Responsibility for Massive Mess in Shiawassee County ?

Who decides along the Shiawassee River to clean this up - city, county, state ?

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(click on the picture for a full screen view in high detail)

It is visible on Google Earth satellite views of the Shiawassee River


http://www.panoramio.com/photo/44860767
 (click on the link above to see latitude/longitude)

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who is responsible for keeping the Shiawassee River clean ?

 

Townships, Charter Townships and Cities of Shiawassee County

15 Townships, 1 Charter Township, 5 Cities

Antrim	Bennington	Burns	Caledonia
Corunna (city)	Durand (city)	Fairfield	Hazelton
Laingsburg (city)	Middlebury	New Haven	Owosso (charter township)
Owosso (city)	Perry	Perry (city)	Rush
Sciota	Shiawassee	Venice	Vernon
Woodhull

Cities of Shiawassee County

5 Cities, 6 Villages, 22 Unincorporated Places

Antrim Center	Bancroft (village)	Bennington	Burton
Byron (village)	Carland	Corunna (city)	Durand (city)
Easton	Five Points	Five Points North	Forest Green Estates
Henderson	Hoovers Corners	Juddville	Kerby
Laingsburg (city)	Lennon (village)	Middletown	Morrice (village)
New Haven	New Lothrop (village)	Newburg	Olney Corners
Owosso (city)	Perry (city)	Pittsburg	Shaftsburg
Shiawasseetown	Smith Crossing	Union Plains	Vernon (village)
Wolf Crossing - - Cooperation is key !

Ditch Road rapids on Shiawassee River

Panoramio - Photo of Ditch Road rapids on Shiawassee River
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December kayaking on the Shiawassee

Nothing quite like a December kayak paddle on the Shiawassee River.

http://bit.ly/ShiSnow

Doug Lanyk, Steve Hoffman and myself logged 17 miles on the river between Harmon Partridge Park in Owosso, Michigan and Ditch Road Park near Chesaning, Michigan

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Argentine bridge on Lovejoy Road now open

The Lovejoy Road Bridge in Argentine over the South Branch of Shiawassee River
is now open for traffic after 8 year closure.

It is located between Sheridan and Duffield roads and covers
a 70-foot span over the river.

http://www.mlive.com/fenton/index.ssf/2010/12/lovejoy_road_bridge_in_argenti_1.html

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REI Awards Grant for New Fenton Launch Site

REI Awards Grant for new Kayak and Canoe Launch Site in Fenton,Michigan at Bush Park

On behalf of the newly formed volunteer group promising to look after river issues in the Fenton to Argentine stretch -- Keepers of the Shiawassee -- Headwaters Trials applied for and received a grant in the amount of $3579. It is the plan of Keepers to encourage urban kayaking by developing a short learning paddle river segment around Bush Park in Fenton, Michigan.

http://www.cityoffenton.org/parks/bush.asp

The Fenton Rotary Club has an annual commitment to maintaining and improving that park. They will install an at-grade launch next to the Gazebo which can be accessed from North Leroy street. Then next spring Keepers will grade the banks and create a similar launch site one-eighth of a mile upstream.

Novice paddlers, especially families with children, will be able to practice their canoe or kayak skills from one launch to the other, all within the reach of Bush Park amenities--parking, restrooms, playscape, and picnic areas.

Southern Lakes Parks and Recreation will offer classes for children and adults using this stretch. Collectively, all participants hope to introduce new participants to the river and its possibilities for close to home recreation.

REI is a national outdoor retail co-op with three stores in southeast Michigan--Troy, Northville and Ann Arbor.



http://www.headwaterstrailsinc.org/about_us.htm
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Shiawassee River Launch Sites : Saginaw County, Michigan

Shiawassee River Launch Sites

Saginaw County, Michigan

Miller Road - Shiawassee Flats

From M-46, west of Shields at Miller Road signal, head south to dead end (over 4 miles).

GPS: N 43 21.458, W 84 04.331

St. Charles DNR Ramp - Bad River

Heading south into St. Charles. Turn left at the DNR sign at the bridge.

The ramp is opposite the DNR building, on the river.

GPS: N 43 17.950, W 84 08.471

St. Charles - Bad River, down river site

Heading south into St. Charles, go past the intersection where HWY 52 veers to the west.

Continue south until the road angles west and turns into Chesaning Street (about 4 blocks).

Follow Chesaning St. a block and a half to Hulien Road.

Turn left (east), and proceed to the dead end. Turn left (north), and continue to the river.

Parking is fair. Do not attempt to use this site turning flood times.

GPS: N 43 18.188, W 84.06.587

Oakley (Old Dam Site)

Go through St. Charles on HWY 52, to about 6 blocks east of Oakley.

GPS: 43 08.373, W 84 09.590

Henderson Park

Go through St. Charles on HWY 52, past Oakley to Henderson Road (approximately 15 miles from downtown St. Charles).

Turn right (west) onto Henderson Road, and head into the park.

The park is located at the junction of the river/bridge and Henderson Road.

GPS: 43 05.206, W 84 10.997

 

Originally posted by the nice folks at the East Coast Paddlers group

East Coast Paddlers: Shiawassee River Launch Sites:

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Stream Stabilization & Restoration Guidance Documents

Stream Stabilization & Restoration Guidance Documents

Prepared by: Paul Bijhouwer, P.E., Hydraulic Engineer, CELRB-TD-HD Last Updated: 11/28/2005

Disclaimer: This listing is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute USACE endorsement of the practices described in the references for any specific purposes. The practices of stream stabilization and restoration are highly complex and should only be undertaken under the guidance of experienced licensed professionals. As always, early coordination with agencies having permitting jurisdiction is highly advisable.

SOME INFO may prove more useful than others - poke around and see what fits your needs

HQUSACE Publications

Available at http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/usace-docs

ER 1110-2-1405 Hydraulic Design for Local Flood Protection Projects, 30-Sep-1982

EM 1110-2-1204 Environmental Engineering for Coastal Shore Protection, 10-Jul-1989

EM 1110-2-1205 Environmental Engineering for Local Flood Control Channels, 15-Nov-1989

EM 1110-2-1418 Channel Stability Assessment for Flood Control Projects, 31-Oct-1994

EM 1110-2-1601 Hydraulic Design of Flood Control Channels, 30-Jun-1994

EM 1110-2-1612 Ice Engineering, 30-Oct-2002

EM 1110-2-4000 Sedimentation of Rivers and Reservoirs, 31-Oct-1995

Engineer Research and Development Center Manuals / Reports / Technical Notes

The WES Stream Investigation and Streambank Stabilization Handbook, Oct-1997

ERDC/EL SR-W-00-1 Stream Management, Mar-2000

ERDC-CHL TR-00-15 Effective Discharge Calculation - A Practical Guide, Aug-2000

ERDC/CHL TR-01-28 Hydraulic Design of Stream Restoration Projects, Sep-2001

All downloadable through ERDC Digital Library searches at

http://134.164.46.19/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/0/0/49/1?new_gateway_db=HYPERION

ERDC/CHL CHETN-VIII-4 Effective Discharge Calculation, Dec-2000

ERDC/CHL CHETN-VIII-5 Channel Forming Discharge, Dec-2000

Available at http://chl.erdc.usace.army.mil/CHL.aspx?p=s&a=ARTICLES;370

ERDC TN-EMRRP-SR-29 Stability Thresholds for Stream Restoration Materials, May-2001

Available at http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/emrrp/tnotes.html (with numerous other Stream Restoration tech notes)

Institute for Water Resources

Illustrations of Environmental Engineering Features for Planning, Dec-1998

http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/iwr/pdf/98r08.pdf 

Other (Non-USACE) – General 

Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, processes, and practices, 1998

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/stream_restoration/ 

Comprehensive reference prepared by the Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group

John McCullah’s Environmentally Sensitive Streambank Stabilization

http://www.e-senss.com 
 - Commercial version for purchase

http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=5617
- Freely downloadable public domain version

Contains design guidance, typical details, etc.

