flowering Plants
Buteo lineatus	Red-shouldered hawk	Birds
Calephelis mutica	Swamp metalmark	Insects
Carex lupuliformis	False hop sedge	Flowering Plants
Carex richardsonii	Richardson's sedge	Flowering Plants
Castanea dentata	American chestnut	Flowering Plants
Catinella protracta	A land snail (no common name)	Snails
Cincinnatia cincinnatiensis	Campeloma spire snail	Snails
Cirsium hillii	Hill's thistle	Flowering Plants
Clemmys guttata	Spotted turtle	Reptiles
Clinostomus elongatus	Redside dace	Fish
Coregonus artedi	Lake herring or Cisco	Fish
Cryptotis parva	Least shrew	Mammals
Cyperus acuminatus	Cyperus, Nut grass	Flowering Plants
Cypripedium candidum	White lady slipper	Flowering Plants
Dendroica cerulea	Cerulean warbler	Birds
Dendroica discolor	Prairie warbler	Birds
Dichanthelium microcarpon	Small-fruited panic-grass	Flowering Plants
Drosera anglica	English sundew	Flowering Plants
Emydoidea blandingii	Blanding's turtle	Reptiles
Epioblasma torulosa rangiana	Northern riffleshell	Mussels
Epioblasma triquetra	Snuffbox	Mussels
Erynnis baptisiae	Wild indigo duskywing	Insects
Euonymus atropurpurea	Wahoo	Flowering Plants
Eupatorium fistulosum	Hollow-stemmed Joe-pye weed	Flowering Plants
Falco peregrinus	Peregrine falcon	Birds
Flexamia huroni	Huron River leafhopper	Insects
Fraxinus profunda	Pumpkin ash	Flowering Plants
Fuirena pumila	Umbrella-grass	Flowering Plants
Galearis spectabilis	Showy orchis	Flowering Plants
Gavia immer	Common loon	Birds
Gentiana puberulenta	Downy gentian	Flowering Plants
Gentianella quinquefolia	Stiff gentian	Flowering Plants
Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Bald eagle	Birds
Hieracium paniculatum	Panicled hawkweed	Flowering Plants
Hybanthus concolor	Green violet	Flowering Plants
Hydrastis canadensis	Goldenseal	Flowering Plants
Jeffersonia diphylla	Twinleaf	Flowering Plants
Lampsilis fasciola	Wavyrayed lampmussel	Mussels
Lepyronia angulifera	Angular spittlebug	Insects
Ligumia recta	Black sandshell	Mussels
Linum sulcatum	Furrowed flax	Flowering Plants
Linum virginianum	Virginia flax	Flowering Plants
Liparis liliifolia	Purple twayblade	Flowering Plants
Meropleon ambifusca	Newman's brocade	Insects
Microtus pinetorum	Woodland vole	Mammals
Morus rubra	Red mulberry	Flowering Plants
Muhlenbergia richardsonis	Mat muhly	Flowering Plants
Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta	Copperbelly water snake	Reptiles
Nicrophorus americanus	American burying beetle	Insects
Notropis anogenus	Pugnose shiner	Fish
Noturus miurus	Brindled madtom	Fish
Oarisma poweshiek	Poweshiek skipperling	Insects
Oecanthus laricis	Tamarack tree cricket	Insects
Oecanthus pini	Pinetree cricket	Insects
Panax quinquefolius	Ginseng	Flowering Plants
Pantherophis spiloides	Gray ratsnake	Reptiles
Papaipema beeriana	Blazing star borer	Insects
Platanthera ciliaris	Orange- or yellow-fringed orchid	Flowering Plants
Platanthera leucophaea	Prairie white-fringed orchid	Flowering Plants
Pleurobema sintoxia	Round pigtoe	Mussels
Poa paludigena	Bog bluegrass	Flowering Plants
Polemonium reptans	Jacob's ladder	Flowering Plants
Potamogeton vaseyi	Vasey's pondweed	Flowering Plants
Prosapia ignipectus	Red-legged spittlebug	Insects
Prosartes maculata	Nodding mandarin	Flowering Plants
Ptychobranchus fasciolaris	Kidney shell	Mussels
Pyrgulopsis letsoni	Gravel pyrg	Snails
Rhynchospora scirpoides	Bald-rush	Flowering Plants
Scirpus clintonii	Clinton's bulrush	Flowering Plants
Sistrurus catenatus catenatus	Eastern massasauga	Reptiles
Speyeria idalia	Regal fritillary	Insects
Sphaerium fabale	River fingernail clam	Fingernail and Pea Clams
Sporobolus heterolepis	Prairie dropseed	Flowering Plants
Terrapene carolina carolina	Eastern box turtle	Reptiles
Toxolasma lividus	Purple lilliput	Mussels
Trichostema dichotomum	Bastard pennyroyal	Flowering Plants
Trillium sessile	Toadshade	Flowering Plants
Utterbackia imbecillis	Paper pondshell	Mussels
Valeriana edulis var. ciliata	Edible valerian	Flowering Plants
Villosa fabalis	Rayed bean	Mussels
Villosa iris	Rainbow	Mussels
Viola pedatifida	Prairie birdfoot violet	Flowering Plants
Wilsonia citrina	Hooded warbler	Birds

