Upwellings, February 2011

Upwellings V O LU M E 34 | N U M B E R 1 | F E B R U A RY 20 11

Michigans Coasts

The CONVERGENCE of NATURE and ECONOMY

Upwellings An upwelling occurs in a lake or ocean when strong, steady winds push warm in-shore surface water away from shore causing colder, nutrient-rich water to rise.

Upwellings is published quarterly by the Michigan Sea Grant College Program, a cooperative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

The program supports understanding and stewardship of the Great Lakes through research, outreach and education.

Editorial correspondence regarding Upwellings are welcome. For a subscription, call (734) 764-1118 or visit the Upwellings website: www.miseagrant.umich.edu.

When reprinting material, please give credit to “Upwellings, produced by Michigan Sea Grant” and send a copy to: Upwellings Michigan Sea Grant College Program Samuel T. Dana Building 440 Church Street, Suite 4044 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1041

MANAGEMENT TEAM Director: Jim Diana (734) 763-5834, jimd@umich.edu Associate Director: William Taylor (517) 353-0647, taylorw@msu.edu Assistant Director: Jennifer Read (734) 936-3622, jenread@umich.edu State Extension Coordinator: Chuck Pistis (616) 458-6805, pistis@msu.edu Communications Director: Elizabeth LaPorte (734) 647-0767, elzblap@umich.edu

STAFF Stephanie Ariganello, Communications Coordinator (734) 615-0400, stephaa@umich.edu Mary Bohling, Southeast Urban Extension (313) 833-3275, bohling@msu.edu Mark Breederland, Northwest Extension (231) 922-4628, breederl@msu.edu Sonia Joseph Joshi, Regional Extension (734) 741-2283, Sonia.Joseph@noaa.gov Ron Kinnunen, Upper Peninsula (906) 226-3687, kinnune1@msu.edu Elyse Larsen, Fiscal Officer (734) 763-1438, elarsen@umich.edu Todd Marsee, Senior Graphic Artist (734) 764-2421, marsee@umich.edu Dan O’Keefe, Southwest Extension (616) 846-8250, okeefed@mail.msu.edu Amy Samples, Community Outreach Coordinator (734) 647-0766, asamples@umich.edu Brandon Schroeder, Northeast Extension (989) 984-1056, schroe45@msu.edu Steve Stewart, Southeast Extension (586) 469-7431, stew@msu.edu Rochelle Sturtevant, Regional Extension (734) 741-2287, Rochelle.Sturtevant@noaa.gov Lynn Vaccaro, Coastal Research Specialist (734) 763-1530, lvaccaro@umich.edu

AT THE HEART I originally came from California and, after earning a doctoral degree in Alberta, Canada, settled in Ann Arbor in 1979. What instantly struck me about the state of Michigan were the beautiful natural resources and aquatic systems and how they are so closely linked to the way Michiganders view themselves. Growing up in California, I tended to think of Michigan as Detroit and industry, so I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful natural settings I found here. It is the wonderful rivers, inland lakes, and particularly the Great Lakes that not only form the boundary of our state, but also shape our history, our industry and our communities.

Our future as a state is intimately connected with this natural heritage. The lakes are at the heart of Michiganders; they tie together the people of this region and are more than just a resource to be exploited. Michigan Sea Grant is helping to facilitate economic recovery across the state by working with coastal communities to strengthen that connection.

We do that by providing research that assists in sustainable development of coastal communities. Through education, we cultivate an understanding of the lakes. Our extension educators live in coastal communities and advise on issues of importance to coastal stakeholders. Our outreach specialists gather input from communities and work with

others to extend scientific knowledge for use in decision making. Communications and education specialists work with extension staff to provide educational materials and outreach to citizens of the state.

Throughout this issue of Upwellings, you will read specific examples of what Michigan Sea Grant does to facilitate a connection to our Great Lakes. One example features Extension Educator Ron Kinnunen who works closely with commercial fisheries in the Upper Peninsula to add value to the fish harvest and to explore new uses of fish products. The Legend of the Lakes program has boosted the economic value of Michigan whitefish and helped to improve the livelihood of commercial fishermen. You’ll also read some of what he’s doing next to take that fisheries value even further.

Our natural heritage is what makes Michigan unique, and it is important to our future and economic growth. We need industry and working coastal communities and, at the same time, a quality Great Lakes environment.

