Benzie Conservation District
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Herring Lakes Watershed

About the watershed

The Herring Lakes watershed is located almost entirely in the southwest corner of Benzie County and encompasses 25 square miles. Herring Creek flows through both Upper Herring Lake and Lower Herring Lake before reaching Lake Michigan. The upper watershed consists of a myriad of small tributaries flowing through primarily agricultural land, forests, and a large wetland. Herring Creek forms at the junction of various tributaries just upstream of Upper Herring Lake. Herring Creek and its tributaries drain a large area of the watershed which includes 41% forest land, 27% agricultural a livestock farms, 14% open land, 6.3% residential land, 6.4% wetlands and 2.4% water. 
 
The primary resource concerns in the Herring Lakes watershed are fecal matter, nutrient, and pesticide contamination from residential and agricultural areas, invasive species, shoreline erosion, road/stream crossings and sedimentation.
Herring Lakes Watershed Protection Plan approved! 
The Herring Lakes steering committee and Grobbel Environmental and Planning Associates have been working since 2015 to update the Herring Lakes Protection plan. In 2019 the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) formally approved the Herring Lakes Watershed Management Plan, and the steering committee members began working immediately to implement some of the pollution reduction tasks proposed in this plan. 
​Click the photo below to view the approved plan.

Picture
Picture

Herring Lake Watershed Links

Michigan DNR Lake maps
Lower Herring Lake DNR fish survey (2015)
Upper Herring Lake DNR fish survey (2015)​

UPPER HERRING LAKE ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER 2019-20
UPPER HERRING LAKE ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER 2018-19
Upper herring lake association newsletter 2017-18
Upper Herring Lake Association Newsletter 2016-17
Upper Herring Lake Association Newsletter 2015-16
Upper Herring Lake Association Newsletter 2014-15

Location

Contact us

By Phone
231.882.4391

By Email
info@benziecd.org

By Mail
280 Benzie Boulevard
POB 408
Beulah, MI 49617

Contact individual staff members

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  • Home
    • Events
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • Benzie Natural Resource Assessment
    • BCD Policies
    • Board Directors & Meetings
    • Staff
    • Employment
    • Volunteer
    • Links
    • Contact Us
  • Aquatic Invasive Species
    • AIS Events
    • AISPP Resources
  • Programs & Services
    • Critical Dunes
    • District Shorts: Video Series
    • Education & Outreach >
      • Beach Clean Ups
      • Benzie: Plastic Awareness Collective
      • District Readers
      • EARTH DAY
      • Leave No Trace/Salmon in the Classroom
      • Nuts 4 Nature
      • Nature Hikes
    • Forestry Assistance Program >
      • ATREP
      • FAP Form
      • Forestry Education & Media
      • Forestry Events
      • Forest Pests & Diseases
      • Forestry Referrals
    • Invasive Species
    • Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program
    • Natural Resources Conservation Services
    • Produce Safety
    • Seedling Sales
  • SEEDLING SALES
  • Benzie Waters
    • Benzie Watersheds Coalition
    • Platte and Betsie River Clean Sweeps
    • Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program
    • Watersheds
  • Store
    • Shipping Policy
  • Donations