The annual Rifle River Watershed Restoration Committee (RRWRC) meeting was held on July 28, 2008 in Alger, Mich., at the Detroit Area Council of Boy Scouts of America’s Cole Canoe Base.  Alpena National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (NFWCO) biologist Andrea Ania attended the event, which included a watershed tour, dinner, and awards.  This year’s guest speaker was Bryan Burroughs, Executive Director of the Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited, who complimented the group on their longevity and cohesiveness. 

The RRWRC has been actively working to protect and restore the mainstream and tributaries of the Rifle River since 1994.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is involved in this watershed through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Fish Passage Programs.  The Rifle River watershed has significant fish and wildlife resources, an un-dammed mainstream, minimal urbanization, and a strong stakeholder support base. 

There were approximately 50 attendees at this year’s event, including Huron Pines, Saginaw Bay Resource and Conservation District, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Trout Unlimited, and local citizens.  Gus Chutorash, Cole Canoe Base Camping Director and co-chair of the RRWRC, generously arranged the event.  Gus was the recipient of Huron Pine’s O.B. Eustis Environmental Award this year, and his leadership has had a strong influence on Cole Canoe Base, which is nationally acclaimed by the Boy Scouts of America as the leading Ecology and Conservation Program in the United States.