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Michigan Department of Natural Resources TRAVIS CREEK Surveyed October 9, 1989 James L. Dexter, Jr. Environment Travis Creek is a small first order stream of top quality coldwater.
It is located in Cooper Township in the northeastern corner of Kalamazoo
County. The city of Plainwell is located about 2 miles to the north. The
stream originates in springs in a marshy woodland and flows north and
east to the Kalamazoo River. It appears only on United States Geological
Survey topographical maps. The watershed of Travis Creek is very small. This is evident by the creek's
small size and short length. The surrounding area is composed mainly of
fallow farmland, marshy lowland, and wetland forest. The bottom soils
are poorly drained, consisting of Houghton muck in the upper half and
Glendora sandy loams in the lower half. The creek is about 3.1 miles long and falls about 70 feet between the
headwaters and its mouth. The average width is 4 feet. Depths average
6 inches, with most deep water occurring in the lower end. Rock, gravel,
and cobble make up 40-60% of the stream bottom substrate, while sand,
silt, and clay compose the remainder. Water velocities are moderate to
slow. Overall habitat is excellent, consisting of a mosaic of logs, rocks,
undercut banks, overhanging brush, pools, riffles, and watercress. Water quality appears to be excellent, based on the presence of brook
trout and mottled sculpin. Development on the creek is sparse, with only
a few homes and a few cow pastures bordering the banks. Most of the channel
corridor is too wet for development. There is no public access except
at three road crossings. We do not know if access is a problem. This survey represents the first documented work conducted by any state
agency on the creek. Backpack electroshocking (240-V pulse DC) was conducted
at three stations on October 9, 1989. Currently, it supports a very good
wild brook trout population. According to records, brook trout were stocked
in 1937, 1938, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1949, and 1951. Stocked trout varied
from month old fingerlings to yearlings. Travis Creek supports a diverse group of fish species (Table 1). The
lower end is dominated by minnows. No trout were found there, although
water quality is suitable for them. The middle reaches have some brook
trout and support fewer species than the lower end. The upper reaches
have many brook trout and only four other species. Length-frequency analysis (Figure 1)
indicates that our sampling did not effectively cover nursery areas. Only
a few young-of-the-year trout were captured. Many adult trout in spawning
colors were handled, though. I do not believe this lack of young trout
represents some degree of year-class failure, but rather our inefficiency
at sampling the proper reaches of the creek. Catch per unit effort for
brook trout was 39/hour. Legal-sized trout accounted for 12.8% of the
sample. Based on length frequencies, most brook trout appeared to be age
I or II. An obstacle to keeping the stream in its present state or improving the
resource are the numerous ponds connected to the creek. Air photos from
1988 show nine separate ponds along the watercourse. There is no way to
know what species exist in these ponds. These unknown species may eventually
end up in the creek. During our survey, it appeared that there was no fishing pressure on
the creek. No trails were evident, and the brush was very thick. One riparian
that we talked to was very surprised to learn that trout were present
in the creek. He indicated that he had never seen anyone fishing it. One management option in a stream like this is chemical treatment and
trout restocking. Because of the short nature of the stream, the ease
of rough fish infiltration from the Kalamazoo River, possible pond fish
species contamination, and low-to nonexistent exploitation, no management
is necessary at this time. However, the addition of Travis Creek to the
Designated Trout Streams list (DFI 101.87) for protection should be completed
as soon as possible. This stream should be resurveyed in 10 years. Report completed: February 23, 1990. Table 1.-Species, relative abundance, and length range of fish
sampled by backpack electroshocking in Travis Creek, October 9, 1980.
Last Update: 08/06/02
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