Beach Wellness, Birding Trail, and Great Lakes Success Stories

As heard at 9 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM. The Environment Report for June 14, 2013. Jeff Kart (Mr. Great Lakes).

1 – This year’s Beach Wellness Volleyball Tournament and Run By the Bay is Saturday, June 22, at the Bay City State Recreation Area.

The event starts at 9 a.m. at the park, in Bay County’s Bangor Township.

Volleyball teams will compete on the shores of Saginaw Bay.

There also will be a classic car cruise, along with a 5k and 10k walk and run, and a quarter-mile “kids fun run.”

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

All proceeds from the event will go to benefit the State Recreation Area, and maintenance of a public beach at the park.

Sponsors include the YMCA and Save Our Shoreline.

* See Beach Wellness 2013 Flyers


Courtesy photo from the 2012 Beach Wellness event.

2 – Speaking of walking, and running, you may want to check out the new Saginaw Bay Birding Trail.

The trail is a joint project between the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy and Michigan Audubon.

It runs for 142 miles along the Saginaw Bay, from Tawas Point State Park to Port Crescent State Park.

Along the way, you can find nature preserves protected by the conservancy, and more than 200 species of birds and other wildlife.

The trail is a work in progress, supported by the Bay Area Community Foundation, Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network and Vanguard Optics.

You can find out more by contacting the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy in Bay City.

3 – A new, interactive map highlights “success stories” on Great Lakes restoration.

What does it say about Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron?

The map comes from the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, and shows how money spent under the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has been used to clean up toxic hot spots, restore wetlands, reduce runoff from cities and farms, and combat invasive species.

 Among 60 dots on the map is a Nayanquing Point Coastal Wetland Project in northern Bay County. About $200,000 was used to replace a failed pump structure, restore a large wetland, and improve hunting opportunities at the site.

The project resulted in increased and improved habitat for waterfowl and wetland species at the site, according to the map.

Another project highlighted is the Chesaning Dam removal, which modified a failing dam. About $1.4 million was spent, and the project gave walleye and lake sturgeon in the Saginaw River and Lake Huron access to 37 miles of spawning habitat in the Shiawassee River.

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A Larger Shiawassee Refuge and new Great Lakes Boating Forecasts

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.

shiawassee refuge 180 acres

Wetlands and grasslands at the refuge’s 180-acre addition. Credit: Steven F. Kahl/USFWS.

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.

lake huron boating glosFor 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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Great Lakes Restoration Funding for 2014, Lots of Atlantic salmon, and new Michigan Green Schools

Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart). The Environment Report for April 12, 2013. As heard in Bay City, Michigan, on Fridays at 9 a.m. Eastern, Delta College Q-90.1 FM.

1- The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative would be kept alive under a 2014 budget released by President Barack Obama.

The proposed budget, out this week, maintains support for the Initiative at $300 million.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, the program has spent more than $1 billion during the last three years to clean up toxic pollution, combat invasive species, restore habitat, and prevent runoff from cities and farms.

The Initiative has funded more than 20 efforts in the Saginaw Bay area, including a project to prevent E. coli bacteria from getting into the Kawkawlin River.

The 2014 federal budget also includes more than $1 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund – more than $400 million of which would help communities in Michigan and other Great Lakes states to fix old sewers to prevent sewage overflows.

The Federation is part of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which consists of more than 100 environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation, and other organizations.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, whose district includes Bay City, is one of those urging fellow legislators to continue funding the Initiative at $300 million.

  • Read the proposed budget on Scribd
  • Search GLRI projects at glri.us

2 - About 100,000 Atlantic salmon are coming to Lake Huron. 

atlantic salmon yearlings

Via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources plans to release the yearlings into the lake and two of its tributary streams this spring.

DNR officials say that after two years of working through disease problems and investing in equipment to control disease outbreaks, the production of Atlantic salmon yearlings in 2013 has been “exceptional.”

Yearling Atlantic salmon will be stocked in the Au Sable River, along with St. Marys River, Thunder Bay River, and in Lexington Harbor in southern Lake Huron.

Stocking locations were chosen based on variables like stream temperatures, public access, and the ability for the DNR to evaluate returning adults.

