Sturgeon Recovery Project Almost Done
Since 2010, the River Alliance has been part of a project to build devices to help lake sturgeon get around hydroelectric dams in the Menominee River. Getting them up- and downstream, around the dams, will give sturgeon access to more spawning waters and improve the survival of juvenile sturgeon, who have a better chance of making it to adulthood growing up in the river, vs. facing all those ravenous predators in Lake Michigan.
Building the third of three phases of this “fish passage” project is in high gear, with JF Brennan Co. sending divers to do underwater work, and lots of cutting and hauling and noise and dust associated with most construction projects.
We salute the cooperation of Eagle Creek Renewable Energy (and its predecessor, North American Hydro) in this project, and the company’s project manager Paul Radzikinas (pictured here, on the left). Many dam owners fight this kind of project, but Eagle Creek has been a true champion, hanging with the many ups and downs the project has experienced over its six-year time span and investing a considerable amount of staff time and cash into the project.
They will show it off to fellow hydroelectric dam operators in October, when they come to visit in late October. We hope this project will serve as an example of conservation cooperation to Eagle Creek’s hydro counterparts, and for that matter to the state and federal agencies regulating hydro dams.