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Why is the Shiawassee River and Watershed so important?
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The Shiawassee River is one of the best preserved warm-water river systems in the southern Great Lakes ecoregion. It supports approximately 59 species of fish and 12 species of freshwater mussel.
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The river also plays an integral role in the travels of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds and ducks.
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The Shiawassee is also renowned for its fishing, and has been named one of the nation’s best rivers for smallmouth bass.
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The swamps and fens adjacent to the river’s headwaters are some of the best examples of their kind left today and they support several globally rare species such as the Indiana bat, Eastern massasauga rattlesnake, Blanding’s turtle and insects such as the Powersheik skipperling.
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The Shiawassee River is approximately 110 miles long with connections to several other water systems including The Flint River, Cass River and Titabawassee River (view map of river connections). Together these rivers form the Saginaw River which drains into the Saginaw Bay. The Shiawassee River also defines the southern boundary of the Saginaw Bay Watershed, which flows directly into Lake Huron. With waters that eventually reach the great Lakes, the Shiawassee River has a much larger impact than many realize. (View a Map)
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The Shiawassee River watershed is 1,160 square miles and drains about 742,400 acres (a watershed is the area or region drained by the river).Though most of this land is used for agriculture, residential and other urban land use has begun to increase in resent years.
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Many communities are built on the banks of the River, in fact over 180,000 residents call the Shiawassee River watershed home. The River is also known to be a source of identity and pride for several local residents, as well as a valuable resource for recreation and enjoyment.
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What is Threatening the River and Watershed?
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Pollution and the dumping of trash and debris in the river
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Water quality degradation
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Altered hydrology
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Intensive agriculture production
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Incompatible land use such as development
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How are the Friends Trying to Help?
- They host annual River clean-up events in which community volunteers remove trash and debris found in and along the river.
- They organize workdays that specifically focus on the removal of invasive species that pose a threat to the river?s ecosystem.
- They encourage reforestation of the riverbanks and increase the use of vegetative buffers along streams and ditches through community tree planting events. The increased vegetation along the river helps reduce sediment, nutrient loss and increases that quality of water in the river.
View FOSR Activities
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