Camp Miakonda Stream Restoration

Did you know that the Great Lakes are the biggest freshwater source in the world? Lake Erie is the most productive for fishing of all the Great Lakes. Your support helps make our streams clean, clear and healthy so they can support this complex ecosystem. By donating to PCS, you help us reach our goals of restoring rivers that lead to Lake Erie beaches that promote fishable and swimmable conditions for generations.

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Camp Miakonda Stream Restoration

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a multi-agency program that provides funding for projects focused on addressing threats to the Great Lakes, awarded Partners for Clean Streams (PCS) with a $1.36 million grant to restore stream habitat, reduce erosion, enhance wetlands, and improve upland habitat along the upper Ottawa River. Along with the Boy Scouts of America, PCS partnered with the US Army Corps of Engineers on a Habitat Restoration Master Plan to enhance this section of Ottawa River. This restoration project resulted in long‐term benefits for Maumee River and Western Lake Erie Basin habitats. Furthermore, the project also brought the Maumee Area of Concern closer to delisting several benificial use impairments (BUIs); BUI 14: Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat, BUI 6: Degradation of Benthos, and BUI 3: Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations.

Camp Miakonda received another small injection of restoration work on the downstream side of the new Hartman Ditch culvert. Water flowing through the culvert had started to quickly drop off into Lake Sawyer, so a small engineered rock riffle was added downstream of the culvert and the slope of the ditch was reduced to decrease the velocity of the water and ease the stream to lake transition. Monitoring is reaching a close as EnviroScience collects, measures, and records insect populations around the area of restoration. All signs point to a healthy environment, as quality fish species return to Lake Sawyer and eager Boy Scouts prepare their fishing lines for the next season of camping. In 2015, eight educational signs were installed around the project area highlighting the work that was done, historical significance, native wildlife, and activities for scouts to do. These signs guide visitors around the work area in a fun, interactive way allowing scouts to do projects, help earn badges and appreciate nature more. We hope to purchase more educational materials for Camp Miakonda expanding how campers interact with the river, lake and streams for years to come.

Partners for Clean Streams Inc. is striving for abundant open space and a high quality natural environment; adequate floodwater storage capacities and flourishing wildlife; stakeholders who take local ownership in their resources; and rivers, streams and lakes that are clean, clear and safe