Grand Traverse Conservation District launches Year of the River campaign

A new “Year of the River” campaign from Grand Traverse Conservation District put the Boardman-Ottaway River’s practical impact front and center: flood resilience, cleaner water, better habitat, and safer crossings across a watershed that feeds about 30% of Grand Traverse Bay’s surface water.

The district said the watershed spans 287 square miles and drains about 182,800 acres in Grand Traverse and Kalkaska counties. It is a state-designated Natural River and a Blue Ribbon trout stream, with one source calling 36 river miles Blue Ribbon water and placing the Boardman among Michigan’s top ten trout streams. That mix of water quality and recreation makes the river a daily presence for anglers, paddlers, hikers, wildlife watchers, and the communities that depend on Grand Traverse Bay.

Grand Traverse Conservation District said it began working to restore the Boardman River in 1991 after a survey found more than 600 erosion sites along the banks, with 85% tied to human activity. Since then, the district said it has restored more than 300 of those sites and more than 50 transportation and road stream crossings. Those fixes matter beyond the riverbank: stabilized banks help limit sediment, repaired crossings improve access and reduce damage, and restored floodplain areas can absorb high water instead of pushing it downstream.

The broader restoration story has already reshaped the river corridor. Conservation Resource Alliance said the effort removed Brown Bridge, Boardman, and Sabin dams, modified Union Street Dam, restored more than 250 acres of wetlands and floodplain habitat, and reconnected more than 160 miles of river and tributaries. Sabin Dam came out in 2018, capping a project that one source said drew grants from more than 30 sources totaling $27 million.

For Grand Traverse County, the river is also an identity marker. The Boardman was originally known as the Ottaway, and Anishinaabe people used it for sustenance, transportation, community gatherings, and spiritual connection. Today, the Boardman River Nature Center sits on the banks of the river at the 505-acre Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve, giving the district a base in the watershed it has spent decades restoring.

The river’s reach is still growing. One source estimates it gets about two million recreational user days each year, and a 2025 account noted a Blanding’s turtle sighting in the restored corridor, a sign that habitat work is still reshaping what lives there. The “Year of the River” campaign framed that progress not as symbolism, but as a reminder that the Boardman’s health still shapes water quality, access, and resilience across Grand Traverse Bay and the county that surrounds it.