Grand Traverse Conservation District » Obstacles to Fish & Stream Health Removed from Boardman Watershed

On its way from the Kalkaska area to west Grand Traverse Bay, the Boardman River gains in size as it gathers flow from numerous streams called tributaries. These tributaries serve as the primary spawning grounds for trout, especially brook trout. Over the years many culverts have been installed on these tributaries. Some of the culverts prevent fish from swimming up them either by design or lack of maintenance. "Perched culverts", or culverts that are (or become) elevated from the stream channel on the outlet end and "drop culverts", or culverts that create a sudden drop in elevation at the inlet, make it impossible for trout to pass through. There are nearly 30 culverts in the Boardman River system. Five of these sites were selected for repair through a federal Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) grant issued to the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

The five tributaries include Kids Creek, Miller Creek, Carpenter Creek, Twenty Two Creek, and Jackson Creek. The Kids Creek and Jackson Creek projects were completed this fall. The remaining projects are scheduled for 2010.

Located in Garfield Township on the outskirts of Traverse City, Kids Creek is the most urban and highly developed sub-watershed to the Boardman River. Because of the amount of sediment impacting the health of Kids Creek it is on the 303(d) list for impaired water.

The project area is the former site of the Oleson buffalo herd. The Oleson family pastured buffalo on site for over 50 years. The "drop culvert" was designed and installed in 1950 (picture below) to provide a way for the Oleson's to cross the Creek with tractors and other farming equipment. In the late 90's, the Oleson's moved the buffalo herd out of the Kids Creek watershed and sold the property for development. As part of the Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the property, Garfield Township required that a portion of the property around Kids Creek be set aside as a township park. Ultimately the 17 acres that made up the bulk of the buffalo pasture was set aside. As a public park the "drop culvert" created a potential safety hazard in addition to blocking fish migration upstream. A special arrangement between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the G.T. Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and Garfield Township allowed for EQIP funds to be used to restore the connectivity of the Creek by adding approximately 300 feet of new stream channel and eliminating the drop culvert.

Work has already begun to restore the streambanks trampled by the buffalo. Hiking trails including recreational bridges are being constructed for public use and are expected to be completed in the spring of 2010. Once completed the site will feature a recreational trail head, timber bridge, and walking path. The old mill pond onsite is also being dredged and restored so it will once again harbor fish.

You can visit this park and hike some of the trails that have already been completed. Access the trailhead next to Kohls. map

Drop culvert installed 1950	Drop Culvert before	Culvert coming out
New creek bed laid	New creek path flowing

Jackson Creek is a major tributary of the Boardman that begins near the watershed boundary between the Boardman and Manistee watersheds in southern Grand Traverse County. The Creek starts in Section 24 of the South Part of Paradise Township and flows northerly for approximately 5 miles where it joins East Creek in Section 27 of the North Part of Paradise Township. East Creek continues flowing northwesterly for 1.5 miles where is enters the Boardman just downstream of Garfield Road below Brown Bridge Dam.

The Wood Road crossing of Jackson Creek is near the headwaters. As with many rural roads, the culverts that were installed decades ago are not adequately sized for the modern day roads which have become much wider over time. In fact at this crossing, the culvert was completely buried by gravel under the road blocking fish passage and sending a large amount of sediment downstream every time it rained. Sediment in smaller sections of the stream near the headwaters is especially damaging because they don't receive the "flushing flows" that the larger stream or river receives. In other words the sand stays in the creek smothering and choking off any aquatic life. Replacement of this culvert through a cooperative EQIP agreement between the G.T. Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and the County Road Commission is key and will allow for this section of Jackson Creek to begin healing.