For Friday, Sept. 9, 2022
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1 – There’s a sturgeon party planned for Sept. 24 in the Saginaw Bay area.
That’s when public release events for threatened lake sturgeon will happen on the Tittabawasse River in Midland, the Shiawassee River in Chesaning and Cass River in Frankenmuth.
Attendees at these events will have the chance to release more than 100 hatchery-raised sturgeon on each tributary of the Saginaw Bay watershed.
The releases are part of a statewide restoration project to develop self-sustaining lake sturgeon populations across Michigan and support the fish’s removal from the threatened species list.
The upcoming Saginaw Bay watershed sturgeon release events are supported by partners including the city of Frankenmuth, Chippewa Nature Center, Flint River Watershed Coalition, Friends of the Shiawassee River, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University, Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network, Sturgeon for Tomorrow and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
You can learn more about lake sturgeon restoration efforts – and how to get involved – by visiting the Saginaw Bay Sturgeon website at saginawbaysturgeon.org.
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2 – Researchers also are interested in where these new lake sturgeon are going.
For the next two years of the Saginaw Bay lake sturgeon restoration effort, juvenile sturgeon will be implanted with an acoustic transmitter before they’re released.
Stationary acoustic receivers have been deployed in area rivers – along with existing receivers in Saginaw Bay operated by the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System.
Researchers will be able to track the sturgeon as they travel through the river system and into the bay.
The telemetry project is funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust, Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network and Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System.
The data will be used to improve restoration efforts.
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3 – State officials have announced support for a Saginaw County infrastructure project that will enable a total capital investment of up to $375 million and create 170 jobs.
They say the support allows Hemlock Semiconductor Operations to modernize and expand operations in Michigan and meet increasing global demand for hyper-pure polysilicon in the semiconductor and solar industries.
The company will expand its sanitary sewer capacity, constructing two new lift stations and five miles of sewer mains.
Hemlock Semiconductor is the largest producer of high-purity polysilicon in the U.S., and the only U.S.-headquartered manufacturer.
High-purity polysilicon is the foundational material used to create semiconductor chips, making it essential for all products in the electronic and solar power industries.
The company currently has about 1,350 employees at its headquarters in Thomas Township.
– Mr. Great Lakes is heard Friday mornings in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes
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Mr Great Lakes 
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