Officials also focused on locations that would optimize the chances of success and provide angling opportunities for the public.

3 - Four Bay County schools have officially gone green.

The schools are now part of the Michigan Green Schools program.

The four schools — Auburn Area Catholic, the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center, St. James Catholic, and Bangor John Glenn — all qualified as green schools for various environmental stewardship efforts.

To earn a Michigan Green Schools Designation, schools must conduct activities in categories that include recycling, energy, and environmental protection.

The program is open to all public and private schools.

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Taking Out Weeds, Taking Back the Tap, and Taking Care of Northern Michigan

Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart). The Environment Report. As heard at 9 a.m. Fridays (Eastern) on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College.

1 - Invasive species are under attack in the Saginaw Bay watershed. 

The first Cooperative Weed Management Area meeting for the watershed was held recently by the Saginaw Conservation District and the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

The Saginaw Bay watershed is the largest in Michigan, and one of the largest freshwater watersheds in the nation. Several Weed Management Areas have been established in the state and across the United States in recent years.

The Saginaw Bay watershed drains about 15 percent of Michigan, and includes about 8,700 square-miles, more than 175 inland lakes, 7,000 miles of rivers and streams, and 15,000 acres of coastal wetlands.

The objective of the Weed Management Area is to organize treatment of invasive species in the watershed, which includes all or part of 22 counties.

Invasive species that are a problem here include phragmites, an invasive reed that can grow to more than 10 feet tall and choke out native plants.

The first Weed Management Area meeting for the watershed discussed the development of a plan, goals and objectives. Some of the group’s priorities include early detection, rapid response, education and outreach.

The organizers are working with the Michigan Invasive Species Coalition and Midwest Invasive Species Information Network on the weed management efforts.

Funding for the project comes from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Plans include inventory and treatment work, beginning this summer.


2 - Another group at Central Michigan University is working to gradually phase out the sale of water bottles on the campus in Mount Pleasant. 

fiji over lake michigan anderson

Fiji over Lake Michigan, by Seth Anderson

It’s a group of CMU students, and the initiative is called Take Back the Tap.

According to a news release, CMU has responded to the initiative by purchasing about 15,000 fewer units of bottled water for resale between 2011 and 2012.

Last year, CMU installed retrofit kits at more than 40 drinking fountains across campus. The kits make it easier to fill reusable water bottles, and also record the number of water bottles filled over time.

As of February, the kits have helped eliminate the use of more than 400,000 plastic water bottles.

The student group is working to rally the support of other student, faculty and staff organizations on campus.

The hope is that the university will end the sale of bottled water at CMU by 2015.

3 - What’s on the Mega List?

Huron Pines, a nonprofit in Grayling, has a master database of conversation priorities for Northeast MIchigan.

The list is used to rank proposed projects according to their impact across watersheds, and apply for grant funding.

It’s also used to track the progress of fixing problems, and sites are crossed off when they’ve been restored.

The nonprofit is in the midst of a spring cleaning to update its Mega List, and is looking for projects that should be on the radar for the future.

In particular, Huron Pines is updating information on the Au Sable River Watershed, which has new inventory data for road and stream crossings, erosion sites, invasive species locations and small dams.

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Funding Great Lakes Restoration, Adding Up Wind, and Embracing Our Earth

Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart), as heard 9 a.m. Eastern on Fridays on Delta College Q-90.1 FM.

The Environment Report for March 8, 2013:

1 - Great Lakes restoration was the theme of two days of lobbying this week in Washington, D.C. 

us capitol building turned blue for great lakes days

Credit: Ron Cogswell

More than 125 Great Lakes advocates were in D.C. to urge public officials to maintain Great Lakes restoration and protection as a national priority.

The Obama administration and Congress are working to negotiate a federal budget. The administration and lawmakers are being urged to maintain funding at $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program that has funded work on environmental hot spots in Michigan and other Great Lakes states.

Advocates warn that automatic spending cuts are set to take effect unless a budget agreement is reached.

The sequestration, as it’s called, would reduce investments in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by about $25 million.

The annual Washington, D.C.. gathering is known as Great Lakes Days.

