Fish story

 Federal, state and local officials celebrate hatchery restoration

    U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell and John O’Meara, executive director of the Alliance of Rouge Communities were among the crowd who officially celebrated the completion of the habitat restoration and Johnson Creek Fish Hatchery Park.

    The $1.2 million project was funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Fish Hatchery Park holds historical significance as the former site of the first federal fish hatchery in the U.S., once one of the largest in the country. Johnson Creek is now the only remaining cold-water fishery in the Rouge River, officials said. The restoration project, initiated in 2018, aimed to address the loss of fish and wildlife habitat.
    Stabenow, who originally drafted the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to address the greatest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem, helped plant a native tree at the site.
    The restoration included removal of 2,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment in the pond to create deeper water for fish habitats; planting of more than 250 native trees and 300 native shrubs to filter stormwater runoff; creation of a fish passage channel between the pond and Johnson Creek and removal a concrete wall, stabilizing and naturalizing 1,250 feet of streambank.
    During the ceremony, officials discussed the site long history of the site and the significance of the project in removing the Rouge River from the list of Areas of Concern (AOCs). Northville Mayor Brain Turnbull, Northville Township Supervisor Mark Abbo, Crawford White of the Environmental Protection Agency and John O’Meara, executive director of the Alliance of Rouge Communities.