Case Study: Returning the Rapids to Eaton Rapids

The community of Eaton Rapids, Michigan looked to improve the quality of life in their community by redeveloping their riverfront, one of the community’s greatest assets.

The community of Eaton Rapids, Michigan looked to improve the quality of life in their community by redeveloping their riverfront, one of the community’s greatest assets. The project aimed to improve river access for recreation and eliminate safety hazards posed by the West Low-Head Dam, building on the community’s already successful river tourism.

The project, completed in 2016, removed and reengineered the West Low-Head Dam along the Grand River to create river access points for water-based activities and enhanced fishing. The project brings back the rapids and restores the ecosystem, improving water quality, fish habitat, and recreational safety with a step pool fish ramp and canoe/kayak river rapids elements. Beginner classes in whitewater paddling consisting of eddying, lining, poling upstream, ferrying across current, and the Eskimo Roll can be taught in the rapids channel and step pools. New fish migration openings allow for the migration of species up stream, further enhancing the fishing opportunities and creating guided fishing tours, with recreational land-based casting, with an emphasis on fly fishing and canoe/kayak based fishing excursions. The project has resulted in a healthier community, increased fishing and paddling tourism, improved water quality on the Grand River, and created an Activity Center at the Mill Street Landing.

“Ten years ago, you would never see people down here. Now because of the removal of the dam and creation of the rapids, on any given Saturday or Sunday this place is packed with 200-300 paddlers and visitors. This could be a blueprint for other communities now. This is a half a million dollar project that we did for less than $200,000, it could be replicated elsewhere.” - Russ Hicks, President of the Quiet Water Society

Project Details

Project: Return the Rapids to Eaton Rapids
Project Type: Environmental
Project Location: Eaton Rapids, MI
Crowdfunding Raise: $55,096
Crowdgranting Match: $50,000
Patrons: 146
Leveraged Funding: $300,000
Total Project Estimate: $400,000

About Public Spaces, Community Places

Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) is our crowdgranting partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). This crowdgranting initiative provides matching grant funds to eligible projects that improve public space in the state of Michigan. Projects can receive a matching grant of up to $50,000 if they reach their crowdfunding goal.

August 01, 2022

Authors

Mahala Clayton, Michigan Director she/her
Detroit, MI
Mahala is Patronicity’s Michigan Director, leading the Public Spaces, Community Places crowdgranting program. Mahala is a major asset to the Patronicity team, humanizing the crowdfunding and crowdgranting process, which could otherwise be intimidating and technical. Mahala works one-on-one with project creators to ensure they understand program parameters, what tools we offer and how to use them, and what strategies make a successful campaign. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mahala coached small business owners from around the State of Michigan. She helped those small business owners develop successful campaigns that resulted in a program supporting over 113 businesses and raising over $500,000 within a two-month period. Mahala is an amatuer hiker, yogi, farmer, and cook.
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