David Rosgen guidance / technical papers downloadable from Wildland Hydrology website

http://wildlandhydrology.com/html/references_.html

Guidance on design of j-hooks, cross-vane weirs, etc.

Stream Stabilization & Restoration Guidance Documents
Prepared by: Paul Bijhouwer, P.E., Hydraulic Engineer, CELRB-TD-HD
Last Updated: 11/28/2005 2:11 PM USDA Forest Service – Stream Systems Technology Center

http://www.stream.fs.fed.us 

USDA NRCS National Water Management Center – Regional Hydraulic Geometry Curves

http://wmc.ar.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/HHSWR/Geomorphic/index.html 

North Carolina Stream Restoration Institute

http://www5.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/wqg/sri/presentations.html 

Links to Stream Restoration Design Principles course presentations.
Lots of other educational materials on this site.

Homepage of Douglas Shields of the USDA ARS

Review the online list of his publications.
Many useful publications are available for download at the second link.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=5120

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=7269 

Doyle River Ecosystems Group

Link to the homepage for Martin Doyle, a Geomorphologist involved in river restoration work.

http://www.unc.edu/~mwdoyle 

Link to downloadable version of the excellent paper Design for Stream Restoration, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering 129(3):575-584, 2003, coauthored by Shields, Copeland, Klingeman, Doyle, and Simon. This paper defines a standard of care for hydraulic engineering of river restoration projects, and includes an extensive bibliography of useful references many of which can be Googled from the web.

http://www.unc.edu/~mwdoyle/pdfs/JHERestorationDesign.pdf 

Robert Newbury – Author of publication on design of rocked riffles - Stream Analysis and Fish Habitat Design – A Field Manual, 1993. This publication is available on-line at the ftp site given below. An updated version of the manual was also available for purchase, but is no longer found at the bookstore website. Try contacting Newbury through the website below for more info. Newbury also offers Stream Design courses.

ftp://ftp.lgl.com/pub/ Filename: Stream Analysis.pdf File size: 141 MB

http://www.newbury-hydraulics.com 

USGS National Flood Frequency computer program

http://water.usgs.gov/software/nff.html 

Free software automating computations using the USGS regression procedures for each state (see below)

Other (Non-USACE) – Ohio Specific 

USGS Open File Report 93-135 Estimation of peak-frequency relations, flood hydrographs, and volume-duration-frequency relations of ungaged small urban streams in Ohio, Sherwood, 1993

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/ofr/ofr93135 

USGS Water Resources Investigation Report 03-4164 Techniques for Estimating Flood-Peak Discharges of Rural, Unregulated Streams in Ohio, Koltun, 2003

http://oh.water.usgs.gov/reports/wrir/wrir03-4164.pdf 

USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4068 Techniques for Estimating Selected Streamflow Characteristics of Rural, Unregulated Streams in Ohio

http://oh.water.usgs.gov/reports/Abstracts/wrir02-4068.html 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources / Ohio State University STREAM website

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/soilandwater/streammorphology.htm

Natural Channel Design aids in Excel format

Prepared by: Paul Bijhouwer, P.E., Hydraulic Engineer, CELRB-TD-HD
Last Updated: 11/28/2005 2:11 PM
 
Other (Non-USACE) – New York Specific 

USGS Project 2457-A29-1 – Regionalization of Channel Geomorphology Characteristics for Streams of New York State, Excluding Long Island. This page describes the USGS effort currently underway to develop regional hydraulic geometry curves for the various hydrologic regions of NY.
Includes links to the completed publications.

http://ny.cf.er.usgs.gov/nyprojectsearch/projects/2457-A29-1.html 

USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 90-4197
– Regionalization of Flood Discharges of Rural, Unregulated Streams in New York, Excluding Long Island

http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri904197

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Americans Vote Yes For Conservation - Science

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Despite tough economy, people want to fund land and water protection

Americans Vote Yes For Conservation - Science

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Corunna discovers it doesn’t own troubled dam

City of Corrunna does not own the dam on the Shiawassee River

See Article in the Argus News

The Argus-Press: News - Corunna discovers it likely doesn’t own troubled dam

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Corunna officials frustrated by state

Corruna council members ultimately approved filing a permit application to draw down the impoundment and abandon the dam.

The Argus-Press: News - Corunna officials frustrated by state

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DDA plan outlines projects for next 15 years

Shiawassee Riverwalk, a walkway on both sides of the river from Rackham Park toward Bush Park, $500,000.

Canoe Launches, two, accessing the Shiawassee River and Fenton Mill Pond, $160,000.


Tri-County Times > Archives > News > Local > DDA plan outlines projects for next 15 years

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Examiner publishing and I part ways

I gave the Examiner a shot for about a year , writing a variety of articles relating to kayaking, paddling, etc. - it has come to an end. No new published articles.

 The articles still appear at -----  http://www.examiner.com/kayaking-in-detroit/willi-gutmann

The reality of it all is that Examiner just doesn't pay for the time most writers will put into their stories.  By the time you get a story idea in your head, to the time you research some facts, find some pictures and videos, and then edit it all and publish - you're already on the dark side of the cold moon to recoup any costs.  Forget about getting into the Google News feeds.  Google and Examiner.Com don't play nice with each other any more. Examiner.Com has a rule about waiting until after an event happens for it to be considered news.  Absolutely no promotion of an event as a news feed before the event takes place is poor business.  Writing about an event as commentary, advice, opinion, etc. ; sure that was okay; but forget about getting into a news feed for large pageviews. Forget about Press passes because Examiner is not considered the press.  Each writer is an Independent Contractor, taking any liability responsibility off of the Examiner.

Examiner .com used to pay around a penny a pageview back in late 2009. After restructuring their platform and adding a tremendous amount of advertising to every millimeter of the webpage, payouts dropped to 7/10 of a cent per pageview.  In order to make $25.00 a month, I needed to generate enough interest in my work to get 3,500 pageviews, or roughly 120 page views per day , each and every day. Pretty damn tough with this paddling topic in the greater metropolitan Detroit area of Michigan. Writing daily for fresh new stories while staying laser focused on your topic and specific city venue  is damn tough.  Over a 12 month period (365 days)  I published around 200 articles and made a total of about $250.  The pay per pageview varies and fluctuates - please don't think it's locked at a specific number. Based on a black box of variables - time spent on the webpage, number of subscribers, number of clicks, etc., etc. it averages out to something like 7/10 of a cent a pageview. Some days are a lot less, some days are a teensy tiny bit more. No consistency at all on pay.