For assistance with this site, email mnfi@msu.edu

Howell township hiccup

The Howell Township wastewater treatment facility
collection system discharged about 1,400 gallons
of sanitary sewage into a storm sewer Thursday.

According to a press release, the discharge was
due to a “damaged force main at the intersection
of Grand River Avenue and Burkhart Road.

The damaged force main was discovered around
10:45 a.m. and was “immediately stopped,”
the release stated.

The discharge has been reported to the
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
and the Livingston County Health Department.
.

Looking In at Activity

Always interesting to see who checks out the webpage.
From time to time I see activity from USA Tank Command in Warren,MI

I know in the past, people on the state and federal level have been involved
with various activities along the Shiawassee River in Oakland County

Back when large diesel cranes were doing pipeline work right on the banks
of the Shiawassee River,  I had done some investigation about it all.
Pipeline work continues in many area nearby, hopefully the ecology doesn't suffer.

Melanie Foose - The AOC coordinator at Michigan DEQ - Office of Great Lakes

AOC = area of concern

 http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3313_3677_15430-231293--,00.html

http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3313_3677-287978--,00.html

Pictures of Industrial Cranes a while back
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/45239277

Response from Michigan DNRE rep, Melanie Foose:

The work that you are observing is being conducted by Enbridge and is part of the 6B pipeline that runs from Chicago, through Kalamazoo and up into Ontario.  Several portions of this line have required repair in Oakland County.  Prior to the work, I had walked this site of proposed work for Enbridge, as well as other sites in the county.  I had some concerns regarding the stream, the high quality wetland surrounding the stream – wetland that interestingly enough extends up the hill from the river with a likely groundwater seep, and also some concerns over certain rare species.  We did end up issuing a permit for the work – modified from their original proposal.   I expect that the work is close to finished or even completed by now, as they were hoping to have it done before Christmas.

-Melanie Foose


LOTS of terrritory to cover and only a few people 
to look after all, issue permits and such. A tough job !

-
-

Shiawassee River 2013 events

Some events in 2013 near HeadWaters of the Shiawassee 

For more info -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/111552015554058/events/

May 19 – Holly to Fenton river clean up

May 27 – Memorial Day Moonlight Paddle from Linden to Lake Ponemah,
dinner at Spoonz Lakeside, then paddle back to Linden. Paddles wet at 6:45 p.m.

June 2 – Headwaters Trails Canoe Race and Pleasure Paddle
at Holly WaterWorks Park to Fenton Strom Park.

