Healthy Water

Reconnected At Last: Huron Pines Restores ‘Pivotal’ Shingle Mill Site on E. Branch Black River

July 21, 2020

A pipe culvert that obstructed the East Branch Black River for decades is gone and with it the persistent problems it caused with erosion, flooding and fish passage. In its place, a shiny aluminum arch ushers wild brook trout to 20 miles of habitat upstream of County Road 622 — vital spawning and nursery grounds supporting the river’s famed fishery. … More Reconnected At Last: Huron Pines Restores ‘Pivotal’ Shingle Mill Site on E. Branch Black River

Read the River to Boost Fishing, Fun

June 29, 2020

There’s a story I tell my fishing friends to explain why they’re not catching anything in their “hotspot” when it was paying off just a week prior, and it involves 80,000 people dancing in the Tennessee countryside. For most of the year, a field outside Manchester, Tenn. sits undisturbed. In late spring, semi trucks and … More Read the River to Boost Fishing, Fun

Restoration Work to Begin on Gilchrist Creek

June 18, 2020

Huron Pines will break ground the week of June 22 on a project to correct seasonal flooding problems and improve fish passage on Gilchrist Creek at Harwood Road southeast of Atlanta. The roadway will be closed for an estimated six weeks as a set of three undersized culverts are removed and replaced with a new … More Restoration Work to Begin on Gilchrist Creek

Bring Out the Good Bugs With Native Plants

April 20, 2020

Picture a spring when mosquitoes and blackflies are free of predators. Swarms of biting bugs take over campsites and patios, unfettered by swooping swallows or dive-bombing bats because there are none. Chances are you’ve had a perfectly good camping trip or backyard picnic spoiled by bugs before but, in the absence of natural predators, they … More Bring Out the Good Bugs With Native Plants

Understanding and Protecting Vernal Pools

March 23, 2020

That chorus of frogs you hear erupting from the woods on spring evenings is coming from a special but fleeting place. One of those songs belongs to the wood frog, just a couple inches long but with a voice that fills the air with a warm reminder winter is over. These frogs hang out among … More Understanding and Protecting Vernal Pools

What Is Stormwater?

February 25, 2020

Welcome to the first installment of The Nature of Things, a monthly discussion with Huron Pines on environmental and conservation-related topics. This column is shared with newspapers across Northeast Michigan to help build an understanding within the communities we work in hopes of engaging future partners and volunteers in shared conservation goals. By Chris Engle … More What Is Stormwater?

Healthy Water 2019

July 22, 2019

Restoration Milestones The Huron Pines staff has been getting their feet wet in the waterways of Northern Michigan for over 45 years. That’s over four decades of patching up waders, pulling trucks out of the mud and fighting off black flies to restore the highest priority stretches of stream in the region. Prioritizing each site … More Healthy Water 2019

Monitoring Wood Turtles at Milligan Creek

April 22, 2019

If there’s a race to reconnect river miles, there’s one slow and steady neighbor watching the progress unfold. As part of the construction at Milligan Creek, Huron Pines had the opportunity to work alongside the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, who have been following wood turtles, monitoring their behavior in the area and relocating especially at-risk turtles. … More Monitoring Wood Turtles at Milligan Creek

Options and Opportunities for Michigan’s Small Dams

December 19, 2018

Small dams are found on private and public lands throughout Michigan. Though some still serve a useful purpose, many were installed decades ago and may be in disrepair and at risk of failing. Heavy rains or extreme weather, can lead to complete blow out. Removing obsolete dams can eliminate a liability for landowners and enhance our rivers and streams for people and wildlife. … More Options and Opportunities for Michigan’s Small Dams

Committed to Clean Water

September 24, 2018

The success of healthy water projects built on community input and collaboration in Rose City and West Branch laid the foundation for the future of coastal stormwater work at Huron Pines. Community partnerships support clean water stewardship. … More Committed to Clean Water