Huron River Report Published quarterly by the Huron River Watershed Council FALL 2017 feature story Fishing the Home Waters Huron River becomes a destination for anglers The naturally nutrient-rich waters establishment of bait and guide shops of the Huron River and some of its in the watershed (see list, page 5). tributaries offer great habitat for a Here is the angler’s report. wide variety of fish. The prize fish found in these home waters attract The upper Huron anglers from diverse backgrounds, The upper headwaters of the Huron using an array of fishing styles. contain lakes with a variety of sizes Annually, the Huron River attracts and depths, producing a diversity 250,000 visitor-days for fishing, of fish populations. Larger lakes according to a study by Grand Valley like Kent and Pontiac have public State University (see article, page 10). access points that anglers can use So what are all these anglers looking to test the fishing waters. Many of for and how are they doing it? The the smaller lakes are private and answer depends on who you ask and accessible only by those owning where you are on the river system. lakefront property. Typically, anglers HRWC staff talk with many excited in the headwaters region approach anglers about their observations, by boat, floating or anchoring off These big smallmouth beauties can be successes, failures, and ideas shoals, underwater ridges or natural found at many locations along the river. about improving the game fishery. credit: Schultz Outfitters This interest encourages the continued on page 4 Planning Ahead Local governments and residents are key to the health of the Huron The Huron River is currently the supplies the Huron with clear, cool, spaces to the watershed’s health, it is cleanest river in Southeast Michigan. constant recharge water; and filter important to ask, “Who controls the This is due largely to the natural areas polluted runoff before it can foul the future status of these lands?” and open spaces that still exist within river. its watershed. In addition to providing HRWC and others call this network Local control over land use homes for wildlife and beautiful of natural lands that provide these Over 65 different townships, villages, vistas, natural areas provide a host services the watershed’s “Green cities, and counties have jurisdiction of ecological services that keep the Infrastructure.” The ecological health within the Huron River watershed. Huron River clean. Wetlands, forests, of the Huron River and its tributaries These local governments, through and grasslands soak up rainwater depends on the ecological health of their master plans and zoning to prevent flooding and erosion; this Green Infrastructure (GI). ordinances, determine the location, store and release groundwater that Given the value of these green continued on page 6 INSIDE: UPCOMING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS Economic impact of the Huron River Summer interns help protect the ‘shed | Climate action at the local and regional level HRWC status and updates Laura’s Stream of Consciousness s a member of the HRWC meetings with stakeholders across certainty, and bad community, you know the country and published a for our communities that protecting our local synthesis of more than 1,200 peer- that deserve clean waters needs to happen reviewed scientific publications, water. A H. Buffman at all levels, from your house to which showed that the small streams Michigan’s the White House. While you, and and wetlands the Rule safeguards are rivers play a key our partners in local and county vital to larger downstream waters. role in economic and community government and the private sector, Administrator Pruitt does not building. Here in the Huron River are working to clean up the Huron want to implement the Clean Water watershed, we know the value of a River system for a good quality of Rule. Instead, he plans to rush healthy river system that includes life, Environmental Protection Agency through the repeal of the Clean healthy wetlands and smaller feeder (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt is Water Rule this year, then propose streams. The river and water trail are working to roll back the Clean Water and finalize a less protective rule conservatively estimated to have the Act. It is critical for us and you to in less than a year. President Trump following economic impact: speak up on this action and voice our signed an Executive Order instructing • $53.5 million in annual economic the EPA to propose a new rule opposition. output (direct, indirect, and based on former U.S. Supreme Court induced spending) The current administration is Justice Scalia’s opinion of which rushing through a repeal of the waterways the Clean Water Act • $628 million in added property protects. A rule following Scalia’s Clean Water Rule value First, let me explain the Clean interpretation would result in drastic exclusions of wetlands