Conservation

Imagine this…  It’s opening morning of trout season.  You’ve made your way down to the banks of Paint Creek.  The water is cold and clean with a slight mist hitting the air.  You’ve fished same section last season and know it well.  After selecting your opening day fly pattern you make a perfect cast behind a boulder Mother Nature must have put there just for a trout to hide behind.  Within seconds a beautiful Paint Creek brown trout takes your fly and you bring him quickly to hand.  You admire your first Paint Creek trout of the year then slowly slide him back into the water.  Your morning couldn’t be more perfect.

What would you do to keep Paint Creek just as perfect as that moment in time?

Every year a group of dedicated Clinton Valley Chapter volunteers set out to keep Paint Creek the amazing urban fishery that it is.  They value the connection between healthy habitat and the opportunity to catch trout in this wonderful “gem” of a trout stream.  Conservation is the foundation that Trout Unlimited was built on and the Clinton Valley Chapter strives to keep building on this foundation here in Southeast Michigan.  Below is a brief summary of all the conservation work that CVTU has done over the last five years, and we have a lot planned in 2021!

Chapter Conservation Projects

• 2015-Erosion Repair & Plantings at Previous Project Sites (Dutton, Dinosaur Hill)
• 2016-Angler Access Project – Paint Creek at Tienken Road
• 2017-Various Woody Debris Management Projects in Partnership with CRWC
• 2018-Erosion Repair & Plantings at Previous Project Sites (Silverbell, Ludlow)
• 2018-Various Woody Debris Management Projects in Partnership with CRWC
• 2018-Angler Access Project – Paint Creek – Dinosaur Hill near Ludlow
• 2019-Angler Access Project – River Woods Park – Clinton River – Auburn Hills
• 2019-River Clean (July & Sept.) – Up’s on the Clinton River at Auburn Court – Auburn Hills
• 2019-Various Woody Debris Management Projects in Partnership with CRWC
• 2019-Erosion Repair & Plantings by the CRWC Office on the Clinton River – Rochester Hills
• 2020-No major projects due to COVID. Six river clean up’s were completed and one LWD removal project.
• 2021-Many Great New Projects Planned!

To join the Clinton Valley Chapter in our efforts to protect, reconnect and restore our outstanding cold water resources visit our VOLUNTEER PAGE and sign up today.

Please check the CVTU calendar of events on our home page for an updated list of projects.

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Angler Access Projects

The Clinton Valley Chapter is committed to providing anglers with safe, stream-friendly access points on both Paint Creek and the Clinton River.  Check out some of the locations our chapter has improved in recent years.

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Paint Creek Project

Paint Creek is Southeast Michigan’s gem of a trout stream and CVTU has taken great pride in protecting this wonderful resource.   Every year anglers spend countless hours fishing this urban gem.

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Clinton River Coldwater Conservation Project

In 2002, Clinton Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited teamed up with the Vanguard Chapter , Challenge Chapter, Paul H. Young, and the Clinton River Watershed Council in order to assess the viability of a trout fishery on the Clinton River. CVTU continues to participate in the CRCCP project on an annual basis.

Map photo credit – Clinton River Watershed Council