Examiner.Com does a great job at selling a dream but they don't deliver on it. Please be wary of thinking you'll be able to pay any of your bills by writing for them. You won't. People have extremely short attention spans on the internet, and unless you stuff every articles with pictures of celebrities, fashion, gossip, drama and hype, the pageviews just aren't there within the Examiner.Com. Getting on the front page and staying there for more than 15 minutes, forget about it. You'll get 15 seconds max,  and then be banished under some drop down menu into obscurity .  Even the super hardcore news websites are struggling to stay afloat.

Examiner .com does absolutely zero, nada, nothing, to promote any writer on the internet. ALL they do is provide a platform upon which someone can write about a topic. That's it. No more. Each and every pageview is a hard earned effort, scraped out out of every corner of the internet, bordering upon spamming all your known contacts, their friends, their contacts and for what - around $25.00 a month. Some months were a bit more with monetary incentives to write local articles and write daily. ROI is laughable.

I started writing on Examiner.com because I had a ton of info built up over 10 years + of scanning the web for paddling info on a massive variety of topics, issues, concerns, etc.  I felt I had something to offer from a unique perspective and definitely did not want to write Kayaking 101 articles every day.

I learned an awful lot in the beginning,  by paddling often with those more experienced than myself. Paddling is a learned skill, it is not inherent to our DNA at birth. No one "just knows how to paddle".  Acquiring good technique, situational judgment  , accurately determining if you are in over your head,  truly knowing the scope of your abilities, takes time in the cockpit with a paddle in your hand. Finding a paddling group that fosters an environment for learning plays a big role in evolving forward as a paddler.

Learning never stops ...we evolve as we move through life.
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Examiner has fallen, and that's a fact proven by worldwide internet pageviews
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Canoeing in Color: October 2, 2010

Canoeing in Color -- October 2, 2010

 

Come celebrate the Shiawassee River this fall on Saturday, October 2nd. 

Bring your canoe or kayak to WaterWorks Park in Holly on South Broad Street. 

We'll set off around 1:00pm or a little later if that suits your schedule. 

Heavner Canoes will again be on site offering rentals and shuttles 

North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy will co-sponsor this event, 

and give you a guide to preservation sites along the way. 

The three-four hour paddle could be heavenly, or the weather could be chilly, 

so plan accordingly. 

For more information, call 248-634-3513 (Sue Julian).

2008 Shiawassee Fall Color Tour Paddle

Another successful push forward - river cleanup

As told by Chuck Julian - Headwaters Trails Volunteer

The river cleanup went well on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2010.  We had 12 people put in at Hogan Road and take out at McCaslin Lake Road.  We cut one big tree and a couple of small ones, trimmed some face slappers and pulled a lot of trash out of the river (We lost two orange log cutting wedges at the newly cut big tree, let me know if you find them.  The water was a little to stirred up for us to see them once they hit bottom).  We started at 9 and finished at 2:30.  Afterward, we were served dinner at Ricky Ostrowski's house, played a game he called Polish horse shoes and enjoyed ourselves with each other's company.  We were able to transport the trash to the Argentine dumpster with the exception of the tires.  At this point, we are not sure what to do with them.  Thank you to everyone who came and thank you to Doug and Kristy Fairbanks for loaning us four canoes, their van and trailer.  We would not have been able to transport the all the trash without them.  Debbie McCarty transported the trash to Argentine, only then to have her water pump fail in her truck.  The recent rain has brought the river up a foot or more, so if it goes down again, there may be logs that need to be cut.

At the current river level, the Shiawassee River is clear from Water Works Park in Holly, to Bird Road in Argentine.  I am told that the stretch downstream from Bird needs a lot of work but that will have to wait till next summer.  Now is the time to enjoy the river.  The fall colors are just starting to come out.  Migrating ducks, Sand Hill Cranes and Blue Heron abound on the river.  It is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the natural beauty.

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Music and kayaking - Detroit Kayaking | Examiner.com

Music and kayaking - Detroit Kayaking | Examiner.com

Maps, maps, and more maps Shiawassee River

People are always looking for maps of the river - so here ya' go :

http://www.geonames.org/maps/bkm11190

http://willih2o.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/new-shiawassee-river-map.jpg

http://tiny.cc/Shiawassee

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNn6jaxg5dg94t1wLhdWUDzIspjMPrNjQ1p4Asrgvmnb9hnUEoAlTiyG05z_mrzt52Iq1T0gKhrXTi2d4Yp4zecFnxTng_X_WqHO3JaDd-qppsVpsIf0zPRn3GaNXu6OIQ6L3Uw/s1600-h/River+Map.jpg

http://www.headwaterstrailsinc.org/images/ShiawasseeRiverMap.jpg

http://www.headwaterstrailsinc.org/images/SE_Michigan_Inset_Map.jpg

http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2007/10/map-for-shiawassee-river.html#links

http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2008/10/maps-along-shiawassee-river.html

http://www.oakgov.com/peds/assets/docs/es_docs/rg_shiawassee_map.pdf

http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2009/09/shiawassee-river-map.html

http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2008/08/put-in-at-bush-park-in-fenton.html

I'm sure a few other maps exist, I'll keep looking and post them here
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Shiawassee River walk on Labor Day weekend

More than 200 people attended the seventh annual event, which started on the Owosso Heritage Footbridge,
went along the scenic Shiawassee River, and ended in Corunna, Michigan


Hundreds in Mid-Michigan celebrated Labor Day by lacing up and hitting the roads | abc12.com
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Fix wet electronic kayaking gear with Silica Gel

We all have family and friends that own and use a variety of cellphones, mp3, gps, camera, watches, remote key fobs, etc. Inevitable some of those items get wet, dropped in the pool, the toilet, a puddle or perhaps dockside as someone launches a kayak.

Dry them out with a bit of silica gel and a zip lock bag

http://www.examiner.com/kayaking-in-detroit/fix-wet-electronic-kayaking-gear

Pics from Headwaters Trails Shiawassee River CleanUp 8/29/10

Pictures taken of many volunteers who gave their personal time to make the river a gem

Facebook | Headwaters Trails Shiawassee River Clean-up 8/29/10

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Coast Guard launches "Paddles Up Great Lakes" campaign

"Paddles Up Great Lakes"  is an educational outreach campaign aimed at raising safe boating awareness among the region's paddlesports community.

 http://www.examiner.com/kayaking-in-detroit/coast-guard-launches-paddles-up-great-lakes-campaign

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Another successful clean-up maintenance day on the Shiawassee River

HeadWatersTrails / Keepers of the Shiawassee  had a very productive river-cleanup day Sunday August 29th.

With a crew of 20 people pitching in personal gear along with canoes from  Fairbanks Canoes & Kayaks;
a good deal of trash and deadfall woody debris was removed from the Shiawassee River.
Low water levels made for tough paddling conditions but allowed for easier chainsaw access to fallen trees.
Many, many thanks to Karen Monetta who graciously fed the crew back at her house after a very long day on the water.