and streams Water Rule. In 2015, the previous • $150 million in annual from protection; fewer than half of administration clarified and finalized environmental value (such as wetlands and fewer than 40 percent protections for streams and wetlands clean drinking water, wetlands of streams would receive federal across the country. These safeguards and floodplains that prevent protection. If that scenario comes to protected the small streams that feed flooding, and forested riverbanks pass, then the nation’s waters will the drinking water sources for nearly that foster rich fisheries and be less protected than they were in 1 in 3 Americans. They protected healthy streams) wetlands throughout the nation that 1975! Pruitt is also supported by filter pollutants from water, absorb HRWC is part of a coalition fighting lobbyists for oil and gas producers, floodwaters, and provide habitat for rollback to clean water protections. homebuilders, and farm bureaus who countless wildlife. In fact, industry While the public comment period oppose the Clean Water Rule. and other permittees asked for this is closed, I hope you’ll continue to So, we feel that our right to clean clarification as an end to regulatory join us in speaking out in opposition drinking water is in jeopardy. Rolling confusion about which of the to these actions. Write to EPA back the rule will result in the same country’s waterways the Clean Water Administrator Pruitt, and President regulatory confusion that resulted in Act protects. The rule was supported Trump supporting greater protection broad-based calls for clarity about by millions of Americans. of clean water and healthy rivers and which of our nation’s waterways the The Clean Water Rule followed streams. a robust public process. Before Clean Water Act protects. Rolling — Laura Rubin finalizing the Clean Water Rule back the rule is bad governance, bad HRWC Executive Director in 2015, EPA held more than 400 for businesses who rely on regulatory What does all of this mean for Michigan? In theory, Michigan would be less impacted because we have our own statute on wetland regulation. While Michigan has clear specifications for wetlands regulations, Public Act 98, enacted in 2013, added a few provisions regarding “contiguous” that allow for the general rule to be challenged. Specifically, there is now an exclusion for wetland areas that become contiguous to a waterbody created as a result of commercial excavation for sand, gravel or mineral mining – i.e. no longer subject to regulation solely because the wetland is contiguous to the created waterbody. In addition, there is a provision that states “a wetland is not contiguous to the Great Lakes, Lake St. Clair, an inland lake or pond or a river or stream if the Department determines that there is no direct physical contact and no surface or interflowing groundwater connection to such a body of water.” These exclusions give the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), who implements and enforces the state wetland regulation program, quite a lot of discretion to make permit determinations. This means that politics, funding, and staff appointments may have an undue influence on MDEQ’s proclivity to running a protection-focused program varies. If the Clean Water Rule is rolled back and repealed by the US EPA, Michigan will be under even more political pressure to broaden the above exclusion to more than just sand/gravel/mineral mining companies. Already, the Farm Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce are seeking to correct deficiencies with the state program because they expect the federal program will be weakened under the current Administration. HRWC Fun Getting out on the Huron River is a summertime favorite! River lovers from all over southeastern Michigan celebrated the Huron at Gallup Park in Ann Arbor at Huron River Day in July. credit: HRWC Over 50 swimmers joined HRWC Executive Director Laura Rubin for our annual open water River Swim where the Huron flows through Baseline Lake in Dexter. credit: HRWC StaffKayak-Commuted to the HRWC office for the Get Downtown Com- muter Challenge in May. credit: HRWC In June HRWC staff and interns Toured the Huron on a Voyager Canoe at Oakwoods Metropark led by HRWC hosted an information booth and Southern District bug examination station at Huron River Interpretive Supervisor, Day at Gallup Park. Kayak trips were Kevin Arnold. also a popular activity! credit: HRWC and L. Banks credit: HRWC YMCA campers Snorkeled the Huron in Ypsilanti’s Riverside Park with HRWC and Michigan Sea Grant. credit: AAYMCA HRWC volunteers helped out with a Bug Show & Tell at the Metroparks Summer Fun Days. credit: HCMA PAGE 3 Fishing the Home Waters continued from cover regulation everywhere in the state from January through May, promoting reproduction. Generally, the approach in this section of the river is by fly casting, considered by many a form of art as much as technique.