June 15 – Linden/Argentine river cleanup. Meet at 8 a.m. at Argentine Township Fire Hall. Register with city of Linden at 810-735-7980 or Argentine Township at 810-735-5050.

June 22 – Fenton river cleanup. Meet at 8 a.m. at Fenton's Bush Park. Register with city of Fenton at 810-629-2261 or with Deb McCarty at 810-560-2337

June 24 – Moonlight Paddle Lobdell Lake. Meet at DNR launch in Argentine Township, paddles wet at 6:45 p.m., dinner at Navistar then paddle back to launch.

July 20 – Paddle from Barber Memorial Park in Montrose to Birch Run Road in Taymouth Township. Call Terry at 810-487-0125 for details.

July 22 – Moonlight Paddle from Linden to Lake Ponemah, dinner at Spoonz Lakeside, then paddle back to Linden. Paddles wet at 6:45 p.m.

Aug. 19 - Moonlight Paddle Lobdell Lake. Meet at DNR launch in Argentine Township, paddles wet at 6:45 p.m., dinner at Navistar then paddle back to launch.

Sept. 7 – Flint River Paddle Mitson landing off Flushing Road to River Road landing in Flushing. Call Terry at 810-487-0125 for details.

Sept. 16 – Moonlight Paddle Linden to Lake Ponemah, dinner at Spoonz Lakeside, then paddle back to Linden. Paddles wet at 6:45 p.m.

Sept. 29 – Pre-Canoeing in Color river cleanup from Holly to Fenton. Call Chuck at 248-866-3069.

Oct. 5 – Headwaters Trail Canoeing in Color 1 p.m. Holly Water Works Park to Fenton's Strom Park. Call Sue Julian at 248-388-1313 for details.

Oct. 19 – See the sandhill cranes on Bennett Lake. 1 p.m. meet
at the Deerfield Hills Nature Center.

Trails along Shiawassee River

Posted:   Sunday,   March 10,  2013    9:00 am

 

By CURTIS WILDFONG, 

Argus-Press Staff Writer 

OWOSSO — An informal steering committee has formed in Owosso with the goal of extending
 the planned Friends of the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail (CIS) into the city to 
connect with the James Miner River Walkway that runs along the Shiawassee River
to McCurdy Park in Corunna.
Owosso assistant city manager Adam Zettel, who is part of the committee, said Friday 
the group is considering connecting the CIS trail, the proposal for which calls for it to end
at Priest and Smith roads in Owosso Township, to the river walk that picks up in 
Owosso’s Harmon Patridge Park.

History Lesson - Dugout Canoe

A rare view,  via video footage,  of how one
might make a dug out canoe from a tree.

Dugout Canoes: The Lost Craft of Crusoe Island from Madden Meiners on Vimeo.

Planning meeting - March 7

Keepers of the Shiawassee 
2013 Planning Meeting

When -  Thursday, March 7, 2013

 Time  -   7:00pm

Where - Fenton Community Center
               150 S Leroy St
                Fenton, MI 48430-2601
        
Help plan projects, river cleanups, launch installations
and paddling events. Become involved in the leadership
of this great organization.

https://www.facebook.com/events/537049492982123/


View Larger Map

NEW canoe/kayak launches available in 2013

Argus Press article
Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2013 8:30 am

OWOSSO — Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers and local organizations, the Friends of the Shiawassee River is nearing completion of five canoe launches and landings on the Shiawassee River.

The Friends acquired a $13,200 matching grant from the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network. The funding enabled the organization to construct the launches, install directional signs, and publish a new canoeing and kayaking guide. 

NEW launches are at 

-- Geeck Road Park near Bancroft,

 -- Lytle Road Park east of Corunna,

 -- Voight Loop Trail Park in downtown Owosso, 

-- Henderson Road Park;

 -- a dock/landing is under development in cooperation with DeVries Nature Conservancy.

