Help Save Cornwall Flooding in the Pigeon River Country State Forest

Cornwall Creek Flooding, nestled deep in the heart of the Pigeon River Country Forest, was built in 1966 and has since become a one of the region's most beloved and cherished bodies of water. Cornwall Creek Flooding is one of the area’s most accessible, yet remote, lakes. Over the decades the flooding has attracted locals and visitors across the state to the area to revel in its natural beauty and the abundance of wildlife that call this place home.

Some of the most popular activities at the flooding are sightseeing, camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, horse riding, kayaking and canoeing. In many ways this place is the pinnacle of all that Northern Michigan has to offer, showcasing perfectly the melding of human recreation and the enjoyment of our natural resources with an appreciation for the environment and its biodiversity.

More recently the flooding, in particular, its aging and neglected infrastructure, have come into question. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), after their most recent inspection in 2019, has classified the dam as being in poor condition. EGLE recommended that the owners of the dam, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), take immediate action to improve the safety of the dam. Initially, the DNR’s reaction to the recommendation of EGLE was to repair the dam, suggesting to the public that as an agency they considered the flooding worth saving. In fact, the DNR even went so far as to refer to the flooding as a “world class bluegill fishery”. In time, and faced with the cost of repair, the DNR unilaterally decided that the cost of repair was greater than the value of the flooding to the community and the wildlife that depends on it, and has opted to move forward with the eradication of the dam and consequentially the flooding itself, based on cost alone.

Fundamentally, actions such as this are in stark contrast to the mission and values of the DNR and are in direct contradiction to the public stance the DNR took on the matter in 2019. Historically, in relation to natural resources proliferation and acquisition, the DNR has rarely come up short, financially speaking, when they deem something worthwhile.

Cornwall Creek Flooding is worth saving. For more than half a century it has been the home of some of the State of Michigan’s most beloved and revered wildlife. This flooding is an integral part of the Pigeon River Country Forest, from both a human and environmental/biodiversity perspective. Please sign our petition. Let’s raise our collective voice to compel the DNR to do the right thing as it relates to the preservation of the natural resources the State of Michigan already has. It is not okay to annihilate our resources based on cost alone. The implications of such a precedent are far reaching, the impacts of which can only be measured through a historical perspective…which by then will be too late. Please help our cause and let your voice be heard by signing.

Please visit our website, savecornwall.org, to learn more about our efforts to save Cornwall Creek Flooding. Here you will find several videos and articles to help proliferate the message that this is a place worth saving, as well as future opportunities to support our cause. Thank you for your support.

-The Save Cornwall Team