I'll attach pictures as they filter in during the week.  Everyone was just plain beat and went to bed very late last night.
Many had to go into work this Monday morning.
Uploading photos from cell phones, cameras, etc. was just not happening from anyone until they got some rest and recovered.

Volunteers make it all happen ! They are the ones who have made the river into a beautiful paddling destination.

 Keepers of the Shiawassee  - and HeadWatersTrails     - are a great way to help out

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$500,000 grant for Shiawassee River project

Posted: Saturday, August 28, 2010 12:00 pm

JULIANNE MATTERA, Argus-Press Staff Writer 

OWOSSO —

The Shiawassee River is about to get a little healthier thanks to a hefty dose of federal funds.
The Shiawassee Conservation District recently received a $500,000 grant from the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil and Sediment Control, a program through the Great Lakes Commission, to fund the Mid-Shiawassee River Watershed Sediment Reduction Project — a three-year program that will focus on reducing sediment erosion into the Shiawassee River.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the Shiawassee Conservation District in obtaining this prestigious grant,” State Rep. Richard Ball stated in a press release. “I am very excited to see their efforts in addressing these natural resource concerns in the Shiawassee River Watershed and improving Michigan’s Great Lakes.”
The Mid-Shiawassee River Watershed Sediment Reduction Project will focus on areas along the Mid-Shiawassee River Watershed that are known contributors of significant amounts of sediment into the river. The Shiawassee Conservation District will be working with a private landowner, the Shiawassee County Drain Commission and the city of Owosso in tackling three large-scale stream bank stabilization projects in tributaries that directly contribute water to the Shiawassee River, said Andrea Berry, Watershed Technician with the Shiawassee Conservation District.
Berry added many of these area drainage sites were installed years ago with the intention of getting water out of the area as quickly as possible, but unintended side effects such as soil erosion have occurred overtime.
“They’re losing soil and causing sediment to go over to the river,” Berry said. “The reason why that’s bad is because sediment can have different toxins attached to it like oils, chemicals, pesticides or fertilizers...and that becomes attached to the sediment and that is then delivered downstream to the river. And it effects fish and wildlife habitat and also can effect water quality so that the water isn’t safe for people to use.”
Additionally, the district plans to work with Baker College to do an educational project focusing on making the college’s storm water retention pond a more efficient system, Berry said.
The Mid-Shiawassee River Watershed Sediment Reduction Project will also include an investigational incentive program involving the application of a powder called gypsum on soil to encourage water infiltration in clay-based agricultural soils and, in turn, reduce soil loss, according to the press release.
“We’re really only focusing on 1,500 acres and working with partners to get the use of gypsum on these fields,” Berry said. “The application of gypsum to clay soil increases infiltration potential resulting in less runoff and therefore less soil loss from the field.”
Planning for the projects will begin in October, but implementation of the projects won’t begin until Spring 2011 at the earliest, Berry said. A kick-off event for the project is also scheduled for October, and the public will be invited.
Berry added the Shiawassee River has a long history of pollution-related issues, and reducing sediment erosion and polluted water runoff is just another part of making the river and other waterways in the county more healthy.
“By having a cleaner and healthier river, people will be able to use it more and not have the risks (associated with polluted water),” Berry said, adding cleaning up the pollutants in the river can better fish and wild life habitat, as well as improve people’s perception of the river, increase tourism in the area and  better the local economy. “The river is a big part of Shiawassee County and having these practices and this program addressing issues that have been ongoing for years and years will help to improve the quality of, not only the river, but the tributaries of the Shiawassee River...In downstream areas, it all ends up in the Great Lakes. So not only are we improving our community, but we’re improving communities all along the river and throughout the Great Lakes Basin.”

CleanUp - Sunday August 29, 2010 at 9am Waterworks Park Holly MI

Headwaters Trails will be having a cleanup of the Shiawassee River on Sunday August 29, 2010.

We will meet in Holly at Waterworks Park on Broad Street at 9:00 am and go till 4 pm.

We plan to first clean the stretch of River between Bush Park and Torrey Road then jump to the section between McCaslin Lake Road and Bird Road in Argentine Township.  That section of the river had many trees down in it with some log jambs.  We cleaned out much of that on August 15th.  Now we need to complete that section and maybe go on below Bird Road.  Rex and Maggie suggest that we start at Torrey Road and work up stream due to the low water.  We could then go to get the blockage just below McCaslin Lake Road starting from McCaslin Lake Road, then pull out again at McCaslin Lake Road and move on down to Bird Road to go down stream.   

With this, the river will be open from Waterworks Park to Bird Road in Argentine. 
We will only have two more miles to go to get to the Byron Mill Pond.

Please join us if you are able to.
We need people with chain saws as well as boats to transport those saws and other supplies on the river. 
You are still welcome and encouraged to come along even if you have neither.  Once the trees are cut, they need to be anchored along the banks to provide shore protection and fish habitat.  We will also pick up any trash we are able to.

Wear shoes or boots that you don't mind getting wet.  A hat and safety glasses are also a good idea. 

We plan to work on the river rain or shine. 

Call me if you have any questions.
I would also appreciate knowing if we should be expecting you to come by email or phone.

My home phone number is 248-634-3513.
If I am not home, leave a message on the machine and I will get back to you.

If you are not able to come for the full day, please call me on my cell phone when you are ready to leave
and I can tell you where to meet us.
248-866-3069.  Normally, my home phone is best.  I leave the cell phone in my car.

We had a great time with a great group of people on August 15th.
I hope you can make it to help us out again.

Chuck Julian


Waterworks Park is in Holly, MI.


Torry Road crosses the river just below Long Lake Road.  We would park in an unused
parking lot on Long Lake Road.



Bird Road Bridge is on Bird Road just north of Silver Lake Rd. in Argentine Township.  If you take
Silver Lake out of Fenton, go through Linden.  The next town is Argentine.  Bird road is west
of town.  McCaslin Lake Road is between the town of Argentine and Bird Road.
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CleanUps: Volunteers make it all happen

A group of us attacked the debris in the river between McCaslin Lake Rd. and Bird road.  We got a lot done and had a good time at it.  Steve Hoffman thinks that there is only one major blockage in the river left in that stretch.  It is near McCaslin.  We started at Bird and worked our way up stream.  We also cleaned out the debris between Water Works Park and Fish Lake Road.  We started at 9 and finished at 6.  We could have used a couple of more canoes.  That flat bottom boat is a bear to paddle.  After that, some of us went to Maggie's house and she fed us.  I had to leave early because my legs were cramping from walking in the river.  There is more to be done down stream from Bird Road.  That will have to wait for another time.  I'm sure we will talk about it this Thursday at O'Mally's.  We would have finished that last blockage but we didn't want you to feel left out.  : )  Maggie did not find volunteers to clean out the section from Bush Park to US-23.  We will also need to tackle that.  The water was quite low, so we didn't have trouble reaching any of the trees and they weren't too far under water to make them impossible to cut.  There is also a lot more trash in the river.  We brought all we could carry.  We used the plastic wedges when cutting trees suspended over the river.  That worked really well.  The hard part was finding the wedges after the log dropped in the river.  We had to wait for the water to clear.  The water was also really warm.  We encountered a snake swimming in the river and after looking at photos on the web, I think it was a northern water snake.  There were several small mouth bass swimming near the bridge.  We thought they might be trout, but a fellow living on the river assured us that they were small mouth bass.  They were only around ten inches long.  With the condition of the river, I doubt that very many people have fished that stretch.  Four of the people who promised to come, didn't show up but we still had enough people, six guys, two women and two teens.  We only drowned one chainsaw, when Rex cut a limb, got the saw stuck in it and then dropped it in the river.  It didn't appear to be damaged, just full of water.

