Pere Marquette River Fishing & Boating Access Improvements

The Pere Marquette River in western Michigan is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River and a state-designated Natural River. In the 1950s, a sea lamprey barrier was constructed across the river near the Custer Road Bridge to keep the invasive sea lamprey species out.

In 2010, the barrier site was shut down and fenced off to the general public. In 2013, the Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA), a private, not-for-profit corporation committed to stewardship of the land, was awarded more than $200,000 from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust and Great Lakes Fishery Commission to help improve the site. The CRA hired Spicer Group to oversee the removal of the declining buildings and defunct lamprey barrier at the site and design a new and inviting barrier-free access site to the Pere Marquette River.

Improvements to the site included the construction of new universally accessible fishing platforms, a new boardwalk beneath the Custer Road Bridge that safely connects the fishing pier to the universal-access boat launch, which is used heavily by fishermen launching boats in the Spring and Fall for the annual steelhead and salmon runs, a universally accessible canoe/kayak launch, interpretive signing and streambank restoration. A new access drive and parking lot were also designed to give easy access to the site. Spicer Group provided all design, survey, permitting, and construction inspection tasks for this project.