In 2017, Backus Creek State Game Area was also designated as a Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS). There are currently 19 GEMS in the state of Michigan, which are designated bird hunting locations with advanced mapping and flora identifications. Being designated as a GEMS allowed the state game area to receive improvements in walking trails and mobility for hunters, in which the Backus Creek State Game Area consists of of maintained walking trails for hunters and hikers. Further mapping identified 60% of the state game area consisting of aspen trees and also an abundance of conifers and tag alders. The area designated as a GEMS extends slightly further than the boundaries of the state game area. All three dams receive annual maintenance, and in 2019, the Backus Lake Dam and Backus Creek Dam were disabled to provide extensive reconstruction, while the Little Mud Dam remains operational. The water levels within the state game area were significantly reduced, as the two disabled dams have lowered the water level to the natural flow of Backus Creek. The two dams and their dikes were strengthened to provide better water level control. The project was completed by late 2020, in which water levels in the reservoirs were slowly restored. The state game area remained opened during the project, although normal hunting and fishing activities were greatly reduced during that time. Dams and reservoirs There are three artificial impoundments within Backus Creek State Game Area, which have expanded Backus Creek and created three subsequent reservoirs. The state game area consists of approximately of managed wetlands. The Backus Lake Dam () was first constructed further upland in 1937 and led to the creation of Backus Creek. This smaller dam created the uppermost impoundment, known as Backus Lake (or Backus Lake Flooding) at approximately . This larger impoundment marks the headwaters of Backus Creek and receives its water from natural runoff and the surrounding wetlands. The reservoir is also sometimes referred to as Mud Lake. The Backus Creek Dam and Little Mud Dam were built in 1956. Both dams are small, nearly identical barrage dams consisting of four spillways that are used for flood control. The Backus Creek Dam () is the second dam along Backus Creek, which flows in a northerly direction. Its construction created the Backus Creek Flooding. This reservoir is approximately . The farthest upstream dam is the Little Mud Dam () closer to