Chuck
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Corunna seeks hearing with state over dam

Corunna seeks hearing with state over dam

Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 12:00 pm

By JULIANNE MATTERA, Argus-Press Staff Writer | 1 comment

CORUNNA — Following a series of correspondence between the city and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Environment concerning the future of the Shiawassee River dam, the Corunna City Council voted Monday to set up an administrative appeal hearing with the DNRE over what to do with the aging dam.

“It’s part of the administrative procedures that we have to follow to protest. Next step is if we can go to circuit court we could sue the state. Not saying that we want to, not saying we’re going to, but it’s not even an option until we’ve done the first step,” City Manger Joe Sawyer said, adding he hopes the disagreement between the DNRE and the city will be resolved at the administrative hearing. “The lower level that we can resolve things at, the better obviously.”

There is no date scheduled for a hearing.

According to the Shiawassee history website, the Corunna dam was constructed in the mid-1800s to provide power for a grist mill. The dam consists of a 200-foot wide overflow spillway with a 25-foot wide stoplog bay section located adjacent to the right abutment (west side of river). The dam has a height of 10 feet, a normal head of 7 feet and creates an impoundment with a surface area of about 17 acres.

The dam has been the site of several drownings in the last 150 years. The most recent fatal drowning took place in 2008.

Since the DNRE ordered the city to draw down the Shiawassee River dam and address its deficiencies in December 2009, the city and the DNRE have mainly corresponded by letter in the process of trying to resolve what work the dam requires.

Relying on recent reports from engineer Gary Croskey and those from more than 30 years ago, the city felt allowing the dam to deteriorate naturally does not pose a hazard to homes downstream, Sawyer said. Conversely, a review by Croskey indicated a “draw down to the impoundment would create more hazards than it would alleviate,” Sawyer wrote in a letter to the DNRE.

Yet, the DNRE has repeated its order to draw down the dam and present the state with a long-term plan for repairing the structure, removing it or building rapids or a dam in its place, Sawyer said.

“Now the long-term plan, that part of it we really can’t address until after November because we have to know, ‘Do we have any financial wherewithal to replace, repair or to build?’” Sawyer said, referring to the city improvement millage appearing on the November ballot, which would allocate funds to repairing, improving or replace the dam. “The state, realistically, they know that a long-term plan is potentially a one-, two-, three-year process to get there.”

If residents vote against the millage during the November election, the city will lack the funding to repair the dam and will resort to the cheapest possible option, Sawyer said.

Speaking about the city’s most recent correspondence with the DNRE, Sawyer said the DNRE’s letter in July was “frustrating.”

After sending a letter to the DNRE in June including Croskey’s engineering analysis of the dam, as well as questions regarding the DNRE’s analysis of the dam and potential impacts of a draw-down, the city received a short letter from the DNRE in July requesting the city submit a plan and schedule for fixing the deteriorating dam.

“They seemed to ignore many of our questions and many of our concerns,” Sawyer said. “They seemed to just write them off. In one point in the letter they suggest that if we have these concerns, we should hire an engineer to evaluate them.”

But Byron Lane, chief of the dam safety program at the Michigan DNRE, said he felt the letter adequately addressed the city’s concerns while advising the city of its obligations under the law.

“We have an obligation to enforce the statue, and the fact that someone asks a question doesn’t mean we have an obligation to respond to it,” Lane said. “If they have a legitimate question then sure, we will respond to it and clarify the law but, as you might guess, with 1,300 regulated dams in the state, we can’t afford to answer every question, every phone call, every letter we get. We do the best we can to provide accurate relevant information, but that aside, we can’t fulfill every request.”

Now, with the city council’s approval to seek the administrative hearing, there’s a chance the city and the DNRE will be able to work out their differences in court.

“One thing about juries is they believe in fairness, and I think we definitely can demonstrate they’re not being fair to Corunna,” Sawyer said.

Posted in Corunna, News local on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 12:00 pm

Fenton kayak launch in Millpond Park

 This would be awesome and well recieved by many paddlers

Fenton Downtown Development Authority considering installing kayak launch in Millpond Park (with poll) | MLive.com

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Recent events

Discover the Shiawassee River By Pam Elder
We share our love of the water with a new group that has formed, Keepers of the Shiawassee. The Keepers started as a way to
continue the effort to develop the river as a paddling trail with river cleanups and safe kayak landing sites on the Shiawassee River
in Genesee County.
The Keepers help support the Shiawassee River Heritage Water Trail which goes through our lakes. It enters by the sandbar in
Lake Ponemah and exits in Tupper Lake.
The trail was a vision of the Headwater Trails group from Holly. They hoped to create a designated water trail in Oakland County.
The Keepers have helped to extend the trail through Genesee County. The water trail would not stop in Genesee County. The
development and promotion of the river is supported by Friends of the Shiawassee River in Shiawassee County. These three
groups hope to see a paddling trail that’s almost 100 miles long from Holly all the way to the Shiawassee Flats. The trail begins at
Water Works Park in Holly.
Recently a moonlight paddle was held when a group of 30 kayakers paddled from the Linden Mill Pond to TeeBonez to have
dinner and then paddled back to the Mill Pond in the light of the moon. The group had so much fun that they plan to repeat the
event in August.
They meet on the third Thursday of every month at O’Malley’s Galley on Owen Road. Check out their website,
www.keepersoftheshiawassee.com or join them on Facebook to find their next event. Southern Lakes Parks and Recreation has
been providing administrative support to the group and information on events can also be found on their website www.slpr.net.

Cleanup Saturday, 31 July 2010,

Shiawassee River Cleanup!
Saturday, 31 July 2010, 9:00am - 12:00pm
Join in on this long standing community tradition to care for and celebrate our River! Volunteers will meet at 9 am in Owosso, Corunna, Henderson and near Vernon and work until noon. Participants recieve a free t-shirt, compliments of Chemical Bank, and lunch from Mancino's of Owosso! Also, help search for the strangest item or find something for our first Reclaimed Art Contest. Volunteer and community service hours are welcome! Please contact 989-723-9062  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Thank you to our sponsors!! Visit ShiawasseeRiver.org for more info!
Location : Owosso, Corunna, Henderson, near Vernon, along Shiawassee River Contact : ShiawasseeRiver.org

Map Shiawassee River Heritage Water Trail

CLICK on the picture to enlarge

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Sara has done an extraordinary job of compiling info
and pushing the project forwards for many years now.

