The Little Manistee River Weir, in Manistee County, will undergo major infrastructure upgrades in 2019. Although the actual dates of the closure have yet to be determined – and may occur multiple times during the summer – work is set to begin once this year’s steelhead egg collection is complete and will continue throughout the summer.

For more than 50 years, the weir has served as Michigan’s primary egg collection site for steelhead and chinook salmon. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says that several components of the weir have significantly degraded over the years and will be replaced or rebuilt over the coming months.

Some of the work will require the use of heavy equipment and large trucks delivering concrete and other materials, making the site unsafe for the public to visit. During these construction times, public access may be limited or interrupted.

“Our goal is to make folks aware that the access site will be under major construction this summer, and there will likely be times we need to keep the site closed in order to keep people safe,” said Scott Heintzelman, manage of the DNR Fisheries Division’s Central Lake Michigan Unit.

“Once the project has started and we have a better sense of the construction schedule and space needed by the contractors, we’ll establish and publicize the dates the site will be closed or access will be limited," Heintzelman said. "We know this is a popular site for anglers and paddlers and we will make every effort to minimize the disruption of access.”

Specific closure dates of the Little Manistee River Weir access site will be provided on the weir’s hotline at 231-775-9727, ext. 6072.