Two Rivers Coalition

06/14/2026

Another weird paddling day on the Paw Paw River. I launched from Maple Lake Dam at 7am to scout out the trip to CR665 for our Prothonotary Warbler paddle trip which was to start at 10am. The water level was great, and I had no issues with any trees or gravel bars. I heard and saw several prothonotary warblers in and around several nest boxes. I paddled about 2/3 of the way to CR665 and then turned around and paddled back upstream to the dam. Halfway back to the dam, I could tell the water level was dropping and suspected they had closed the dam again. Many of the trees and gravel bars I had floated over on my way downstream where well above water now (see pictures) and by the time I got near the dam, I was pulling my canoe over gravel bars due to low water. We had to cancel the Prothonotary Warbler paddle trip due to the low waters and the rain that began to fall around 9am. I am not sure what they are doing with the dam, but paddlers beware of unpredictable water level changes.

06/13/2026

Great story of the rich biodiversity stewarded by Sarett Nature Center along the Paw Paw River's undeveloped corridor of forest, fields, river and wetlands!

BENTON TOWNSHIP — Five years ago, Sarett Nature Center staff members began to realize they had an abnormal amount of box turtles throughout the Benton Township wildlife sanctuary.

06/12/2026

They say you never paddle the same river twice. These pictures show why. These pictures are from the same two spots on the river. One set from 6/11 when the river was incredibly low and one set taken 24 hrs later 6/12 when the river has jump up by 3-4 feet. On 6/11 it took 3hrs to make the trip and I had to walk most of it while 6/12 just over an hour and never got out of my canoe. Crazy two days on the Paw Paw River, but I did see nesting prothonotary warblers in two of our nest boxes!

06/11/2026

Craziest thing happened on the Paw Paw River today. I launched at Maple Lake Dam to what I could tell was low water due to exposed gravel bars but never considered the dam had been closed. The water level seemed to have dropped maybe 2ft in the hours before. River banks were still wet, muddy and eroding; gravel bars were dry or drying with mussels miserably baking in the hot sun and what wasn’t a gravel bar was a graveyard of old downed and drowned trees. I walked and pulled my canoe over ½ of the trip to CR 665. It took 3 hours to complete a trip I have done in 40 min in the past. To top it off there is a new large tree fall near the CR665 take out. When I returned to Maple Lake after the trip, the gravel bars just below the dam were all under water again.

06/05/2026