Sara McDonnell
Program Coordinator
University Outreach
V: 810.424.5489
F: 810.424.5484

University of Michigan - Flint
432 N. Saginaw St., Suite 1001
Flint, MI 48502-1950
www.umflint.edu/outreach
http://blogs.umflint.edu/outreach

Many others are involved as well,  

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Buying a kid's kayak

Buying a kid's kayak

Detroit metropolitan water levels are low

Local water levels are low

New children's book focusing on kayaking

Get children involved from an early age -- http://bit.ly/KidsKayakingBook

Kayak Anna and the Palindrome Creek authored by Lina Lukashevich takes a
refreshing twist with sales of this book going towards providing
clean, safe drinking water for children.

Chesaning,Michigan hosts canoe kayak paddle race July 10 2010

Published: Sunday, July 04, 2010, 4:26 PM
Liz Shaw | Flint Journal Liz Shaw | Flint Journal

Chesaning, Michigan - Both experienced competitors and novice pleasure paddlers
are invited to the Parshallburg to Chesaning Paddle Race for canoes and kayaks
on the Shiawassee River, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. July 10.

Participants will unload their canoes and kayaks in the morning at Parshallburg Park,
with shuttle service back to the put-in point from Chesaning at 9 a.m.

Separate race classes will go out in intervals, with the pleasure paddle putting in at 11 a.m
Race results and awards will be announced at 1-2 p.m. with the final river sweep at 5 p.m.

Pre-registration is $15 with a t-shirt or $10 without.
Day-of-race registrations are $15 and do not include a t-shirt.
Pleasure paddlers are $8 for pre-registration or $12 on the day of the event.
Paddlers under age 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
Senior canoe teams must be at least 100 years in combined age.


Details: (989) 845-5706 or e-mail: chesaningriverrace@hotmail.com.
Registration forms and mail-in information are available
at www.chesaningshowboat.org
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Sun damage to kayak

Beware of the sun's harmful rays on your boat

http://bit.ly/UVdamage
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Canoe livery on Shiawassee River in Holly, Fenton, Linden area

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Canoe and Kayak Livery for Shiawassee River in Holly, Fenton, Linden area


Fairbanks Canoes & Kayaks

Linden, Michigan

(810) 287-9618‎

Email‎: fairbankscanoesandkayaks AT gmail.com‎

Area served‎: Linden, MI, and locations within 25 miles‎
http://bit.ly/FairbanksCanoe

Payment Accepted‎: Check‎‎, Traveler's Check‎‎, Cash‎

Spotting Service For Those W/ Their Own Boats‎: Yes

People can now rent a canoe or kayak locally and have fun on the Shiawassee River

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Keepers of the Shiawassee - new web page

A new webpage has been created - new content, new people, fresh ideas

Keepers of the Shiawassee - About



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River cleanup - Argentine Byron area

Volunteers pitch in for river cleanup
Tri-County Times -Published: Friday, June 25, 2010 5:25 PM EDT

Linden — Nearly 50 volunteers, from age 7 to 70-plus, were part of the recent
Linden/Argentine Shiawassee River cleanup on Saturday, June 19.
It was an early start for the cooks, Teresa Ciesielski, Laura Capua, Tom Brooks
and Tom Hallman, all from Argentine Township. They arrived at the fire hall by
6:30 a.m. to brew coffee and cook a pancake and sausage breakfast for the volunteers.

Volunteers brought chainsaws and hand tools to clear a path through fallen trees
from downtown Linden to Bird Road in Argentine Township.
Doug and Kristy Fairbanks of Fairbanks Canoes and Kayaks brought six canoes
and one kayak to help transport people, carry equipment and haul trash plucked up
from the riverbanks and bottom.
Tom and Kim Kimble, with Ann Kuehn, cut a passage through two downed trees
between Rolston and Hogan roads.

Tom and Cheryl Rex headed another group, from McCaslin Lake Road
to Bird Road in Argentine Township. Their crew was able to cut chunks large
enough for canoes to pass through out of five trees, but had to leave six or
more giants that were too big for their equipment.

A third crew, the Men’s Group from Hope Lutheran Church in Argentine Township,
cleared the river from Hogan Road to the Steibel farm, across from Linden High School.
Dale Kuehn, group leader, was ready to attack one remaining tree on Sunday,
but when he and his wife, Ann, returned to the river, someone else had already cut a gap in the log.

While saws were buzzing in different areas of the river, another couple dozen people,
including Linden Mayor David Lossing and his wife, Suzanne, were walking the roadways
and river picking up trash. In addition to bags of litter and building supplies,
a battered green recliner was removed from the McCaslin Lake Road launch site.
More bags of trash, tires, plastic and glass containers, a plastic rocking horse
and more were removed from the water downstream from Linden.
 
Steve Mammel, from Linden’s Green Team, son Nick and teammates,
Lisa and Cory Brazzil and John Hohman tore apart a logjam that challenged recent paddlers.
Volunteers also found two old metal signs covered in zebra mussels, an invasive species
that negatively affects the health of the river.

The day ended with a pizza lunch hosted by Jill Flewelling and assisted by the
Loose Senior Citizen Center Angels, at Linden Academy of Dance and Music.
Volunteers, wet, muddy and hungry, trickled in.
Though tired, they talked about wanting to come back to “finish the job.”
The six or more trees between McCaslin Lake Road and Bird Road will
need large, long-bladed chain saws.

From there, it is on to Byron.

When complete, 30-plus miles of the Shiawassee River Heritage Water Trail
will be open for paddlers from the trailhead at Holly’s Waterworks Park
in Oakland County to the Byron Mill Pond in Shiawassee County.

Clearing the Shiawassee River near Argentine, Michigan

CLICK on the picture for full size view
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http://bit.ly/BirdRoad

A large crew (over 30 people) came out mid-June to clean up and clear the river towards Bird Road.
Some ran chainsaws while others picked garbage and took down brush, aiding paddling recreation in the area.

It will take some diligence, perseverance and motivation to nibble away at the fallen trees blocking the river.
It's great to see people taking an active interest in maintaining such a great resource in Genesee County.

Keepers of the Shiawassee are always looking for volunteers,  chainsaws are always welcome.
-look for the group on facebook
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Kayaks and electric chickens

Kayaks and electric chickens
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Shiawassee River fishing derby June 13 2010

FISHING DERBY
JUNE 13
(FREE FISHING WEEKEND—no license needed—EARLY START 6am)
SHIAWASSEE RIVER



Guaranteed Cash and other Prizes for largest legal & live:
Northern Pike Large Mouth Bass Small Mouth Bass


This contest is also a fundraiser to develop a new landing site on Fish Lake Rd., Holly Township.
We need match money to get grants.
Help us reach our goal.

$20 per ticket Minimum $50 prize Per category

Half the money goes to the landing construction.
The rest will be split amongst the winners of the 3 categories.
Donated merchandise will be assigned to categories at the beginning of the contest.

6 AM: Buy tickets and launch at Waterworks Park, Holly, Michigan
Noon: Weigh in at Strom Park, Fenton, Michigan

All boats must launch at Waterworks Park (opposite the Millpond on S. Broad St.)
Michigan boating and fishing laws must be followed.

Spotting of vehicles and return rides will be available.

River is shallow and narrow in areas! Motors may be very difficult to use!



