“As an organization committed to preserving and protecting the Lake Huron Watershed, Beavertail Creek was an exciting project for us, and our first in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula”. - Amy Nowakowski, Senior Project Manager

Seventeen miles of an Upper Peninsula trout stream are now flowing freely with the restoration of Beavertail Creek in Chippewa County. Beavertail Creek winds through mostly undeveloped forest and wetlands, and empties into northern Lake Huron eight miles east of Cedarville. It is a high quality stream and holds native brook trout, freshwater mussels and many other species of fish and river life. The restoration of three road/stream crossings on Beavertail Creek was completed in the fall of 2024.

Following a road/stream crossing inventory across the Eastern U.P. in 2021, Beavertail Creek was selected as a high-priority waterway for restoration. Three road crossings over Beavertail Creek had small, aging culverts that restricted water flow and fish passage. In this remote area, these sites had the potential to create hazardous road conditions limiting services to rural residents in the event of heavy rain or spring snowmelt that caused frequent flooding. Floodwaters sent harmful sediment into the river ecosystem and presented a significant risk of road failure. 

Replacing the undersized, aging infrastructure at these three sites with properly sized structures that allow the river to flow freely reconnects high-quality, upstream aquatic habitat for fish and other organisms. The southernmost crossing on South Prentiss Bay Road was improved with the installation of a 20-foot concrete bridge and the two other crossing sites were improved by installing 16-foot wide aluminum structures. All three of the project sites now allow the creek to flow freely beneath the roadway.

Projects like these improve habitat and reduce erosion, preventing heavy sediment from entering the waterway. Addressing erosion and fish passage issues on these northern streams is an extension of our Lake Huron Forever initiative and its mission to protect and restore the water quality of Lake Huron. The improved roadway also offers safer and more reliable public access to services and recreation. Huron Pines will be conducting ongoing monitoring at these sites measuring stream width, depth, and flow to assess stream health and track any changes. 

These road/stream crossing improvements were made possible by support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Sustain Our Great Lakes Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Forest Resources Division, Great Lakes Fisheries Trust, Walters Family Foundation, Huron Pines AmeriCorps, and Chippewa County Road Commission. 

Thanks to Huron Engineering & Surveying for completing the survey work and engineering designs, and to Three Shores Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area and Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District for conducting an invasive species survey ahead of the project. Construction at all three project sites was successfully completed by Chippewa County Road Commission.