Come join us for Saturday Adventure Paddles on July 13th and August 17th.

Please join us at the Linden Mill Pond on Saturday, July 13, and August 17, at 10:00 am, paddles wet at 10:15am, for a leisurely paddle to Lake Ponemah and back.  Possible lunch at Lakeside Lodge.  There will be no shuttle, unless you privately arrange, so be prepared to paddle back after lunch.

All skill levels are accepted.  The only requirements are to have fun, and wear a PFD, since this is a guided trip through Keepers.  There will be prizes for those who see the most eagles, great blue herons, bufflehead ducks, wood ducks, and swans.

Please sign up as early as you can so we can plan accordingly.

We will see you on the water!

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Keepers of the Shiawassee is spearheading the development of a new and improved paddling launch at the Hogan Road access to the Shiawassee River.

Location:

14347 Hogan Rd, Linden, MI 48451
Geographic Coordinates: 42.815569825001866, -83.80237500303633

Project Overview:

People have been accessing the river by the Hogan Rd bridge for many years. They have had to park on the road, carry their boats over a steep berm and drop their boats a couple of feet to get into the water. Our project to build a permanent launch will increase access to the river by creating a one way drive with entrance and exit, providing off road parking, create a gentle slope into the water and have benches and trash receptacles as amenities. We will involve community members as volunteers to help with the construction and planting of native plants.

We expect our launch will become part of community fundraising events such as the Paddle and Pedal put on by LAFF Pathways and Paddle for Paws sponsored each August by Wax Orthodontics. Our hope is to see a triathlon that includes biking, kayaking and running in the near future.

When completed those impacted will be paddlers, fishermen and hunters from all around our area. Since this is a State and National Water Trail we expect to draw in people from all over Michigan and possibly other states. This will increase tourism and recreational business opportunities to the area which will be a benefit to the communities along the river’s course. It will potentially affect real estate values, as in other communities with river access, property values increase with the rising desire to live in or near active river-trails communities.

Current Status:

Genessee County has replaced the old Hogan Rd bridge and completed much of the preliminary grade work. Keepers of the Shiawassee has contracted the engineering for the preliminary site plans with donations from members and the community.

What’s Next:

We will be soliciting grants and coordinating fund raising events to gather the funds necessary to proceed with the construction. With help from grantors and community donations we hope to make this a successful project in the near future.

If you are so inclined and able make a donation to the cause, your contributions will be much appreciated.

Keepers of the Shiawassee recently conducted a survey of its members to identify key areas where our organization could benefit the community. This has resulted in forming 6 committees to address the areas of improvement as listed in the results below.

The Shiawassee River Bowl was a great success. Thanks to everyone that came out to roll for the river. Your support helped to raise funds that will be dedicated to the development of a paddling launch at Hogan Road on the Shiawassee River downstream from Linden.

Thank you to everyone that helped make this year’s water monitoring program a great success.

This is our annual spring cleanup of the Shiawassee River. Headwaters Trails members along with members of other Shiawassee River groups get involved in river cleanups with many willing volunteers.  These cleanups are done using Best Practices methods, as spelled out by the MDNR.  We clear the river enough that boats can get through yet leave most of the trees in the water for bank protection and fish habitat.  The work involves cutting trees and brush with loppers, hand saws, and chain saws, and pulling trash from the river, meaning anything from paper, bottles, cans, old tires, and other debris that either got washed into the river or was thrown in.  If this is something that you would like to do with us, contact Chuck Julian with your name, phone number and email address, if you have one.  He will put you on the list of people to call for cleanups.

Dates are subject to change depending on river conditions.

As in the past, we will be cleaning up sections of the river using small groups to tackle a short section of the river on each day. These will include:

Saturday May 18

Holly Water Works Park 42.786253643033504, -83.62587240375444 to
Strom Park 42.79423638830447, -83.7016649786091

Fenton Bush Park 42.79952822735045, -83.70709482345623 to
Torrey Road 42.815398, -83.725463

Hogan Road 42.815636, -83.802326 to
Cole Road 42.811694, -83.835789

Duffield Road 42.81684802516825, -83.89533940501003 to
Bird Road 42.80876852902685, -83.87521210857541

Sunday May 19

Linden Dam 42.815722919011115, -83.7831034033531 to
Hogan Road 42.815636, -83.802326

Cole Road 42.811694, -83.835789 to
McCaslin Lake Road 42.80414318808905, -83.85434720506106

McCaslin Lake Road 42.80414318808905, -83.85434720506106 to
Bird Road 42.80876852902685, -83.87521210857541

Duffield Road 42.81684802516825, -83.89533940501003 to
Byron Mill Pond 42.82194260705861, -83.93856052109226

Byron Ball Field 42.823288238452704, -83.94624773205116 to
Walnut Hills Campground 42.84048967306935, -84.00882366856169

All groups will meet at 8 am at their respective start location. Please sign up in advance, so we know if you plan to join us and can distribute volunteers equally. Starting locations may vary, so we will be updating volunteers as we get closer to the dates.

Each group will have a leader to make decisions as to what to cut and anchor as well as what to leave. They will guide the groups and provide instruction on proper techniques as needed.