Sea Grant strives to bring this message in finite ways to all Michiganders. This issue of Upwellings is meant to act as a spotlight on some of that work carried out by Michigan Sea Grant. Take a look, and as always, let us know what you think.

— Jim Diana, Michigan Sea Grant director and professor of fisheries and aquaculture

Jessica Vera, Accounting Clerk Intermediate (734) 763-1437, jessvera@umich.edu Laura Welsh Florence, Education Specialist (734)647-9730, lwelsh@umich.edu

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Volume 34 | Number 1 | February 2011

Michigan Sea Grant is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Michigan.

Michigan State University and the University of Michigan are equal opportunity/affirmative action institutions.

NEWS FROM AROUND SEA GRANT RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE Steve Stewart, senior educator for Michigan Sea Grant, recently received a Recognition for Excellence award. The award is the highest accolade Michigan State University Extension can give to an employee. Those who achieve the Recognition for Excellence demonstrate a record of excellence in scholarship, leadership, service and diversity.

Stewart has been with Michigan Sea Grant since 1977 and has been instrumental in establishing many education initiatives, including the Great Lakes Education Program and the Summer Discovery Cruises, teaching

students and the public while cruising up and down the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair for more than 20 years.

Stewart is part of the MSUE senior educator program, a program that strives to recognize the high level of academic expertise and experience educators provide Michigan residents. To be considered a senior educator, an employee must show: n

onsistent evidence of excellence in C scholarship. Scholarship in MSUE is defined as the systematic generation, integration and application of knowledge.

onsistent evidence of excellence in C professional leadership. n Evidence of continued professional growth and development. n Evidence of meaningful impact defined as contributing to transformational change in the communities or clientele served. n Evidence of excellence in diversity, outreach and engagement efforts. n

NEW TO SEA GRANT Michigan Sea Grant welcomed new team members at the start of the new year.

AMY SAMPLES is the new regional outreach coordinator, based at the Ann Arbor office.

Samples will work with a number of collaborators in the Great Lakes region, including marina industry representatives, on the Green Marina Education and Outreach Project, supported

by EPA. “A focus of this position will be coordinating efforts related to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Green Marina grant project,” said

Elizabeth LaPorte, director of communications and education services for Michigan Sea Grant.

Samples earned a master’s degree in 2010 from the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment, focusing on Environmental Policy and Planning and Aquatic Sciences. In addition, she was a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow, and previously worked for the Huron River Watershed Council.

SANDRA ENNESS is the new communications manager for Michigan Sea Grant Extension, based in East Lansing. Enness’ primary duties involve support for Sea Grant Extension

efforts, including distilling program accomplishments and working with the MSU Agriculture and Natural Resources Communications Services group.

“We are excited about having Sandra on board. She brings a wealth of communication experience at MSU to the position,” said Chuck Pistis, MSG extension program coordinator.

Previously, Enness worked for the MSU National Food Safety & Toxicology Center.

She is currently working on a master’s degree in public health.

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE The Winter 2011 Theme Semester at the University of Michigan is focused on water in all its guises. Michigan Sea Grant is a co-sponsor. MSG worked with the UM Exhibit Museum of Natural History to create a special exhibit, Water and You, running from January through July at the museum. The exhibit centers on keeping our water and environment vibrant and viable, examining issues such as the waste generated by disposable water bottles and water quality as a result of flushing drugs and household items.

The Water Semester will explore water from diverse perspectives, including water in art (as both medium and subject), water in literature, the role of water in shaping human history, the origins and physics of water on Earth and beyond, and exploration of the global water crisis, and water sustainability on local, regional and global scales.

If you’re in the Ann Arbor area, swing by to check it out. See: www.lsa.umich.edu/exhibitmuseum

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MichigansCoasts The CONVERGENCE of NATURE and ECONOMY The Great Lakes are undeniably connected to Michigan’s economic health. It is crucial to recognize that coastal resources have the potential to provide the base for a new economy.

Rethinking Michigan’s coastal economies lays the groundwork for retaining and creating Michigan jobs and bolstering the economic climate. In this new era of development, economic growth in the state will be closely linked to quality of life and the quality of Michigan’s coastal resources.

“...The unquestioned beauty and economic engine of the Great Lakes, natural resources and recreation have always been among our strongest areas.”

– Rick Snyder, Michigan Governor

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In the recent State of the State address, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder communicated that Michigan needs to capitalize on the value of the Great Lakes in order to prosper.

