ALPENA — Protecting the Great Lakes and connected waterways from invasive species that damage their ecosystem is a tall task.
For successful countermeasures and eradication efforts, people who utilize the lakes, streams, and rivers will need to lend a hand, officials say.
A host of invasive species are already spreading and causing harm to the natural environment in the Alpena area.
European frogbit, narrowleaf cattail, and zebra mussels not only impact the ecosystem, wildlife, and infrastructure of the area’s waterways, but also make outdoor recreation activities like kayaking and paddleboarding less appealing because of the water conditions the plant produces on the surface.
Amber Hubbard, coastal stewardship coordinator at local environmental group Huron Pines, said topping the list of threatening invasive species in Alpena is European frogbit, which is spreading around Duck Park and Island Park in Alpena and beyond.
European frogbit is a small plant that resembles a small lily pad but grows thick, with long, mesh-like roots that complicate the environment under the surface of the water and threaten the wellbeing of fish, waterfowl, and other aquatic plant life. The seeds from the invasive species are being moved by the Thunder Bay River and spreading to other areas.
Hubbard said a recent study of frogbit in area water shows the spread of the invasive has not accelerated over the last two years.
“We surveyed 66 water bodies over a large part of Northeast Michigan and we found no new outbreaks outside the ones
we already knew about,” she said.
In order to attack the frogbit in the Thunder Bay watershed, Hubbard said Huron Pines and its partners will try new maintenance procedures this summer. She said a dash boat, which is a small boat that has a vacuumtype device on it, will be utilized, as will hand-pulling the frogbit out of the water and some herbicide treatments.
Hubbard said the dash boat option has never been used on frogbit and she is curious to see if it will be effective.
“We’re going to try it to see if it is a viable option,” she said.
Narrow-leaf cattail is an invasive aquatic species that looks similar to broadleaf cattail, which is native to the area, Hubbard said. The tall plants impact the
environment in and near lakes and ponds, similar to the frogbit.
She said the invasive cattail can become very thick and disrupt the natural habitat of birds, frogs, and turtles. Hubbard said that, right now, the cattails are not the highest priority, but more action could be taken down the road.
“It is not a high-priority target, because it is just not feasible,” she said. “But there is research going on to see what the best practice is to manage it.”
In addition to the more recent invasives, a longtime invasive species in Northeast Michigan continues to wreak havoc in local bodies of water.
Zebra mussels continue to cover the floors of lakes and rivers, impacting infrastructure and historical markers in Lake Huron such as the shipwrecks.
Chris Engle, communications associate for Huron Pines, told The News last summer that the best way to prevent the spread of invasive species and limit their impacts is to educate the public and teach them how to identify the plants and animals, as well as how to make sure they don’t inadvertently transport remnants of the invasive species to another body of water.
Engle said people who use boats, kayaks, canoes, fishing poles, and tackle need to properly wipe down and wash their watercraft and equipment. He said it only takes a few fragments of narrow-leaf cattail or European frogbit to spark an unintended spread in a body of water.
“Things like draining your boat at the site you’re leaving, drying it, letting it sit in the sun for a few days will help to not take it from one water body that has it to one that doesn’t,” Engle said. “That is really the only way we are going to keep it contained to the point we can control it.”
Volunteers clear European frogbit from the Thunder Bay River in these 2018 News archive photos.
ALPENA — A world of pristinely preserved history is waiting to be explored in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Of the estimated 200 shipwrecks in the sanctuary, the most recent discovery of the Ironton marks the 100th known wreck in the 4,300 square miles of protected waters.
“Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary protects one of America’s best-preserved and nationally significant collections of shipwrecks,” the Pure Michigan website states at Michigan.org.
The sanctuary announced last month that the 191-foot sailing ship Ironton, which sank in 1894, was discovered in late spring 2019 by researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust.
