Watershed Group
Rogue River Watershed Partners
Trout Unlimited Home Rivers Initiative - Rogue River
UPPER ROGUE RIVER WATERSHED – HUC Code: 04050006-0401
LOWER ROGUE RIVER WATERSHED – HUC Code: 04050006-0404, -0405, -0406, -0407, -0408
Size and Location
The Rogue River is a major tributary of the Grand River. The Upper Rogue River Watershed is 73,988 acres, 45% agriculture, 30% forest, 1% lakes, 5% open land, 5% urban, and 14% wetland. The Lower Rogue River Watershed is 65,534 acres, 42% agriculture, 23% forest, 4% open, 19% urban, and 10% wetlands. Cold water tributaries include Spring, Cedar, Duke, Stegman, Rum, Shaw, and Barkely Creeks. These tributaries, along with the Rogue River, have Natural Rivers Designation. There are also warm-water tributaries such as Post, Hickory, Walter, and Ball Creeks. In addition, Ransom, Camp, Freska, Grass (Bella Vista), Indian, and Spring Lakes all have outlets flowing into the Rogue.
Read the subwatershed summary here (Lower) and here (Upper).
The 234 square-mile watershed of western Michigan's Rogue River covers parts of five counties, although most of it is in northwest Kent County. Its waters join those of the Grand River just north of Grand Rapids, MI. It is an interesting combination of warm water - fed by wetlands, surface and groundwater - and spring-fed coldwater reaches that support trout. Its lower reaches have been designated a Natural River by the State of Michigan, and it has been named a Home River by Trout Unlimited.
The Rogue River Watershed Partners was established in 2001 as part of a watershed project by GVSU's Annis Water Resources Institute to help preserve and protect the watershed, educate, organize volunteers, and disseminate information about current issues within the watershed. The council holds regular monthly meetings, as well as special events and seminars.