“From the greatness of the land and the resourcefulness of the citizens of the Upper Peninsula, to the unquestioned beauty and economic engine of the Great Lakes, natural resources and recreation have always been among our strongest areas,” he said.

Snyder went on to say that the water resources and the quality of life the Great Lakes afford are an illustration of their inherent value.

What Snyder touched on, and what Michigan Sea Grant has supported for decades, is the belief that the Great Lakes are dynamic. They are not just either economic drivers or natural resources, but both, and much more.

The Brookings Institution released the report The Next Economy: Economic Recovery and Transformation in the Great Lakes Region in September 2010. The report states the Great Lakes region could emerge as the leader of a profitable, new economy, becoming a case study of economic restructuring for other regions of the country to pursue. According to the report: “Although battered by decades

of declining economic health, and particularly by the recession, the nation’s heartland still has many of the fundamental resources – top-ranked universities, companies with deep experience in global trade, and emerging centers of clean energy research to name just a few – necessary to create a better, more sustainable, economic model.”

benefit Michigan’s coastal economies. These sustainable coastal community activities help provide a common focus for many of Sea Grant’s research, education and outreach activities.”

Michigan Sea Grant implemented a program-wide initiative called Enhancing the Economic Vitality of Michigan’s Coastal Communities several years ago. Through this effort, Sea Grant works with Michigan’s leaders to balance the need for economic development with the need to maintain the integrity of the state’s natural resources.

“As the home of the largest grouping of interior lakes in the world, the region can uncover its ‘freshwater coast’ from underneath the obsolete mills, factories, and brownfields of the industrial era, and create a new model of sustainable, amenity-rich development.”

“Michigan Sea Grant has long supported a balanced approach to coastal economic development that emphasizes a community focus and encourages people to think about sustainability from a number of perspectives – ecological, economic and social/cultural,” said Jennifer Read, assistant director and research coordinator of the program. “Sea Grant staff members have identified innovative ways to use Great Lakes resources, staff expertise, and new and existing Sea Grant programs to

The Brookings report distinguished the Great Lakes as the crowning attribute of the region.

Michigan Sea Grant Northwest Extension Educator Mark Breederland, a specialist on coastal Smart Growth development, said communities are seeking a different approach to rebuild the economy based upon necessity.

“Michigan is at a point where we’ve lost industry, communities have shrunk and they are looking for ways to survive. One of the ways to do that is look for alternatives and to make best use of our natural assets,” he said.

“We’ve come to a point where communities are thinking more broadly about what makes them appealing.”

Michigan Sea Grant staff, supported researchers and the management team have been instrumental in identifying opportunities to help promote sustainable development of the lakes as well as identifying opportunities to promote restoration and research across the Great Lakes. For example, Breederland and a Michigan State University Extension colleague will tour at least 10 Michigan coastal towns in the spring and summer, assisting leaders to develop “Smart” coastal development plans using a self-assessment tool. It is just one of many actions planned for the coming year.

If you’d like to learn more about the economic link between the Great Lakes and jobs, see the updated Michigan Sea Grant jobs report fact sheet at www.miseagrant.umich.edu The following profiles report on just one or two aspects of what Michigan Sea Grant extension, education, communications and research initiatives are doing to reconstruct the economic standing of the state through connection to the Great Lakes.

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Steve Stewart, extension educator for MSG in southeast Michigan, said education is imperative to a successful Great Lakes regional economy.

“One of the basic tenets of Great Lakes literacy is making the link that the Great Lakes and humans are inextricably interconnected,” he said. “It’s when people have that foundational understanding that good things happen. We take care of what we care for, and we come to care about the things we know.”

Stewart directs the Great Lakes Education Program (open to teachers and their classes) as well as the Summer Discovery Cruises (open to the public). The mission of both programs is to put learners on the water. The cruises also provide a review on a wide range of topics, and supply takeaway information for further learning.

More than 8,000 people have participated in Summer Discovery Cruises from 2002 through 2010. From 1991 through 2010, the Great Lakes Education Program has served more than 81,000 students and adults in the greater Detroit metropolitan area and has fostered enhanced teaching and understanding of the Great Lakes. In 2010, 86 percent of participating teachers were cruise veterans.