2 - The U.S. wind energy industry had its strongest year ever in 2012.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group, the record installations amounted to 13,124 megawatts of electric generating capacity. Those installations leveraged $25 billion in private investment, and achieved more than 60,000 megawatts of cumulative wind capacity in the U.S.

The top state for new capacity last year was Texas, at 1,826 megawatts. Michigan came in eighth, at 611 megawatts of new capacity.

The 60,000 megawatts of capacity now in the U.S. is enough to power about 15 million homes, or the combined number of homes in Michigan, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, and Ohio.

The record installations of wind in 2012 surpassed a previous record in 2010 by about 3,000 megawatts.

Currently installed wind power in the U.S. will avoid almost 96 million metric tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions, according to AWEA. Still, that’s less than 2 percent of U.S. emissions of carbon, which come from sources including coal-fired power plants.

- via Great Lakes Energy News/GLREA

3- The Huron Intermediate School District, in Michigan’s Thumb, is planning for a ninth annual Embracing Our Earth event.

The event, one of the largest Earth Day festivals in Michigan, is to be held Saturday, April 13.

The festival will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Laker High School, in Pigeon.

Embracing our Earth is family-friendly, and will feature a wide variety of vendors, informational booths and displays, interactive games, a children’s energy fair, live animal shows, bands, and entertainment.

Local schools also will be involved, with various student competitions and presentations.

The event usually draws about 3,000 or more people to Pigeon, with has a population of about 1,200. Huron County was the site of Michigan’s first commercial wind farm, and now hosts dozens of commercial turbines.

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Fighting Phragmites by Satellite, Exotic Earthworms, and State of the Great Lake Huron

As heard Dec. 21, 2012, 9 a.m. Eastern on Delta Q-90.1 FM, unless the world ends. 

Photo by Steve Jurvetson

Photo by Steve Jurvetson

1- A project that used satellites to map Great Lakes wetland may go a long way to help control phragmites.

Towering, invasive plants known as phragmites have sprouted up along shorelines throughout the lakes, including in Saginaw Bay.

The map, created over a three years, shows the locations of large stands of phragmites located within about six miles of the water’s edge throughout the five Great Lakes, according to officials from Michigan Technological University.

Lakes Huron and Erie had the greatest amount of phragmites.

The map is the first of its kind. The lead author, with the Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, says the data will allow resource managers to visualize the extent of the phragmites invasion in the Great Lakes, and strategically plan efforts to manage existing populations and minimize new ones.

What’s more, the map can be used to create models that predict future invasion areas, and target control efforts.

(For more, see the Journal of Great Lakes Research.)


2 – A new State of the Great Lakes report is out, offering a look at water quality and quantity, recovery efforts, and other issues.

The annual report comes from the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, and covers the year 2012.

This year’s State of the Great Lakes report (pdf) focuses on Michigan efforts to improve water quality, best use water resources, fight aquatic invasive species, and restore degraded areas.

Sections detail efforts to protect and restore coastal areas. Experts are featured from estate and federal resource agencies, Michigan Sea Grant, universities, and environmental organizations.

For Lake Huron, the report notes several items:

  • The highest phosphorus concentrations in Lake Huron are in Saginaw Bay, where shoreline beach muck problems have persisted.
  • The lake’s food web has “changed dramatically” in the past decade, and the most productive zones have shifted from offshore to nearshore areas, affecting which fish species dominate the lake.
  • The Nature Conservancy is working to identify watershed-based priorities to help conserve migratory river-spawning fish in the basin.

3 - Earthworms introduced from Europe may be adversely affecting the forested ecosystems of Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw County.

That’s according to a study published in the most recent Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management.

The Journal article is on a study involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The study showed that the Shiawassee Refuge had the second-largest mean biomass of exotic earthworms of six Upper Midwestern refuges surveyed.

According to an abstract, the invasion of exotic earthworms into forest of the Upper Midwest region is a concern, because the worms act as ecosystem engineers and can modify existing systems.

Those modifications can degrade habitat used by some migratory birds.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Big Phragmites, Lots of Trees, and Great Lakes Gift Ideas

As heard Dec. 7, 2012, @ 9 a.m. Eastern, on Friday Edition, Delta College, Q-90.1 FM

photo phragmites fire

Photos by S. Reynolds and M. Venn

 

1.