 Looking forward to getting a copy of that new paddling guide.

 

Friends of the Shiawassee River
P.O. Box 402
Owosso, MI 48867
Phone (989) 723.9062
E-mail info@shiawasseeriver.org

 

 

Do it yourself River Gauges Part II

Mentioned the issue to a local hobby tinker forum
in the Ann Arbor, MI area, full of techie geeky people :-)

A possible scenario- cut/pasted from the discussion
- Perhaps go with IR or ultrasonic sensor to
measure distance to an enclosed float.
A float attached to a rotational encoder might
give a larger range of accurate distances.
- If there's a requirement to use visual verification
of a water line, process the still images locally
(at the collection site) and send data sparingly.
- Cell phone networks will be costly.
You'll probably have to use a consumer cell phone
and data plan which might be a theft target.

The best option may be low-bandwidth mesh network.
There are a variety of XBee radios designed for
embedded use that would work perfectly.
One of them has a 1200m outdoor range using 50mW to transmit.
If your measurement sites are more than 1200m
from a base station, you'd either chain sites
together (and collect measurements from each
while also relaying other sites) or use a more powerful radio.
The max range is rated 80km (yes! 80,000 meters),
but you'll need a high gain antennae, more power
and clear visibility.
Urban ranges are much, much lower.
At the base station you hopefully have power and
better security to connect to the Internet.
If not, use one of the longer range radios
and keep relaying through them until you reach
somewhere you have an Internet connection.
The whole thing will run off a 9V battery,
so a cheap solar panel can power it.

-You can prototype a complete collection site with
an Arduino Uno, XBee, sensor, solar panel and
PVC pipe enclosure for about $150.
-Adding a camera will jump the cost by at least
$50 and you'll have to use a more powerful
micro-controller to process the images.
The fast, new Arduino Due is software compatible
with the Uno, so you can start with the Uno
and upgrade if necessary.
You'll still use the same low-bandwidth radio solution.
It will just take longer to process and transmit,
so it needs more power.

I had hit up the USGS guys for gauges on the
Shiawassee River in Michigan a few years back.
http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2009/07/lindenmichigan-usgs-gauges-on.html

I'm definitely interested in exploring alternatives
to patch a dying USGS network of equipment.

River gauge - viewable on the internet

Happy New Year everyone - it's 2013

Been poking around a website --  http://www.paddling.net
and a discussion doing an internet river gauge on the cheap.

Here is the discussion in full :

""We have the gauge painted on the bridge, and this is the ages-old reference
for paddling this section of the river. What we need, is a way to read the gauge
without having to go all the way to the put-in.

Solar powered webcams are available. These could be wirelessly connected
to a router, if one were close enough, a remote possibility.
More likely, we'd need to use a cell-phone. There is cell service in that area.
I think streaming video over a cell phone would work, but I'm also wary of what
the data charges would be. Of course, we don't need streaming video.
One picture a day would be vastly better than what we have now.
Four pictures a day would be fabulous. The pictures could be uploaded to our
club web site, and we'd have an excellent reference to let us know the river level.

All the technology exists at costs a club could afford. What I don't see readily
available is the combination of solar collector, battery, camera, cell phone,
housing, and software/controller to make it all work.
I feel capable of putting together all but the latter.

At this point, I want to float the idea by my club, to see if the club would
consider funding it, and Maryland DNR, since the remote sending unit
would need to be installed on park property. If those two entities don't
go along with the idea, there is no use in delving further into the problem.

Additionally, several site problems will need to be addressed,
like how to keep the devices from being wiped out in floods, stolen, or vandalized.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

USGS gauges monitored and maintained by the USGS are expensive.
In fact the USGS is looking at reducing their numbers each due due to cost.

Perhaps hobby tinker type folk  could whip up something effective

Custard on Shiawassee River in Fenton ?