Among these returning teachers, 81 percent reported that they included more Great Lakes and/or water science content in their

Recently, in Ontonagon, a small town in the western part of the Upper Peninsula, the paper mill closed and left the workers unemployed. While the town traditionally has a high unemployment rate, the number jumped from about 10 to 17 percent of the population out of work.

“The paper mill is closed permanently,” said Mark Breederland, northwest Michigan Sea Grant extension educator. “There are a lot of small towns in Michigan just like Ontonagon that have bottomed out. They have to find some kind of alternative and that’s when they really start to ask, ‘What are our assets?’”

For a place like Ontonagon, a town sitting on the shores of Lake Superior, on the edge of the Porcupine Mountains, the answer may be the waterfront and wilderness.

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EDUCATION: A SOLID FOUNDATION GREAT LAKES LITERACY PRINCIPLE 8:

The Great Lakes are socially, economically, and environmentally significant to the region, the nation and the planet. classroom; 11 percent involved their students in Great Lakes stewardship activities; 95 percent felt a greater responsibility for the Great Lakes; and 86 percent shared information with other teachers and/or school administrators.

This spring, Co-education Leader Elizabeth LaPorte and Education Specialist Laura Florence, in cooperation with Stewart, will host workshops in Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes on how to use Teaching with Great Lakes Data, a web-based curriculum. The curriculum is free and features lessons and activities, as well as real Great Lakes data sets from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

SMART PLANNING “...That’s when they really start to ask, ‘What are our assets?’”

– Mark Breederland “Before with the mill active, the waterfront was really just about industrial use,” said Breederland. “Now we’re going to work with Ontonagon as they are really starting to think about tourism for the first time. That’s the story with Economy 2.0 – it is a combination of adaptability and necessity.”

and other agencies. This multidisciplinary tool is supported by Michigan Sea Grant, Eastern Michigan University, NOAA-Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence-Great Lakes and Great Lakes Observing System.

Great Lakes Education Program: www.glep.us n Summer Discovery Cruise: www.discoverycruises.org n

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Teaching with Great Lakes Data: www.greatlakeslessons.org

Breederland, along with Michigan State University Extension Planner Kurt Schindler, will travel to at least 10 coastal towns this spring to help start that process. They will introduce a Smart Growth module that includes a Smart Growth readiness selfassessment. Government decision makers can use the assessment to see where they are now in terms of efficient use of waterfront and to see where there is room for improvement.

The Waterfront Smart Growth Assessment Tool is available for interested communities – with or without facilitated sessions led by Breederland or his colleagues – through the Michigan State University Land Policy Institute website.

Assess your Smart Growth Smarts: www.landpolicy.msu.edu/sgrat/pages/sgquiz.php

Salvelinus namaycush siscowet PHOTO: SHAWN SITAR

Upper Peninsula Sea Grant Extension Educator Ron Kinnunen and Michigan Sea Grant Extension Leader Chuck Pistis wrote a grant in 2005 that facilitated development of a Great Lakes whitefish commercial fishery.

They assisted the resulting cooperative with development of a marketing strategy that helped make the depressed fishery viable again. That marketing effort has continued to stimulate additional development opportunities for the fishery and has helped facilitate the exploration of other potential markets. Kinnunen remains as the main point of contact on the project as well as an acting advisor, working with both sides of the industry – the cooperative fishermen as well as the product end user.

The market exploration has contributed to Legends of the Lakes brand fish cakes that are now available. A fish dip, a smoked whitefish spread, and ready-to-eat microwaveable

DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE FISH MARKETS

Sea Grant communications specialists recently worked with Kinnunen and Pistis to produce the cookbook Wild Caught and Close to Home: Selecting and Preparing Great Lakes Whitefish.

Each of the 60-plus recipes in the cookbook features a different way to showcase the native fish.

Siscowet could likely be harvested from Lake Superior to be used as a source of health supplements called nutraceuticals (like fish oil pills), or even as a potential biofuel.

Additionally, Kinnunen has been working with other groups to explore fish oil as a possible market. There has been some interest in using siscowet, a lake trout with a high fat content.

The fish are often simply called “fats.” The fish could likely be harvested from Lake Superior to be used as a source of health supplements called nutraceuticals (like fish oil pills) to help reduce cholesterol, or even as a potential biofuel.

fillets with different seasonings are also being considered as possible entries into the expanding market. The industry has also become more efficient. Kinnunen indicated that Great Lakes whitefish are now being used as a source to create gefilte fish, a Jewish specialty.

