Mike Moreau has heard all the stories over and over about the state of the outdoors in Michigan; the ones by the old-timers harping on about how good it use to be and how bad it is now. He made a decision that in his old age it would be different:
"When it's my turn to be the old-timer," Moreau explained. "I hope to talk about how bad the outdoors use to be and how much better they are now."
These are not idle words, Moreau, a native of Escanaba and graduate of Ferris State University, has backed them up with a concerted effort to restore the Lower Peninsula's Black River. The Black runs through the eastern portion of the Pigeon River valley and eventually empties into Lake Huron in the town of Cheboygan. It is probably the best brook trout fishery below the bridge. The river also has historical value as well. Ernest Hemingway fished there often as a youth. Like many rivers, however, the Black is subject to problems from erosion, beaver dams, and a fairly low gradient which makes for weak current in spots. All of these change the habitat for the worse and diminish the brook trout population.
He admits that stewardship of the river was not part of his original plan when he left behind a job in the printing business and moved to Onaway in 1995 to raise his family and become a fishing guide.
"I talked to Ray Schmidt (a Manistee River guide and Onaway native) and he said: 'If you are going to be a guide then you also need to be a caretaker of the river you work on.' I followed his advice so well that I spend almost as much time working on conservation matters as I do guiding."
Thanks to his efforts much has been done to reverse the damage to the Black. His plan has been very straight forward: identify trouble spots on the river, write grants to fund restoration, and coordinate with volunteers when possible to execute projects. This approach has repaired several erosion spots, built cover that provides both food sources and shelter for brook trout, eliminated beaver dams that were interfering with the natural flow of the river, and uncovered much of the original gravel base which had been lost due to sediment build up.
Moreau has a staff - usually college students - who work on the river on a daily basis all summer long. He likes to hire young people for the positions because he hopes the work will give them an appreciation of the outdoors. He also counts on volunteer and fiscal help from various fishing clubs. A regular contributor over the last few years has been the Vanguard Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
"Helping Mike and his crew financially as well as with in stream volunteer hours are key projects for us each season. The on stream project accomplish the goals of providing habitat or healing damage, while at the same time educating new members about conservation," said Vanguard Chapter President, Todd Randall.
Many of the volunteers from Vanguard give up a weekend to wade through muck and wrestle logs the size of telephone poles to aid a river few of them ever fish.
"We all give of our time to support the good work being done in the Black River Watershed. Many folks assume that their license dollars pay for habitat improvement, erosion control, and other things needed to heal past damage and improve out fisheries. Unfortunately, that's not the case, much of the work is funded through conservation organizations like Trout Unlimited," Randall added.
Part of Mike Moreau's enthusiasm for the Black comes from his attraction to its native fish.
"I love the brook trout's coloring and its gamey attitude. Brookies are our state fish and a native of the area, just like the grayling. The grayling are gone, but brookies are still here. I want to keep it that way."
In addition to the efforts on the Black, Moreau and company have worked below Kleber dam to restore spawning grounds for sturgeon. They have also rebuilt bridges and road/stream crossings on small streams which feed cooler water to the Black. By this fall a new timber bridge, built with materials from the nearby forest, will be completed on McMasters Creek. Some of these crossings had fallen into such disrepair that they were adding to the erosion problem. These were just another in the series of unexpected challenges Moreau uncovers in his work. As he completes each project he doesn't see an endpoint.
"There are no onetime fixes," he said. "This is ongoing stewardship. When I'm out there working in some swampy stretch, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, I remember a native American saying: 'We don't own this land or these rivers, we have them on loan from our children.'"
Mike Moreau, 42, lives with his wife and two children in Onaway. Despite his restoration work, he finds time to guide throughout the season on the Black, Au Sable, Manistee, and Pigeon rivers. For information on fishing trips or volunteering on conservation projects, he can be contacted by phone (989-733-6050), e-mail (), or through his website (www.neflyfishing.com).
Published in the Autumn, 2003 edition of Michigan Streamside Journal