The banks of the Shiawassee River in downtown Fenton may soon have
a reason to take a break when paddling. Treats like Salted caramel custard,
and  Faygo Rock ‘N’ Rye ice cream may become available at the old Fire House


http://fenton.patch.com/articles/fenton-fire-hall-developers-have-proposal-for-city-s-old-pump-house

This would make a great start/stop point when paddling on the Shiawassee River .

Map of the Shiawassee River river
http://www.umflint.edu/resources/pdf/outreach/shiawasse-river-trail-map.pdf

-
-
-

2013 Quiet Water Symposium on March 2

Shiawassee River with Mayor of Linden

Linden Mayor David Lossing upon the Shiawassee River

 via the cover of the Michigan Municipal League's magazine

 --- http://www.mml.org/thereview/review-nov-dec2012/

 

WomenInKayaks group paddles Shiawassee

by Doris on October 18, 2012 

 http://womeninkayaks.org/
-
 

Karol, Betty, Cathie, Jan and I paddled the Shiawassee yesterday and had great fun. About half way down (I think we were on the water for about 3 miles at that point) there was a huge tree, with tons of debris, blocking the river. We got all tangled up in the debris and spent quite a bit of time strategizing!
Jan managed to slip into her cockpit and slithered carefully under the tree. After such a great maneuver it wasn’t fair that she was met with tons of debris on the other side and had to get out and pull her boat through it all. The rest of us decided we had better figure out how to get to shore. We made our way through the maze of limbs and somehow managed to find a few spots to get out onto shore. Once on land we had to drag our boats through, up and over more debris and downed trees. We then lodged our boats between two other downed trees that were laying perpendicular into the river, scooted down the limbs and slid into our boats. WOW, it was quite a trick but off we went 30 minutes later. It was great team work and very challenging to know we had to get through… no choice.
The remainder of the paddle was uneventful and lovely. We rewarded ourselves with dinner at the French Laundry in Fenton. Actually, we just about closed the restaurant we had so much to talk about and share.
Karol’s message from this morning sums up the intensity of our outing… “I was so tired that I left my boat on the car, walked in the house, kissed my husband and went to bed!”

Shiatown Dam sediment contains no contaminants

Posted: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 11:00 am |  
Updated: 10:16 am, Wed Oct 3, 2012.

By SALLY YORK, Argus-Press Staff Writer |

SHIAWASSEE TWP. — A new report from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
says there are no contaminants in the sediment near the Shiatown dam, enabling a plan to remove
part or all of the dam to proceed on schedule.
Experts have said the 108-year-old landmark — located on the Shiawassee River at Bennington Road
near Bancroft Road — serves no practical purpose and is in desperate need of extensive repairs that would not be cost-effective.

 http://www.argus-press.com/news/news_local/article_1f3b0066-895f-11e1-83e2-0019bb2963f4.html

-
-
-

Shiatown Dam water levels October 2012

Shiatown Dam: the reservoir behind the dam is being drained.
Workers removed most of the spillways and accumulated debris,
allowing the water level behind the dam to fall in October 2012.

Video of water levels in October
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcTpuxPaVak

The accumulated debris behind the dam has finally been opened up

Autumn 2012 Shiawassee River

Doug Lanyk and myself paddling 7 miles from Holly to Fenton
along the Shiawassee River on October 6, 2012.


-
-
Individual, large, detailed pictures, are shown here: 
https://picasaweb.google.com/108590711667865641354/ShiawasseeFall2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink 
-
-

Shiawassee River Cleanup - Chesaning - Saturday, Oct. 6

Chesaning,MI  folks doing their part to keep the river nice and navigable :

Shiawassee River Cleanup set for Saturday, Oct. 6 | tricountycitizen.mihomepaper.com | The Tri County Citizen

-
-

The Shiawassee Snye ?

A snye is a side-water channel that rejoins a larger river, creating an island.

The word is an Englishing of the Québécois French chenail, `channel.'
Chenail is an Acadian dialect form of the standard continental French word
for water channel, chenal.

