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City of Ann Arbor clearing trees to restore Liberty Street Creek

View of Liberty Creek, Late 2024.
Theresa Bridges
/
City of Ann Arbor
View of Liberty Creek, Late 2024.

The City of Ann Arbor is working quickly to remove trees around Liberty Street Creek to improve stormwater quality and prevent further erosion.
Liberty Street Creek has been experiencing significant degradation since it was last maintained in the 1990s. Theresa Bridges is the Engineering Manager for the Liberty Street Restoration Project. She says work crews are felling 37 trees in the area to help low-lying vegetation grow to block sedimentation. She says the project is striking a balance between restoring the creek’s water quality and not disrupting local bat populations.

“The bats tend to hibernate or migrate during the winter.  And permits require tree felling before April 1st.”

Construction on Liberty Street Creek will continue and will be completed by July.

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Ana Longoria is a news reporter for WEMU.