Tri-City Record: Paw Paw River clearing project gains momentum

Via the Tri-City Record:

Fueled by the recent news of a $100,000 grant from the State of Michigan to help with the clearing of the Paw Paw River to a navigable condition, some 30 kayakers and canoers took to the river on Monday, July 11 to paddle the Paw Paw River Water Trail.  They began at the Hays Park public access site in Watervliet and traveled to a public access site in Coloma near North Street.  

Rick Rasmussen with the Friends of the Paw Paw River was one of the paddlers that day and said that everyone was able to get through that section of the river with a few snags here and there. While the blockages in the river can change day to day, on that particular day Rasmussen said there were 8-10 log jams with 4-5 of them being pretty heavy duty. 

On Monday, July 18, Best Way Disposal/Orchard Hill Landfill donated $2,000 to the effort to help get the clearing of the river started.  Rasmussen has been actively recruiting volunteers and funding so that they can get started now, prior to the grant funding coming. The grant funds are in the state’s budget for next year which means they would not be available until October.  “We would like to start a pilot project to get our 3.3 miles of river between Watervliet and Coloma cleared sooner,” Rasmussen said adding, “We don’t know how many days it will take or how far the funds will get us at this point.”  

Moving forward, Rasmussen said they are continuing the fundraising which is now very close to $5,000 with the help of Orchard Hill and they are compiling the list of volunteers. “We hope to schedule a volunteer day in August for those that want to help to work on the clearing,” Rasmussen said. Preliminary estimates are that it could cost anywhere from $700 – $1500 a day to bring in a company with the equipment and manpower needed to work on clearing the river. Having volunteers that could do some of that work for free would of course be very beneficial.  When the funds do come from the state in the fall, it will flow through the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission. They will of course receive administrative costs and will request that some of the funding be used for signage.

By the time all that is accounted for, it is estimated that each municipality from Paw Paw to Benton Harbor/St. Joseph will have approximately $6,000 to use for clearing. Pscholka said the project will benefit more than just one area. “This project is a big win for Southwest Michigan, opening up the Paw Paw River between Benton Harbor and Paw Paw will attract outdoor enthusiasts from near and far,” Rep. Pscholka said. “It is a great example of leveraging our assets and natural beauty for recreation and economic development.” 

The 62-mile water trail begins in Waverly Township in Van Buren County and flows through Berrien County converging with the St. Joseph River just above its mouth at Benton Harbor.  Currently there are 22 access points where paddlers can get on the river. Donations can be accepted through the Coloma-Watervliet Area Economic Development Corporation, which is a 501c3 organization. Volunteers can contact Chana Kniebes at that organization as well to sign up if they would like to help. The Friends of the Paw Paw River will be reaching out to property owners along the Paw Paw River for permission to put trees or portions of trees on their property so as to remove them from the blocking the river and to help cut down on the cost of removing them completely from the river and its surrounding areas.

Rasmussen commented, “The clearing of the Paw Paw River is an attempt to make it navigable and to serve as an attractant to our area.  The environmental aspect of what we are doing is very important and we have no intent to damage the river in anyway.” The long term goals of the group include trying to establish an annual maintenance stipend from the local municipalities and to continue to make the access and use of the river easier.