“There’s a company out of Iowa that started using some of the fish frames (for gefilte fish) after they’ve been filleted,” said Kinnunen.

“That and the pin bone meat – it’s good meat – but it gets removed in the pin-boning process. The company contact said he’s happy with the quality and will continue to use the frames. They go for 30 cents a pound and the pin bone meat goes for 60 cents a pound.”

“Fats have anywhere from 5-25 percent body fat, and some have approached up to 60 percent in the past,” said Kinnunen. “That makes them tasty smoked, but most people these days don’t like to eat them.”

That means there isn’t currently much of a market for them. Kinnunen said the next step is gathering more information. He will be working with others to gather an accurate estimate of the siscowet population in order to calculate what a sustainable harvest might be. He will continue to collaborate with industry leaders to find a viable commercial market for siscowet fish oil.

WHAT IS A PIN BONE? Pin bones are small bones found along the center of a fillet. Removing them takes care and time and the flesh near the pin bones is delicate and easily damaged. The other option is to cut them out, a process that removes some of the fillet. It is meat that habitually would end up in the waste pile, but is now being consumed for other uses. Processors usually have to pay to dispose of the frames and other waste, having to store it in refrigeration units until they can be picked up. So, said Kinnunen, they’ve not only eliminated some waste cost but they’re using more of the fish and bringing in additional money.

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ECONOMICS OF FISHING

MSG Extension The report on Educator Dan O’Keefe tournament fishing from southwest concluded: “Great Lakes Michigan has been tournaments offer a working with fisheries unique competitive economics, releasing fishing opportunity that The charter fishing assessment two reports that review coastal communities can reported that Great Lakes the economic value of highlight as an element fishing in Michigan. of their identity. In charter fishing is an important One report assesses addition to the economic contributor to tourism in fishing tournaments on impacts realized during Lake Michigan while tournaments, these events Michigan’s coastal communities. the other examines highlight the quality charter fishing throughfishing available in coastal out Michigan’s portion of the Great Lakes. The towns and often stimulate repeat visits by reports focus on the state of fishing in 2009 anglers, which bring additional money into and were released in January 2011. Along with local economies.”

O’Keefe, the reports are authored by Steven The charter fishing assessment reported that Miller, director of the Center for Economic Great Lakes charter fishing is an important Analysis at Michigan State University. contributor to tourism in Michigan’s coastal “While it’s not a comprehensive look at fishing communities. According to the report, relative in Michigan, it is a start,” said O’Keefe. “The spending has only slightly changed since idea was to put down some numbers – not just 1985, with each fishing party spending an to assess the state of the industry now, but to average of $1,263 in 2009. Economic impacts have something we can use to mark changes of charter fishing to coastal communities in the future.” included gross sales of at least $14.9 million and 343,845 labor hours in 2009.

O’Keefe said we often hear large numbers Access the reports here: – like $7.5 billion – attached to the value of n Charter - www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ fishing in the Great Lakes without much hard fisheries/economics/charter data. Establishing firm numbers will help n Tournament - www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ build a complete picture and will lend more fisheries/economics/tournament/ credibility to the value of Michigan’s Great Lakes fishery.

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The Michigan Clean Marina Program has been encouraging Michigan marinas to voluntarily step up best management practices over the past six years. Now, with recent additional funding, the program will benefit from a regional Clean Marina effort.

Michigan Sea Grant serves as the lead organization on the project. In partnership with the Wisconsin and Ohio Sea Grant programs, Michigan Sea Grant will work to improve existing Clean Marina programs throughout the Great Lakes basin. Specifically, the project will support development of best management practices for Clean Marina certification and improve educational materials for the Great Lakes and beyond.

“Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin already host Clean Marina certification programs, but there is room to grow,” said LaPorte, project co-principal investigator. “Now we have an opportunity to share lessons between our

In 2009, 82 Michigan beaches were closed as a result of elevated Escherichia coli (commonly abbreviated E. coli) levels. Sonia Joseph Joshi, MSG outreach coordinator for Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health is working on a project that could identify the source of that E. coli using lasers.

When using the new technology, a sample of the E. coli is placed in an agar-filled Petri dish and a laser is shot through select colonies of the bacteria. The resulting image shows a distinctive pattern, similar to a fingerprint, that the tester can then match within a library of samples to determine the source of the E. coli. Bin Chen at Purdue University developed the E. coli laser test.

