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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