Interview with TU Upper Peninsula Stream Restoration Manager Sarah Topp

1. What is your position with TU, how long have you held the position, and how did you come to be hired?

I am the Upper Peninsula Stream Restoration Manager with Trout Unlimited as of September 27, 2021. My background in regional conservation program management, grant writing and administration, and experience collaborating with various agency and non-profit partner organizations lent a hand in landing this role.

2. What is your background in terms of education and experience?

I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Northern Michigan University in 2013. I have held various positions in conservation since then, including seasonal positions with the DNR in the Pigeon River Country State Forest, a trail crew in Colorado, and a Huron Pines AmeriCorps member, leading me to my first full-time position with Michigan United Conservation Clubs as the person leading their On the Ground volunteer wildlife habitat improvement program. After three years there, I went on to relocate to Northern Michigan and coordinate the AmeriCorps program with Huron Pines for a few years. Managing those statewide programs gave me a lot of experience in securing funds to support projects, collaborating with several other agencies and organizations throughout the state and aligning priorities. I’m very happy to be in roles where I can work on the behind-the-scenes planning as well as put in sweat equity in the forests and streams.

3. What was it that made you interested in working for TU?

I’ve worked for various non-profits and was very drawn to the regional collaborations I was seeing with TU and the obvious momentum towards restoration work in the Great Lakes region. Being located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was a major draw as well. The staff team dynamics are exactly as I’d hoped for in my career. It’s truly an honor to work with this passionate and talented group of professionals.

4. Describe your position and responsibilities.

As a stream restoration manager, I’m responsible for managing restoration projects within Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This includes establishing partnerships in the region, applying for and administering grants, planning project timelines, securing permits and contracts, and overseeing protection implementation. Field work, including site surveys, fish surveys, and habitat assessments, are a nice perk to see the sites before and after a restoration project. It takes a team effort, and I wouldn’t be successful in this work without the constant support of my colleagues and our regional partners.

5. What has been your involvement in restoration work in the Upper Peninsula Region?

In the past year of being in this role, I have been able to secure funding to support current and new projects, establish new and build existing partnerships, manage a seasonal staff crew that completed over 300 road-stream crossing inventory surveys across the UP, and oversee my first project implementation: a large wood placement project in three sites on the Ogontz River in Delta County. I’ve also been getting two projects ready for implementation next year in the Ottawa National Forest; one on Trout Creek and one on Spargo Creek.

6. What have been some accomplishments, and what are the future plans?

I’d view having staff dedicated to the UP region as a major accomplishment for TU. Since my position has been added to focus on the region, we’ve also brought on a second Great Lakes Restoration Specialist to focus on design and engineering in Northern Wisconsin and the Western UP, as well as a Great Lakes Field Coordinator to focus on managing seasonal crews and fieldwork for the UP and Northern Wisconsin. This just goes to show how much traction we are gaining and the support that comes with it. Future plans include a focus on our Priority Waters in the region, which includes the Manistique watershed, parts of the Iron, Brule, Paint, and Ontonagon watersheds, and the Lake Superior shoreline and coastal tributaries. We are looking to focus on monitoring and inventory, especially of potential coaster brook trout habitat in that area.

7. Any other activities that you are involved in your position?

I have opportunities to help host community engagement events throughout the region and am involved with the Partners for Watershed Restoration (PWR) steering committee as well. It was a joy this year to get to partner with the USFS Ottawa National Forest and Learn 2 Fish With Us on their Youth Fishing event during the free fishing weekend to introduce kids of various ages to fishing. I look forward to focusing on providing more opportunities for volunteers to get involved in our projects moving forward.

8. Do you have a message for our TU members?

Feel free to reach out if you’d like to learn more about projects in the UP region or connect with me. I’d love to hear about the places that are special to you or the work you’re happy to see us doing. I’d also love to share restored areas with folks and hear how the fishing is there!

The Upper Manistee Gets... continued from page 7 work and thought placing trees in a river was the best work day they could ask for. They often place air conditioners on top of buildings in cities, having to get the unit perfectly into a defined box. So, putting trees in a river was super fun for the pilots and well within their abilities. They did an exceptional job setting the trees where we wanted them, and they were so fast.

In locations closest to the tree harvesting site, work crews were pushed to relocate to the following area on the river before the helicopter was back with more trees. It was that fast. The helicopter crew had a man in the boat with us to talk to the pilots. He did an incredible job relaying our instructions to the pilots and making sure trees went where and how we wanted. Our EGLE permit limited us regarding how far into the stream structures could project.

During a lunch discussion with the pilot, I told him it was okay if he came out a little far; we could always trim the tips later. His response was, “No, I want it to be perfect. I don’t want you to have to do anything later. I want to do all the work for you.” That sums up the attitude of the helicopter crew.

The trees mainly were red pine primarily based on availability in the upland riparian area. A harvest site with ample edge was chosen to ensure red pines with as many branches as possible to increase habitat complexity. The whole trees placed by helicopter were positioned to increase habitat diversity and change the speed and direction of water, creating localized pockets of deep water and scouring sand. Trees were also placed to develop places for sand to settle out; “pitchers and catchers.” A variety of configurations were used for different purposes and locations. In most cases, trees were dropped with the roots on shore with trunks and branches angled upstream, usually in groups of two to three trees, to maximize habitat complexity.

Monitoring hinge-cuts and whole tree structures will continue for several years to gauge how well objectives were accomplished. Each structure will be monitored with a rapid protocol. In addition, geomorphic monitoring of the shape of the river channel will be done at three sites, as will a quantitative wood index. Pre-data were collected at these sites so changes could be documented.

Monitoring is a critically important piece of this project. Without monitoring data, there is no way to know which techniques are most successful. A larger goal of this project is to collect the data needed to identify some of the most effective methods for using wood to create habitat diversity in sandy, low-gradient streams in Northern Michigan. Ideally, monitoring data will reveal structure types with the most favorable results, and that information can be used for project design in similar streams.

These efforts are just one part of the continuing work of the Upper Manistee Collaborative, but it is the biggest to date. We are committed to making a difference in this river system. If that requires arduous work, so be it. We hope this project inspires others to do big aggressive projects to help our fisheries. We do not have to accept slow progressive losses. Where there is a will, there is a way. We are just getting started.

If you wish to help us continue to improve the Upper Manistee, donations can be made to Michigan TU or the Upper Manistee River Association. The funds can be earmarked for the Upper Manistee. Anyone interested in making more significant donations can reach out to Executive Director Dr. Bryan Burroughs.

More photos and videos of the helicopter work can be found on the Michigan TU website, https://michigantu.org/ index.php/core-activities/restore/manistee-river-largewood-habitat-structures.