Sponsored by www.headwaterstrails.org

For more information call Douglas at 248-634-4551
dslanyk AT comcast.net

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Pics from June 6, 2010 Annual Shiawassee River Paddle Event

CLICK on the picture with your mouse to view 100's of photo's taken
from the June 6, 2010 Annual Shiawassee River Paddle Event


Over 500 pics taken - plenty to look at

http://picasaweb.google.com/ericeffingclark/RaceFolder#

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Shiawassee River June 6th, 2010 Canoe Kayak Race and Fun Paddle

Holly to Fenton Canoe/Kayak Race & Pleasure Paddle

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Paddle 7 Miles from WaterWorks Park in Holly to Strom Park in Fenton

Mail Registration
http://www.headwaterstrailsinc.org/RiverRaceregistrationform2010.doc

PUT-IN
-WaterWorks Park -
602 South Broad St, Holly, MI 48442-1674

TAKE-OUT
--Strom Park--
299 South East Street, Fenton,MI
near the East Street Bridge.

Schedule:
10:00 am On-site registration begins
11:30 am Introductory Ceremony
11:45 am Experienced Canoeists
12:15 pm Novice/Youth Canoeists
12:45 pm Kayak/ Single person canoeists
1:00-2:00 Pleasure paddle begins
1 - 6 pm Continuous race results and trophies
6:00 pm Final river sweep completed

Canoe rentals, call 248-685-2379.
Canoes available for rental thru Heavners Livery
Shuttle transport all day long until 6pm

Prizes for First, Second & Third Places in all three races.

Ribbons for all entrants.

Enter the following category:
Experienced 2-person canoe team
Novice/Youth 2-person canoeists
Kayaks/ Single person canoeists
Pleasure Run (per craft)

Children under 12 paddle free.

Questions ?

Call Sue Julian, 248-634-3513
or email sjulian @ provide dot net

Call Doug Lanyk 248-634-4551
or email dslanyk @ comcast dot net

Call Willi Gutmann 586-215-6387
or e-mail Willi_H2O @ Yahoo dot Com

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** Maps **
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?client=firefox-a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=111387343905039436857.00043cdbc211bc40f011d&z=14
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http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-map-for-shiawassee-river-heritage.html
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http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/2007/10/map-for-shiawassee-river.html#links

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**Additional info**
http://www.headwaterstrailsinc.org/about_us.htm
http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiawassee_River
**Videos**
http://www.youtube.com/user/WilliH2O
**Pictures**
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/558922603hqUlLA
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/558834458DganqU
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/547204034BrRPch



Please make checks payable to
Headwaters Trails, Inc. and Mail to: P.O. Box 33, Holly, MI, 48442-0033.

Enjoy an Adventure on the Shiawassee River!
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Kayaking 40 miles in one day on the Shiawassee River

Pictures and GPS data from the Earth Day Adventure - 40 kayak miles in a day - Argentine to Corunna

http://bit.ly/ ArgentineToCorunna    Geo-tagged, dated, and mapped

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577443260canNMX
(  Nice clean high resolution pics from the trip  )

Google Earth and Panoramio
http://www.panoramio.com/user/4402540

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Kayaking Shiawassee River: Argentine,MI to Corunna,MI

I trust everyone had a wonderful Earth Day.

Steve H. Willi G. and I sure had a full one. Our Shi-trio Started 6:00
AM to spot a vehicle in Corunna MI. We then started at our last finish
point at McCaslin Lk. Rd. in Argentine. With an extra special amount of
gear to handle a variety of possible conditions we launched at 8:45.
The weather was clear sunny and brisk. It was almost 30 deg. when we
hit the water. The great news was tempered by the fact it wasn't
perfect news. There were 20 trees down blocking our path on the first
segment going to Byron. This was so much better than the hundreds of
trees I observed 2 years ago. Having lots of fun scooting under trees
or hopping them we made slow but steady progress. It took until noon to
finish the first 8 miles. If we can find just a few volunteers this
will be opened up to the less adventurous paddler.

After a quick lunch in Byron learning history from the residents and
spreading the word of the State Heritage River Trail we were off. The
portage needs some work but isn't worth more than minor complaints. We
found the confluence of the main branch and the South branch of the
Shiawassee and traveled up stream on the South branch just to say we
did. The last tree we had to hop was about 10 feet after the river
joined. At this point the Shiawassee changes from an intimate little
meandering stream to a full fledged river. Although blockages do occur,
mostly the trees that fall into the river don't reach the far bank
leaving a good passage. We sped past the launch point at Byron H.S. and
Headed North towards Walnut Hills Campground the next access point. At
this point we were making great time, (Willi will post his data
sometime.) so we sped past and headed for Geeck Rd. Park. This proved
to be a bit longer stretch than our energy reserves could easily
handle. Catching lunch #2 respectfully on the shore of some private
wooded lot a mile further we found the park. Onward we cranked. The
entire segment from Byron to pas I69 has moderate to fast current.
After Geeck Rd. Park more and more gravel and stone geology started
giving us minor white water or swifts. Just enough to make you pay
attention but not enough to be dangerous. This was quite fun. Not to
far past Newberg Rd the Shiawassee Town (Shiatown) pond starts ending in
a very nice park at Shitown. Time for another snack and a little bit of
playing at the base of the dam. This could be fun at moderate to high
flow rates but we did not have the proper safety gear. I'd want
helmets, throw bags, heavy skirts, and competent partners to handle this
stuff at high water. The next segment to Vernon and on to Corunna is a
long quick paddle. We were starting to run low on energy and muscles at
this point. Shiatown was about 32 miles into our trip. More moderate to
quick current was welcomed and stayed with us up to the gravel mine a
mile and a half from Corunna. They have a concrete road across the
river! Willi and I were so tired by this point we struggled to crawl
out of our boats to cross the road. It was after that we noticed you
can pass on the left. We new there was little energy, brains, or
motivation left. The sun was setting and we were getting cold. Steve
had gone ahead to get his van at the park in Corunna past the dam.
Speaking of the dam As we limped into town with the last of the day
lingering in the sky we noticed that there in nothing to stop you from
paddling over the dam except the roaring of the water. Don't do this at
night folks. We pulled out and waited for Steve to bring the van around
to load up Finish time 9:00 PM. Condition exhausted hypothermia, and
hungry. Distance 40 Miles.

The wildlife was not prolific but varied. Dear, beaver, muskrat, mink,
porcupine, a books worth of birds, amphibians.and fish kept us in
wonder. The fact that we saw maybe a dozen people all day was great
too. I would advise trying out all the sections of the Shiwassee as they
are varied and interesting. I will not advise doing 40 miles in a day
before the river is cleared.

One last note. We walked into the Wrought Iron Grill in Owosso at
10:30 We had been looking forward to a good meal at a known excellent
restaurant . The bartender advised us that the grill was closed (go
figure) and we should talk to the owner in the blue shirt. This
wonderful man interrupted his conversation with friends to listen to a
plea from 800 lbs plus of hungry men and helped us out. He figured out
a meal that he could make without trashing the whole kitchen, and came
out with enough food to stop even our ravenous apatites We had the
rapt attention of all the patrons as we explained how great a time we
had on the river. It was time to go home. I got into bed about 1:30 AM
this morning.