 Snye is spelled the way it is in Canadian English because it imitates the
 Quebec pronunciation of chenail, which is shneye, to rhyme with eye.
 Because the second syllable of chenail is stressed hard, in rapid colloquial speech
 the unstressed first syllable of chenail tends to almost disappear,
hence the pronunciation shneye.

A little geography lesson for the 2012 Labor Day weekend.

-
-

August & Sept 2012 Group Paddles on Shiawassee

August

27^th      New addition- By popular request we have added an extra Moonlight paddle on Lobdell Lake. Meet at Navistarz Restaurant on Silver Lake Rd in Argentine for dinner on the deck at 6:30. We will launch for a paddle between 7:30 & 7:45. You can skip dinner and start at the DNR boat launch and meet up with us, we will be passing by on our way to Bennett Lake.

 

September

3^rd       Labor Day Moonlight Paddle Linden Mill Pond

The new Restaurant, Spoonz, has not opened so we will eat upstairs at the Linden Hotel in the Crow’s Nest at 6:30. We’ll launch at the Linden Mill Pond between 7:30-7:45 and paddle to Lake Ponemah, cross the lake to enter Squaw then back to Linden. If you cannot make it for dinner just join us for the paddle.

 

22^rd      The Linden Autumn Festival paddle was a great success last year and should be another fun paddle this year. Meet at the Keepers Launch in Bush Park at 11:30. We’ll spot cars in Linden with everyone ready to launch by12:00. Participants of the paddle can purchase “A Taste in Linden” tickets that day at the pre-event price of $10.

 

Questions, concerns etc. contact the Fenton Area Paddlers

 

 

Yahoo Groups  

 http://groups.yahoo.com/

 

Group Email Addresses

Post message:
Fenton-area-paddlers@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe:
Fenton-area-paddlers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Saturday October 6, 2012 Canoe in Color event

Saturday October 6, 2012 is a group paddle to enjoy the autumn leaf colors on the trees 
while paddling a canoe or kayak along the Shiawassee River from Holly to Fenton

Start Location
WaterWorks Park - 602 Broad Street
Holly, Michigan
United States

Finish Location
Strom Park - 299 S East St
Fenton, Michigan
United States

Contact Sue Julian
Phone 248-388-1313

On Facebook

Headwaterstrails Inc.
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Headwaters-Trails-Inc/354066250140

Keepers of the Shiawassee
https://www.facebook.com/groups/111552015554058/


-
-

Shiawassee River declared OPEN once again !

The Shiawassee River is once again completely navigable via canoe/kayak.

Starting in Oakland County at Holly,MI one can paddle thru to Owosso,MI and on to Bay City.

It had been blocked for decades, but not anymore ! -

Massive Log Jams were finally conquered in Byron/Argentine area allowing easy passage
with minimal portage along the river. Chainsaw crews have worked very hard to open
the river for paddling rec recreation.

Fall color paddling excursions can now enjoy the complete length of the Shiawassee
 - http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2012/08/argentine-river-cleanup-august-12-2012.html
-
-

River maps showing the flow from the south to the north

 http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2011/02/shiawassee-river-maps.html



-

Oil Pipelines and Shiawassee River

 A New Analysis Says Federal Laws Are Inadequate And That States Should
Approve Their Own Laws To Protect The Great Lakes From Pipeline Oil Spills.
 
     The Report Released Yesterday (Monday ) August 2012 By The National Wildlife
Federation And University Of Michigan Law School Comes Nearly Two Years
After An Enbridge Owned Pipeline Ruptured Near Marshall, Michigan Spilling
Over One (M) Million-Gallons Of Oil Into Talmadge Creek And The Kalamazoo
River.
     The Report Found That There Is No Federal Review Of Long-Term Risks
Related To Oil-Pipeline Routing Decisions And That State's Have Done Little,
If Anything To Improve Pipeline Safety.
     The Report Recommends That Changes Be Made At The State And Federal
Level, Including That Pipeline Laws Consider The Effects Of Oil Pipelines On
The Great Lakes Basin, Pipeline Information Be Publicly Available And That
States Regulate Intrastate Pipelines And Participate In Oversight And
Inspection Of Interstate Pipelines.


