Rivers At Risk

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Rivers at
Risk IMAGE imgs/rivrisk22.gif

Intensive Antrim development
on private land around the
Jordan River is raising the risk
of erosion and siltation.

(continued from previous page)

In 1991, the Grand Traverse Conservation District initiated a major restoration project on the Boardman
that was largely financed by the Department of Natural Resources. Nearly 600 erosion sites were identified,
some of them caused by oil and gas pipeline and road construction and related activities. Recently the
Conservation District joined with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to launch a long-term
restoration and protection program in the watershed. It will be financed by a $2 million endowment, to be
raised from private donations. Without hydrocarbon development planning to protect the watershed, this major
effort could easily be undone.
The Jordan River
In Charlevoix and Antrim counties
In 1972, the Jordan River was the first to be designated under Michigan's Natural River Act. In 1975 the
DNR established a management plan that barred any industrial activity on 22,000 acres of state-owned land
within the Jordan Valley.
Twice in the last two years, energy developers have sought to bypass the management plan and drill new
Antrim gas wells in the protected area.
More than 70 Antrim wells, and miles of new roads and pipelines, have been developed on private land on
the edges of the Jordan Valley.The development is fragmenting forests, and raises the risk of erosion and
siltation in the Jordan River.
Energy companies are reporting that the Antrim formation beneath the Jordan Valley is yielding very
productive wells.
The Manistee River
In Otsego, Antrim, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Crawford, Missaukee, Wexford, and
Manistee counties
The Big Manistee River and its corridor comprise one of Michigan's most valuable natural resources. The
river begins in the middle of the northern Lower Peninsula and runs south, south-westerly for more than 200
miles before emptying into Lake Michigan. It drains 1.3 million acres of relatively undisturbed land,
especially along the river's last 80 miles before it reaches the city of Manistee on the coast.
The DNR has leased thousands of acres in Otsego, Crawford, and Kalkaska counties. Exploration and
development currently is occurring in northern Manistee County.
The DNR is conducting studies and working with citizen advisory groups in preparation for designating
the Big Manistee as a state Natural River. Progress on the Upper and Middle portions of the river is
proceeding smoothly, but "property rights" activists are working against designation of the Lower Manistee
and its tributaries.
There is an opportunity to join the natural rivers work with a hydrocarbon development plan review in
order to permanently safeguard this truly magnificent watershed.
The Thunder Bay River
In Montmorency,Alpena, Oscoda, and Alcona counties
The Thunder Bay River drains 1.9 million acres of five northeast Michigan counties. The headwaters and
main channel of the river in Montmorency County have been the focus of exceptionally high levels of Antrim
drilling since the early 1990s.
In 1995, a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture identified oil and gas development in this
watershed as a significant cause of erosion that poses a growing risk to water quality and fish habitat in the
Thunder Bay and several of its tributaries.
The lower reaches and tributaries of the Thunder Bay also have been extensively leased and are
experiencing substantial drilling and development. This is especially true in northern Oscoda and Alcona
counties, and in southern Alpena County.The DNR has leased out large parcels of public land in all three
counties.
Developers also are reporting successes along the headwater regions of the Little Wolf River.
Much of the Thunder Bay watershed is publicly-owned by the state, making it an excellent candidate for a
hydrocarbon development plan.

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		Rivers at Risk
			Intensive Antrim development on private land around the Jordan River is raising the risk of erosion and siltation.
		(continued from previous page) In 1991, the Grand Traverse Conservation District initiated a major restoration project on the Boardman that was largely financed by the Department of Natural Resources. Nearly 600 erosion sites were identified, some of them caused by oil and gas pipeline and road construction and related activities. Recently the Conservation District joined with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to launch a long-term restoration and protection program in the watershed. It will be financed by a $2 million endowment, to be raised from private donations. Without hydrocarbon development planning to protect the watershed, this major effort could easily be undone. The Jordan River In Charlevoix and Antrim counties In 1972, the Jordan River was the first to be designated under Michigan's Natural River Act. In 1975 the DNR established a management plan that barred any industrial activity on 22,000 acres of state-owned land within the Jordan Valley. Twice in the last two years, energy developers have sought to bypass the management plan and drill new Antrim gas wells in the protected area. More than 70 Antrim wells, and miles of new roads and pipelines, have been developed on private land on the edges of the Jordan Valley.The development is fragmenting forests, and raises the risk of erosion and siltation in the Jordan River. Energy companies are reporting that the Antrim formation beneath the Jordan Valley is yielding very productive wells. The Manistee River In Otsego, Antrim, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Crawford, Missaukee, Wexford, and Manistee counties The Big Manistee River and its corridor comprise one of Michigan's most valuable natural resources. The river begins in the middle of the northern Lower Peninsula and runs south, south-westerly for more than 200 miles before emptying into Lake Michigan. It drains 1.3 million acres of relatively undisturbed land, especially along the river's last 80 miles before it reaches the city of Manistee on the coast. The DNR has leased thousands of acres in Otsego, Crawford, and Kalkaska counties. Exploration and development currently is occurring in northern Manistee County. The DNR is conducting studies and working with citizen advisory groups in preparation for designating the Big Manistee as a state Natural River. Progress on the Upper and Middle portions of the river is proceeding smoothly, but "property rights" activists are working against designation of the Lower Manistee and its tributaries. There is an opportunity to join the natural rivers work with a hydrocarbon development plan review in order to permanently safeguard this truly magnificent watershed. The Thunder Bay River In Montmorency,Alpena, Oscoda, and Alcona counties The Thunder Bay River drains 1.9 million acres of five northeast Michigan counties. The headwaters and main channel of the river in Montmorency County have been the focus of exceptionally high levels of Antrim drilling since the early 1990s. In 1995, a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture identified oil and gas development in this watershed as a significant cause of erosion that poses a growing risk to water quality and fish habitat in the Thunder Bay and several of its tributaries. The lower reaches and tributaries of the Thunder Bay also have been extensively leased and are experiencing substantial drilling and development. This is especially true in northern Oscoda and Alcona counties, and in southern Alpena County.The DNR has leased out large parcels of public land in all three counties. Developers also are reporting successes along the headwater regions of the Little Wolf River. Much of the Thunder Bay watershed is publicly-owned by the state, making it an excellent candidate for a hydrocarbon development plan. •••••••