<P> HeadWaters Trails Inc. in Holly (Oakland County) promotes the navigability of the river through Fenton towards Lake Ponemah, all the way to Byron, Michigan and the protection of the habitat along the river and in the river to make that experience special . They have cleaned the river as far down as Byron each year . Volunteer crews remove dead falls, and woody debris, which are anchored to the banks for shore protection and fish habitat; and remove garbage to allow canoe / kayak paddling . This will allow paddlers to start in Holly, do a small portage at Fenton dam, and continue on to Lake Ponemah . The more adventuresome can go as far as the dam in Byron . Every year Headwaters Trails hosts an annual Shiawassee River Paddle along the river between Holly and Fenton in June, known as the "Adventure Paddle". In the October, it hosts "Canoeing in Color", a time to see migrating birds and the changing of the leaves to brilliant fall colors . These paddles are to raise awareness of the river to the community and help support the efforts of Headwaters Trails to continue making improvements in the form of new places to put in the river as well as signage and fund the purchase of things like steel cables to anchor logs to the banks of the river . They work closely with the communities along the river to promote and conserve that trail as a place where paddle craft can go and where fish habitat is preserved . The number of Kingfishers, Blue Herons and other fishing birds is a tribute to that effort . </P> <P> Other groups that help maintain and conserve the Shiawassee River include local advocates, the Friends of the Shiawassee River, and many others . The Friends of the Shiawassee River is a special interest group and non-profit organization founded in 1996 . Their mission is to Care, to maintain and improve the water quality and habitats of the Shiawassee River watershed; Share, to enhance the community's appreciation and knowledge of the river, especially among youth; and Enjoy, to increase recreational access and responsible use of the Shiawassee River . The Friends also hold an annual river clean - up and conduct invasive species removal workdays . They mainly concern themselves with the part of the river below Walnut Hills campground, on down to Owosso . </P> <P> The Keepers of the Shiawassee are a new group that has grown out of the efforts started by Headwaters Trails, Inc. in Holly that created a paddling trail along the river from Holly to Fenton . The Keepers organize and link volunteers in Genesee County to continue the creation and evolution of a navigable river throughout Michigan . They promote paddling events to create public awareness, such as moonlight and sunrise paddles . These events contribute to the economic well being of the communities served by the Shiawassee River . </P> <P> Headwaters Trails, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, has received grants to put in a launch in Water Works Park in Holly; put a bridge over the sluice in Water Works Park to make the launch more accessible from the parking lot; put up kiosks and signs that describe historic and natural features of the river, put mile markers along the river and emergency takeout markers; marked the bridges with their names and purchased land for a takeout at Fish Lake Road . They are still attempting to raise money to build that takeout, which will be expensive due to the soil conditions, current lack of parking and the fact that it will need to be handicap accessible . Headwaters Trails Inc. sought and received the designation of Shiawassee River Heritage Water Trail, for the river . This effort was supported by Oakland County Parks, who designed a logo for the trail and helped with creating the art work that describes the historic and natural features of the river . Headwaters Trails hired renowned artist Gayle Vandercook to create the signs on the kiosks . Kristen Wiltfang of Oakland County Parks helped with the colorful graphics of the Saginaw Bay Watershed and descriptions . </P>

Where does the shiawassee river start and end