Some readers may remember the PipeLine work on the Shiawassee River


http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2010/12/update-big-blue-construction-crane-on.html
-
-
 http://www.panoramio.com/photo/45239277

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/45239643
-
-
-
 

Argentine River CleanUp August 12 2012

Keepers of the Shiawassee on FaceBook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/111552015554058/

• • Sunday, August 12, 2012
  • 9:00am until 2:00pm

• South  Duffield  Road  in Argentine Township (yellow line on map is the Shiawassee River flowing under South Duffield Road)

• Headwaters Trails will be sponsoring a river cleanup on Sunday, August 12.  Meet at the bridge on Duffield Rd at 9 AM.  We will spot cars at Meier Rd and plan to stop around 2 PM. The goal is to try to get all the way to the Byron Mill Pond Following the cleanup, participants are invited to Maggie’s house  in Linden to eat. Vegetarian fare will be provided. Please let Chuck Julian know if you plan to come.  You can call him at home, 248-634-3513, at work, 248-335-8785  or on his cell phone 248-866-3069. He doesn’t usually carry his cell phone, so leave a message or email him at chuck.julian AT gcs3d DOT com Chuck Julian will bring a row boat, two chain saws and cables for  securing logs to the banks and a cooler full of drinks.  Please bring tools for trimming (if you have them) such as saws, clippers, long handled trimmers, ax, etc.  It is also good to bring sturdy gloves for picking up trash and long sleeves  if you are going to be helping move brush. Provide your own sun screen and a hat. Bring your own kayak, row boat or canoe for carrying supplies and/or trash.  On the last cleanup, we were loaded to capacity with trash when we got to the end. Please let Chuck know in advance if you can bring a boat,  have room for a passenger or if you need a ride.  He will try to match up people who do not have boats with people who have extra room.

Corunna Dam in bad shape 2012

State of Michigan Press Release - July 30, 2012 - 1:39 pm EDT

Corunna Dam in mid-Michigan at risk of failing;
people should avoid area amid repairs

The state warned people Monday to avoid an area downstream of the
Corunna Dam on the Shiawassee River in mid-Michigan, saying the
structure is at risk of failing.

The state Department of Environmental Quality announced that it planned an
emergency drawdown of water behind the dam, located east of Owosso 
and about 30 miles northeast of Lansing. 
The department said inspections in recent months determined
the structure could fail suddenly.

Repairs are planned, and people are asked to avoid the area until that time. 
The DEQ said its emergency order was issued last week.

"The order calls for immediate drawdown of the impoundment behind the dam 
to reduce an immediate threat to the health, safety, and welfare of downstream residents 
and natural resources resulting from a breach that has formed in the dam's spillway,"
the department said in a statement.

The breach, as it expands, could lead to a sudden failure that would release water 
and sediment downriver, the department said.

The emergency drawdown of water behind the dam was expected to start Monday. 
A full drawdown of the water behind the dam is expected by Aug. 12.

"The public is urged to maintain a safe distance from the dam during this period, 
avoiding the spillway structure and the Shiawassee River channel downstream,"
the department said.

http://www.abc12.com/story/19160667/corunna-dam-fails
-

Pushing the River Trail north July 29, 2012

From: Chuck Julian
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 11:35 AM
Subject: River cleanup results Sunday, July 29, 2012

Photos - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.432235380152385&type=1

Headwaters Trails volunteers met at 9:00 at Bird Road and reopened the river to Duffield Road. We were not able to go further on down the river from Duffield as it was 2:15 when we go there and had only scheduled to work till 2:00. The river is clear for canoes and kayaks at the current water level. This is an area that the tornado went through in 2007. We cut passage ways through the downed trees last year, which took two long work days with a lot of people.

