Huron River Tour, Ann Arbor

Abstract

City planning for rivers is a challenge because these "wet" parks are waters of the state and not under direct control of the municipality. However, there are many services provided by the river to the residents of Ann Arbor - including drinking water, recreational spaces, and viewsheds - and without a long-term plan for the river with clear management strategies, invasive aquatics, sedimentation, and significant expenses will limit future recreational and other uses of the river.

The Environmental Coordinator and Water Quality Manager for the City of Ann Arbor are lead staff on the Huron River and Impoundment Management Plan effort. Together, we are attempting to visually demonstrate key features of the river, the relationships among river stretches, the primary users of the river and services provided by the river, and the many challenges to her sustainability. Google Earth provides an opportunity to cost effectively provide images at different scales - the broad stretches on which the plan is based and the specific locations of key users. We plan to develop a 15 minute introductory film for public meetings that creatively couples the Google Earth tour with archival images, video footage from the Community Television Network (CTN) and voice narration.