Do you loathe phragmites, the invasive, towering plant that covers shorelines throughout the Great Lakes region?

Well, you might be interested in a new resource from the Great Lakes Commission and U.S. Geological Survey.

It’s a digital hub for phragmites information by the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative (greatlakesphragmites.net).

At the website, there’s an interactive forum where people can share ideas, showcase success stories, and discuss common problems.

Phragmites has become increasingly widespread throughout the Great Lakes region, including Saginaw Bay. The plant “spreads rapidly and can negatively affect biodiversity, impair recreational use, decrease property values and increase fire risk,” officials say.

The site is part of a larger project funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is working to develop sustainable phragmites management strategies throughout the Great Lakes basin.

Webinars on phragmites will be archived on the site, along with videos, presentations, management documents and the most up-to-date science and research.

2.

The Au Sable tree drop was a success.

Officials from U.S. Forest Service say an Au Sable River Large Wood Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was completed this fall on a section of the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

A total of 126 trees were placed in the Au Sable River, below the Alcona Dam, using a heavy lift S-61 helicopter.

In total, more than 1,200 trees have been placed along a 10-mile stretch of the river in the past decade. This last round marked the completion of the large-scale restoration effort.

The project was funded by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Huron Pines, a conservation organization in Gaylord, was the primary contractor.

The Au Sable River watershed drains almost 2,000 square miles, flowing into Lake Huron.

The Au Sable channel has been altered in the past by logging and dam construction, officials say.

The trees were placed by helicopter to help restore function and structure to the river’s aquatic habitat.

3.

If you’re looking for gift this holiday season, how about the gift of Great Lakes environmental knowledge?

There’s a Great Lakes Gift Giving Guide that might help.

The guide was developed by the folks at Michigan Sea Grant, a joint program by the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

Some suggestions include a cookbook for local eaters, on selecting and preparing Great Lakes whitefish.

There’s also a tome on the Great Lakes fishery, “examining the management, ecology, history, present and future of the lakes from a regional perspective.”

Another “Guide to Great Lakes Fishes” is waterproof, and describes 62 of the region’s most commonly found species.

There’s a “Lake Huron Rock Picker’s Guide,” too, “for anyone who has walked along a Great Lakes beach, picked up a rock and wondered what it was.”

You can find more ideas online at the Michigan Sea Grant website.

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Great Lakes Futures Project, Student Opportunities and Bay County Green Initiatives

As heard Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, 9 a.m. Eastern on Delta College Q-90.1 FM, NPR …

photo swirling water

Photo by virtually_supine

1. The Great Lakes Futures Project is taking shape, and there are opportunities for students to become involved.

The University of Michigan and 20 other research institutions in the U.S. and Canada are joining forces for the project. Those include Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and Michigan Sea Grant.

The goal is to propose a set of long-term research and policy priorities to help protect and restore the Great Lakes. The project also aims to train the next generation of scientists, attorneys, planners and policy specialists.

The Great Lakes Futures Project was assembled by the Transborder Research University Network.

Researchers say this is a critical time for the project, with the recent release of an amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada.

Organizers say the collaboration of U.S. and Canadian academics, governments, nongovernment organizations, industry and private citizens for this project is unprecedented.

Project officials plans to recruit graduate students for analysis this fall.

(To learn how your institution can be involved, contact the Great Lakes Futures Project at kiglic2@uwo.ca.)

2. Bay County is showing off Green Initiatives as part of a online dashboard.

photo green dashboard car

Photo by M. Stjerna

 

The Bay County Dashboard is a compilation of information about Bay County government activities like public safety, health and education, shared services, and budget and finance.

Under Green Initiatives, the county lists extensive information on recycling.

That includes information on recycling locations for various items, from antifreeze to vinyl siding, in and around Bay County.

There also are links to curbside recycling programs in various townships.

See baycounty-mi.gov for more information.

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CMU Invasives Project, Saginaw Solar Energy, and Michigan Fall Color

As heard Oct. 5, 2012, 9 a.m. Eastern, Friday Edition, Q-90.1 FM, Delta College …

Photo by ellenm1

 

1 - The battle against invasive species in the Great Lakes basin just received an $8 million bump.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week announced 21 grants totaling nearly $8 million for projects to combat invasive species in Michigan and other states in the basin.

