Viewfinder: A Creek's Restoration Shows Importance of Environmental Protection

It might be one of the city's tiniest waterways. But the effects of its flow illustrate a larger, more important fight.

Avon Creek is a narrow stream that passes through the pond in front of — the pond that has always been a main draw for visitors to the Environmental Education Center, which is now the site of the Clinton River Watershed Council.

That creek flows into the Clinton River, and its health is crucial to the river's health.

That's why efforts are under way to re-route the creek to a spot alongside the pond; the re-routing will prevent it from carrying invasive plants and fish into the Clinton River.

On Thursday, members of the Clinton River Watershed Council met on the banks of Avon Creek with Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett and Congressman Gary Peters to stress the importance of environmental protection.

The Avon Creek restoration project will take about a year to complete. The total cost is $310,000, which will be funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and from the City of Rochester Hills.