Tobeco Creek Watershed

The Tobeco Creek watershed is widely considered the most beautiful wetland area in the entire Grand Traverse Bay watershed.  The majority of the 14-square mile watershed area is located in Grand Traverse County, with a small portion in Antrim County.  The watershed includes a vast complex of wetlands near its outlet to east Grand Traverse Bay and is home to a thriving wildlife population.  However, while the Tobeco Creek subwatershed is often thought of as a large wetland complex, over half of its land area is agriculture.  Most agriculture is orchards/vineyards near the downstream areas along US-31 with a mix of cropland and pasture in headwater areas.  The watershed is made up of a single creek that flows lazily into the Upper Petobego Pond and then meanders through a wetland complex into the Lower Petobego Pond that outlets into the bay.  The Petobego Creek Wildlife Preserve and State Game Area, an approximate 400-acre parcel of land, is centered on these two ponds in Grand Traverse County.  Additionally, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy established the Maple Bay Farms Natural Area in the watershed, a more than 400-acre parcel of land adjacent to the wildlife preserve.

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