Great Lakes Restoration Initiative 2010 The Story of Lake Michigan Sturgeon The Menominee River

The River Before Dams The Fish Passage Project

The Menominee River, a major The initial focus of this project tributary to Lake Michigan, forms is the two hydro dams found the border between Wisconsin at Menominee, Michigan and and Michigan. This picturesque Marinette, Wisconsin. There, the river once featured several Partnership will build a bypass to waterfalls which made good sites enable downstream-moving fish for hydroelecric dams Those same to get through the upper dam, cascades had been ideal habitat and will build an elevator (fish lift) for lake sturgeon, which migrated at the lower dam to help move The Menominee River Photo Credit: USFWS upstream from Lake Michigan to lake sturgeon upstream. Several spawn there. hundred sturgeon will be moved around the dams by the time these The River Today structures are completed. By the year 2020, the partnership expects Today, five hydro dams prevent that tens of thousands of new all lake sturgeon from migrating lake sturgeon will be produced, up the river from Lake Michigan aided by their being able to get to to get to their prime spawning ancient spawning territory. and rearing habitat. This loss of habitat, along with pollution Project Funding and overfishing, has caused a drastic decline in the number of $3 million in funding for fish The Partnership is a collaborative lake sturgeon in Lake Michigan, passage around the lower two effort between state, federal, and private from an estimated two million at dams on the Menominee River organizations Photo Credit: USFWS their peak to about 3,000 sturgeon is from the National Fish and today – more than a 99% decline. Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection These days, lake sturgeon feeling Agency through the Great Lakes the urge to migrate upstream can Restoration Initiative. The dams’ only get as far as the last dam on owner, North American Hydro, the Menominee, at the cities of will contribute nearly $1.4 million Marinette and Menominee. This to complete the initial work. In area is poor sturgeon habitat, addition, North American Hydro and most young sturgeon cannot will operate the fish passage as The Partnership hopes to improve Lake survive there. part of their normal hydropower Michigan’s sturgeon population through operations, with assistance from fish passage Photo Credit: USFWS The Menominee River Fish state and federal wildlife agencies. Passage Partnership The goal for the resource agencies Partners: The Menominee Fish Passage • River Alliance of Wisconsin and nonprofits involved in this • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partnership, comprised of state project is to raise enough public • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and federal agencies, nonprofit and private funding to provide • Wisconsin Department of Natural conservation organizations and passage for sturgeon at five hydro Resources a private energy company, is dams on the Menominee River, by • Michigan Department of Natural Resources developing safe and effective ways and the Environment 2020. • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for lake sturgeon to move around • North American Hydro the dams. Want more information? Go to http://www.fws.gov/GLRI Want more information? Go to http://www.fws.gov/GLRI