Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart). As heard at 9 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta Q-90.1 FM.

1 – The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge just grew in size.

The refuge, located in Saginaw County, is now 180 acres larger, due to funding from the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The new tract is located on the east side of Miller Road, from Hart Road to Swan Creek.

The area is made up of large, open grassland mixed with small wetlands and river-edge marsh.

Refuge managers will work to restore the habitat to a historic mix of emergent marsh and wet prairie.

The new land makes for a good location for observing wildlife, including grasshopper sparrows, short-eared owls, rough-legged hawks, sandhill cranes and white-tailed deer.

A parking lot is located at the south end of Miller Road on the Shiawassee River State Game Area.

See also: Dragons in Saginaw

2 -Boaters looking for lake-specific forecasts are in luck. 

The Great Lakes Observing System has launched an expanded, online Boaters’ Forecast Tool that covers the entire Great Lakes.

The tool provides information on water currents and depth, along with marina and boat launch locations.

The tool was developed by partners including the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab and Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research, both located in Ann Arbor.

For Lake Huron, the forecast also show data on waves, surface temperature and winds.

The Great Lakes Observing System, also known as GLOS, is one of 11 regional associations of the Integrated Ocean Observing System.

See also: Saginaw Bay Walleye Migrating Further, Earlier, & a Great Lakes Beach App

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