“A discovery like the Ironton really reminds us that there’s so much of the sanctuary yet to explore,” said Stephanie Gandulla, resource protection coordinator for Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. “And exploration comes in so many forms, whether it be mapping the Great Lakes or understanding marine technology with students or inspiring our next generation of Great Lakes stewards.”
Once a shipwreck is found, the sanctuary works to learn all about that ship’s history and preserve the site, with the help of the cold freshwater of Lake Huron.
“As with every shipwreck site within the sanctuary, our mission is to document and monitor and preserve those sites for future generations,” Gandulla said. “The Ironton will roll into our regular monitoring program.”
She added that many people are involved in the process of documenting and protecting found shipwrecks, including university groups, scientists, divers, volunteers, and more.
“We have not only located a pristine shipwreck lost for over a
century, we are also learning more about one of our nation’s most important natural resources — the Great Lakes,” said Jeff Gray, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary superintendent. “This research will help protect Lake Huron and its rich history.”
The discovery of shipwrecks often reveals information that can provide closure to family members seeking answers about loved ones lost on the water.
“It’s a celebration, but also the honoring and remembering of a tragic event,” Gandulla added.
In September 1894, the Ironton sank in a crash that took the lives of five of the ship’s crew.
“Accounts from the wreck’s two survivors provide details about the loss of the vessel in ‘Shipwreck Alley’ — an area of Lake Huron known for its treacherous waters that have claimed the lives of many sailors,” a press release from the sanctuary stated.
The steamer Charles J. Kershaw departed Ashtabula, Ohio, on Lake Erie, towing with the schooner barges Ironton and Moonlight. The vessels sailed empty, headed for Marquette on Lake Superior.
“At 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 26, while sailing north across Lake Huron under clear skies, Kershaw’s engine failed, leaving the ship without power,” the press release recounted. “A few miles north of the Presque Isle Lighthouse, a strong south wind pushed Moonlight and Ironton toward the disabled steamer. To avoid entanglement and a possible collision, Moonlight’s crew cut Ironton’s tow line, detaching the steamer from the schooner barges. Ironton’s crew found themselves suddenly adrift in the dark and at the mercy of Lake Huron’s wind-blown seas.”
Capt. Peter Girard and the crew fought to regain control of the Ironton, starting up its auxiliary steam engine to help set the struggling ship’s sails.
“Despite their efforts, Ironton, propelled by the wind from astern, veered off course into the path of the southbound steamer Ohio,” the release noted. “The 203-foot wooden freighter Ohio was headed to Ogdensburg, New York, from Duluth, Minnesota, loaded
with 1,000 tons of grain. By the time Ironton’s crew spotted the approaching Ohio through the darkness, it was too late — a head-on collision with the steamer was unavoidable.”
The Ohio shipwreck was discovered in the sanctuary in 2017, and the discovery of the Ironton rounds out the tragic tale of two ships whose final resting place is now the bottom of Lake Huron.
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary plans to develop educational materials and exhibits to help tell the story of Ironton and other shipwrecks in the sanctuary. A deep-water mooring buoy will be placed at the site of Ironton to mark the shipwreck’s location and help divers visit the site safely.
Mooring buoys will be out in the sanctuary soon, so visitors on the Lady Michigan glassbottom boat, as well as kayakers, divers, and paddle boarders, can view some of the shallow wrecks right from the surface.
A popular and easily accessible wreck is the Monohansett, a ship that went down in 1907, in which the entire crew was saved, thanks to the Thunder Bay Island Life-Saving Station.
“Monohansett is one of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s most popular shipwreck sites to visit,” the description on the sanctuary’s website notes. “Today, the wreck rests in clear, shallow water just off Thunder Bay Island. It is regularly visited by divers, snorkelers, swimmers, paddlers, and a glass-bottom boat, all of which come to see its wooden hull, boilers, and machinery.”
To view details on more shipwrecks, visit thunderbay.noaa.gov/shipwrecks.
