DNR offers free tours at James T. Price Trap and Transfer Harvest Facility (Boardman River weir) Sept. 26 - Oct. 20
Contact: Edward Shaw, 231-779-1321 or Ed Golder, 517-335-3014 Agency: Natural ResourcesSept. 20, 2013
The Department of Natural Resources will offer free tours to the public and school groups at the James T. Price Trap and Transfer Harvest Facility, commonly known as the Boardman River weir, located in downtown Traverse City this fall. Tours are available Sept. 26 through Oct. 20. School tours are available weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Public tours are available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays noon to 4 p.m. The weir is located at 118 Hall St. in Traverse City.
Weirs are dam-like structures that block upstream fish passage on river. A weir is used on the Boardman River in downtown Traverse City each fall by the DNR to harvest Chinook and coho salmon that would otherwise create significant river congestion between Union and Sabin dams.
Tours are being offered this fall by the DNR's Fisheries Division and the Carl T. Johnson Hunt and Fish Center. Students and visitors will learn all about salmon, how weirs and fish ladders work, the threat of invasive species, how state fish hatcheries rear fish, and how the DNR's annual egg collection efforts affect Michigan's fisheries. The program ties in components of history, ecology, biology and stewardship.
Teachers interested in scheduling a school group tour should contact Edward Shaw at 231-779-1321 or shawe@michigan.gov. To check for updated tour dates, times or cancellations, or for more information, visit www.michigan.gov/huntfishcenter.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