What a wonderful Earth Day!

Sincerely
Douglas Lanyk

Huron River trip

HURON RIVER KAYAK TRIP : Tuesday April 20, 2010

Extremely low water levels displayed all the stone weirs, many sweepers, fallen trees, and debris.
Navigability is a bit tricky in spots and could use a bit of cleaning up for ordinary canoe traffic in the summer.

http://picasaweb.google.com/WilliH2O/IslandRecToHuronMeadows02#


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=WilliH2O&aid=5462435978828525777#map


http://www.panoramio.com/user/4402540


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Current Stream Flow Conditions In Michigan

Current Stream Flow Conditions In Michigan

Paddling on Concrete

You just might me see around paddling on concrete ........yes I said concrete.

Paddling on Concrete

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Maps - GeoNames - interactive

 If you aren't sure where WaterWorks Park in Holly, Michigan , or Strom Park in Fenton, Michigan are located
along the Shiawassee River perhaps these links will be of assistance.

 
GeoNames

http://www.geonames.org/maps/bkm11191

GPS geotagging merged with maps

Here is an attempt using Picassa, my Garmin GPS, and Google maps

http://bit.ly/ PicsMergedGoogle Maps

http://picasaweb. google.com/ lh/albumMap? uname=WilliH2O&aid=545977538087734 7649#map

During the 22 mile kayak paddle on the Shiawassee between Holly and Argentine last Saturday,
I shot lots of pics of culverts, bridges, walkways, etc.

Getting stuff cleaned up is like pulling a live tigers teeth without anethesia

From: Basch, John [mailto:baschj@oakgov.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 3:00 PM
Subject: Dam debris on Shiawassee River

Thank you for writing to the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office about debris that is impeding the flow of water on the Shiawassee River. Unfortunately, this office lacks the authority to perform any cleanup in the area described in your e-mail. When public funds are involved, it is unlawful to expend those funds in areas where we lack jurisdiction. In this case, the jurisdiction of this office is limited to drainage systems established and constructed under the Michigan Drain Code. The land surrounding the dam is owned by the State of Michigan. You may want to solicit help from the state in addressing this issue. It may be helpful to you to know that the dam and box culvert mentioned in your e-mail are located within the “Davisburg State Game Area.” The body of water controlled by this structure also is known as the “Davisburg Trout Pond.” It is shown on most state maps as the “Davisburg Pond.” The state game area is in section 16 of Springfield Township. This information may help you with your investigation and attempts to have the debris cleared.

Best regards,

John A. Basch
Deputy and Legal Counsel
Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner's Office
248-858-4934 office
248-858-5090 fax
248-431-0179 mobile
baschj@oakgov.com

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Kayaking Shiawassee : Holly to Argentine

We Made It! Holly to McCaslin Lk. Rd. past Argentine.

Google Earth view - detailed gps map


Shiawassee River detailed gps map

Willi and I left Waterworks Park just after 8:00 AM. It was a clear
brisk morning with the temperatures in the high 20's The sun glinting
off of the frost was a preview of the beauty that we would see. The
water is very high! Beware the 3 tubes at this water level. I became
fully awake when I did a gear check in the middle tube. My equipment
for the day included my new Prijon kayak, my new drysuit, and the skirt
from my Dagger. The Prijon is a lot longer and narrower than my
dagger. When I tried to duck low and shoot the tube my control was
minimal. Between the high current and my lack of experience in this
boat I ended up practicing my half roll. The positives of the incident
are. My skirt held even if it is not a perfect fit, and my drysuit
works well. A little bit of pumping and chasing down a runaway thermos
put us back on the quest. There are several passable but annoying trees
down in the next 2 miles so it was a bit of a slog. For those who
want to explore you can go down several channels not normally open.
From Fish Lake Rd. to Fenton it was a smooth paddle. That may change a
bit with lower watter levels. In Fenton we picked up Steve for the rest
of the trip. Steve also thought swimming was a good idea. He tried a
commando launch below the Fenton dam. After a little bit of pumping we
were on our way. From the dam to Strom park is a wild and fun ride.
It's most of a mile of solid class II rapids. Be sure to duck at the
bridges. There are 2 trees down near Bush Park and another half a dozen
or so down behind the apartments. Two of which involve a portage. Lake
Ponemah was a high energy paddle. There was a steady 20 MPH Southerly
breeze and the associated white caps. We ordered carry out from the
Linden Hotel from Tupper Lake. This gave us a nice rest while sitting
in the terraces looking at the Linden water wheel. From Linden to Hogan
Rd. it was a great paddle, wide fast and smooth. Past Hogan Rd. there
were more trees down. We would have been portaging if is wasn't for the
flood. The waste water plant is having an issue. "The Digester process
has experienced an upset." is a quote from Joe Goergen from Genesee
Drain Commissioners office. In short at the moment it stinks. Once we
left the woods past the sportsmens club It was a smooth paddle for the
rest of the day. We pulled up at McCaslin Rd about 7 PM. It was a full
day. 21.8 miles with a lot of trees down. Time to fire up the chainsaws.

Doug.


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Shiawassee River : Holly to Argentine

Click on link above to see detailed individual photos in high resolution
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GeoHack - Shiawassee River

GeoHack - Shiawassee River

HeadWaters Recon:- Shiawassee River in Davisburg

On a beautiful Friday morning I met up with Doug Lanyk, Steve H and his daughter Shea for an adventure.

We launched near MillPond Park and the DavisburgPark GolfCourse - (Broadway /Davisburg Road near Dilley Road)
A little road that is severely washed out drops sharply into a small parking lot near the waters edge.

Around 9:45am we started shuttling vehicles and getting started, by 10:30am we were on the water.
Since it was the beginning of the paddle season many forgot sunscreen, a hat to block the sun, etc,

We began exploratory paddling a bit West at first ,passing Karl Shultz Park and then into Davisburg TroutPond stopping near the railroadtracks where we turned around and began the real adventure of the day.

We paddled, walked, and dragged the boats thru reeds, over rocks, mud, silt, thru numerous culverts (some smaller than others),
up and over all sorts of stuff, portaged a few times, laughed, grimaced, and basically had a great day on the Shiawassee.

Many portions were only 6 feet in width and quite shallow, others a bit wider and a bit deeper, a mix of everything in between.
At the takeout 4:45pm , in Holly upon the Millpond near WaterWorks Park, the GPS registered 9.75 miles of fun.
It's not exactly a trip I would recommend to everyone; it was a lot of work, but we got lucky with the water levels and weather !

Pictures
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577206419vkVaPX?vhost=outdoors

The attached GPS file is in *.GPX format .

Those that use Garmin Connect can view the entire thing at
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28782873

http://connect.garmin.com (this really is a nice way to track all outdoor activities biking, hiking, paddling, etc)


I'm hoping to use the time stamps from the pictures - and the time stamp from the GPS to get an accurate location of where each picture was taken , and then I'll play around with Google Earth merging it all together for public viewing.

(click on pic) 

The HeadWaters

Doug Lanyk and I will head on Friday April 2 2010 to check out the headwaters

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