The money, from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, includes funding for work by Central Michigan University researchers.

CMU will receive about $356,000 to assess the risks that aquatic invasive species pose to the Erie Canal Corridor.

The project will catalogue non-native species in the Mohawk-Hudson River and Lake Champlain basins.

The idea is to identify aquatic invasive species that have the potential to spread into the canal.

The work will use environmental DNA surveys, like those done to track of presence of Asian carp in the Great Lakes basin. The range of invasives, potential pathways and future survelliance needs will be explored.

The CMU work falls under the Prevention category of grants award. Money also is going to Early Detection and Control efforts.


2 - The city of Saginaw is powering up with solar energy. 

And the equipment comes from the Saginaw Bay region.

The city has installed a 20-kilowatt solar array on the roof of its Public Services Building, according to Saginaw Future.

A total of 96 panels on the array will provide about 10 percent of the building’s power.

Consumers Energy will purchase power from the panels for up to 15 years.

The panels were made using polycrystalline silicon from Hemlock Semiconductor in Saginaw County.

Saginaw City Hall also is getting a smaller, 4-kilowatt unit, which will use the Sunsteer tracking system, developed by Nexteer Automotive in Saginaw.

3 - The colors of fall are coming about a week early this year. 

High fall color has been reported in higher elevations in the Western Upper Peninsula of MIchigan.

In Northern Michigan, fall color is reported to be moderate, including for Bay City and the Thumb.

In Southern Michigan, most of the leaves aren’t changing just yet.

For much of the Midwest, color change is running about a week early, according to The Foliage Network.

The early color change is attributed in part to dry weather earlier this year.

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New Great Lakes Beach Monitoring Tool, and Compact Water Project

As heard Aug. 24, 2012, on Friday Edition, Q-90.1 FM, Delta College, NPR-member station (starts at 4:50) …

1

Measurements of high bacteria levels at Great Lakes beaches aren’t always correct. 

That’s according to a University of Michigan researcher who is helping develop a more accurate forecasting tool.

The new tool could significantly reduce the number of days that Great Lakes beaches are closed due to inaccurate assessments of E. coli bacteria levels, says David Rockwell.

He estimates that almost one of every four beach closings due to high bacteria levels are incorrect on the Great Lakes, due in part to the time it takes to generate results from current testing methods. Rockwell says those mistakes would be corrected with his E. coli forecasting tool.

The new tool is called the Forecast Decision Support System. Testing has shown the tool is more accurate than current beach-monitoring  methods about 70 percent of the time.

The U of M testing method was developed with $140,000 from the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The tool is being tested this summer at five beaches, including the Bay City State Recreation Area in Bay County’s Bangor Township.

photo cool blue rule

Another cool blue measuring tool. By Scott Akerman.

The forecasting tool uses equations to forecast water-quality four times per day. Forecasts are generated using almost 100 environmental variables, including rainfall amounts, cloud cover, wind direction and speed, the direction and speed of currents in the lake, and wave heights.

The forecasts taken this summer will be compared with actual E. coli bacteria levels measured by water samples to further test the accuracy of the tool, officials say.

Other testing is taking place at North Beach Park and Grand Haven State Park in Ottawa County, and Memorial and Metro beaches in Macomb County.

— More U of M Great Lakes research

2

Where does Great Lakes water go, and how does it flow?

Michigan Technological University and Arizona State University are leading a three-year research study to develop a way to track water flows and water use in a watershed.

The Great Lakes provide the foundation for billions of dollars in economic activity and are a direct source of drinking water for tens of millions of people, including residents of the Saginaw Bay region, Michigan Tech researchers note.

The Virtual Water Accounting project is being undertaken to comply with terms of the an international Great Lake-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, which restricts water diversions from the Great Lakes and requires state and provincial management of water resources.

To comply with the Compact, U.S. states and Canadian provinces must determine whether a proposed new withdrawal and consumptive use may have a significant adverse impact to the water resource and whether the proposed use is reasonable considering economic development and environmental protection.

The project will examine how water moves through the watershed, the minimum water levels needed to sustain ecosystems, and how water is used by the region’s economy, researchers say.

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Another Tool

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