Fletcher Pond (also called Fletcher Floodwaters) is a man-made body of water located in Northeastern

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. The

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from ...

covers over of land that was previously

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

forest. A

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

was built in 1931 that blocked the flow of the

Thunder Bay River The Thunder Bay River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It drains much of Alpena County and Montmorency County, ...

to provide reserve water for th
Alpena Power Company

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

plant located in the city of

Alpena, Michigan Alpena ( ') is the only city in and county seat of Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. After Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region. The city ...

. Fletcher Pond has over 13

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

s which provide excellent

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

for the various species of marine birds which use the seclusion as a safe place to make nests and rear young. In addition, several stands have been erected in order to provide an acceptable nesting area for

Osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

. This has been very conducive to

frequenting the area as the pond has been said to sustain a very large Osprey population. It is named for George Fletcher, one of the founders of Alpena. Fletcher pond is a popular destination for fishermen, bird watchers, nature lovers and hunters.

Notes

External links

Michigan Department of Natural Resource Fletcher Pond
{{authority control Reservoirs in Michigan Bodies of water of Alpena County, Michigan Bodies of water of Montmorency County, Michigan Buildings and structures in Alpena County, Michigan Buildings and structures in Montmorency County, Michigan