This time, we had 13 people who cut, dragged and tied debris to clear the river as well as trimmed the face slappers. There are a couple of areas that the water is shallow enough that you may need to get out and walk, but most of the river can be navigated by water. We did not clear the river of trees. We cut passage ways through the downed trees and left the logs tied to the banks where possible to provide shore protection and fish habitat. There are very few houses that back up to the river, meaning that it is scenic and has a wild feel to it. All of the turns to go through the passages mean that it is not a boring trip. If the water drops more, there may be some logs that show up which we could not cut this time because they were well below the surface. We would rather not cut them if it is not necessary.

We pulled several car tires plus one over sized tire that must have been on a monster truck or something of that sort, a porcelain toilet, a mail box that had the flag up, though there was no mail in it, various bottles, cans, plastic food wrappers, grating and other miscellaneous debris. We pulled most of the junk we could find out of the river. There is one very old washing machine in the water that we could not get out. There are a few cinder blocks and there was some additional debris in this spot, where the washing machine is at, further up the bank. All of that would be better addressed from the land as opposed to from the river.

Tom Larson, who lives at the river and Duffield Road not only allowed us to take out on his property, he let us drive down to the river to remove our boats and gear and he took all the trash up with his tractor and put it out for pickup. Thank you Tom! After the cleanup, we met at Ricky Ostrowski's house where he, his mother and his grandmother served us hamburgers, fruit salad, pasta salad and lots of hospitality.
I believe that everyone greatly enjoyed the meal and the company.
The river cleanup was a lot of fun and enjoyed by all.

 Many thanks to our wonderful crew, Rex Mathewson, Sue Julian, Steve Hoffman, David Spaine, John MacBeth, Gordon Gillam, Ricky Ostrowski, Burt Bilbrey, Karen Monetta and her friend Mary, and Dennis Terry. Maggie Yerman loaned us a kayak, even though she was not able to come on the cleanup. Karen Monetta has posted photos of the cleanup on her facebook page.

Since we did not get to Byron, we are scheduling another cleanup for Sunday August 12, 2012, starting at 9:00 am and going to 2:00 pm. This time, we will meet at Duffield Road and the river. We will see how far we can get. Again, the goal is to clean all the way to the Byron Mill pond, a distance of about 2.5 miles by river. I don't have any scouting reports that say how bad it is but I can see it potentially taking another cleanup to make it. It would be really great to get it done for this year's paddlers. This will leave the river clear from Waterworks Park in Holly, all the way to Saginaw Bay.

If you can come, please call me or send me an email. If you can come, please let me know if you have a boat or need to ride with someone. Rowboats and canoes are always a plus because of the amount of gear we bring and the amount of junk we pull out of the water. If you have a chainsaw, please bring it. Otherwise, there is plenty of work to do even without a chainsaw. It is best to wear hard soled shoes or boots in the river. You never know what you may step on in water stirred up by a group walking in the water. If it is sunny, you may want sun screen and a hat. Gloves are a good idea because you don't want to get cut by a piece of trash. As usual, I will bring a rowboat, chainsaws, cables for securing logs, a cooler full of drinks for all and a plan to have fun.

 If you live in the area of the cleanup and are willing to host us after the cleanup, please let me know. Headwaters Trails has a meeting Wednesday August 1, 2012 at the Holly Village Council Chambers, starting at 7:00. You are all welcome to come! If you need a new copy of the minutes for the last meeting, please let me know.  

Headwaters Trails, Inc.
 P.O. Box 33 Holly, MI 48442-0033 

Sue Julian, President: 248-634-3513 
Doug Lanyk, Vice-President: 248-634-4551

Headwaterstrails(at)comcast.net
 - - -
----