E. coli comes from a number of sources, including waste from humans, cows, horses, geese, gulls and other wildlife. Some strains of E. coli can cause illness in humans, while other strains can be harmless. Joshi said the presence of E. coli is used to indicate the presence of potentially harmful contamination in water near beaches, either as a result of the E. coli or other potentially harmful bacteria and organisms that are associated with high levels of E. coli.

CLEANER WATERS, CLEANER BOATING Now, with recent additional funding, the program will benefit from a regional Clean Marina effort. partnering states, magnifying our impact in the Great Lakes region.”

In the coming years, online training and in-person workshops will be developed to expand educational opportunities for marina operators; an outreach team will help connect

HEALTHY BEACHES “The research will help inform what happens next and how this technology can eventually be used.”

– Sonia Joseph Joshi

“Right now, without performing a DNA test – which is costly and takes quite awhile for results – the best we can do is treat a symptom,” said Joshi. “This new approach could enable managers to begin to address the problem at the source.”

Clean Marina programs in the Great Lakes region; and a technical review team will develop a regional list of best management practices. The existing training tool, the Clean Marina Classroom, will be revised.

For instance, additions to training materials include a new module to address the influx and threat of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes.

Michigan Clean Marina Program: www.michigancleanmarina.org n Green Marina Education and Outreach Project: www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ restoration n Michigan Sea Grant Director Jim Diana is the principal investigator of the new Green Marina Education and Outreach Project. Elizabeth LaPorte, MSG director of communications and education services, is co-principal investigator. Extension Program Leader Chuck Pistis will act as manager of quality assurance, and Amy Samples is the regional project coordinator. n

is no portable system that would enable a beach manager to go out, collect the sample and test it on-site to determine the source.

“Another barrier is accuracy,” said Joshi.

“Since this laser technique has not been used before – even though accuracy has tested at above 80 percent – how do we know that’s good enough? We need to conduct some research in some specific areas first to make sure this technology can deliver. That’s where we’re at right now. The research will help inform what happens next and how this technology can eventually be used.”

WHAT IS E. COLI? E. coli is a specific type of bacterium that is present in the gastrointestinal tract and feces of humans and other warm-blooded animals.

There are some barriers to instituting the technology right away, however. Joshi said they currently do not have a comprehensive database of images to which to compare samples and only a few individuals can analyze the images and determine the source of bacteria to add to the database. Also, there

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Michigan has many water trails and MSG Urban Extension Educator Mary Bohling from southeast Michigan is involved with three projects designed to educate boaters about Michigan’s waterways, while also helping boost business along the water routes.

A water trail is designed for non-motorized boaters and consists of markers posted along a route that highlight historic, natural or cultural points of interest. A printed companion guide can provide more details with maps, put-in/take-out points, rest stops and other pertinent information. Bohling, along with fellow Extension Educator Steve Stewart, recently kicked off the St. Clair Water Trail Project, focused on developing a trail along the lake’s Michigan shores.

“We’ve collected information through a boat tour, windshield tour and some local stakeholder input to identify points of interest, existing launch locations and how we can best highlight some of the unique areas throughout the region,” Bohling said. The next step is to work with communications specialists to draft a map, and get feedback from user groups. Bohling and the group want to explore ways for people to have a more interactive experience with the trail – such as reporting their experiences and posting their photos to a website.

The second project is a trail guide for southeast Michigan funded through a grant from the Conservation Fund Kodak American Greenway Program. The end product will be a brochure highlighting stories from Detroit, Monroe and Downriver communities, paired with some sample paddling itineraries.

The initiative is to fill the information gap

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WATER TRAILS A water trail is designed for nonmotorized boaters and consists of markers posted along a route that highlight historic, natural or cultural points of interest. that currently exists between grassroots trail groups and the public desiring to use the existing greenways and water trails.

The third project is a partnership with the Michigan Coastal Management Program and fellow MSG Extension Educator Brandon Schroeder to create a statewide network of connected water trails along the Great Lakes coastline. People representing a wide swath – like those from local trail groups, economic development agencies, councils of government, tourism businesses and state recreation

facilities – are participating in the project.

The group is currently identifying existing Great Lakes water trails and information gaps, with the aim of connecting them and eventually filling the gaps.

Sea Grant communications specialists will be working with Bohling to offer interpretive guides and interactive maps that will allow users to plan and select paddling routes, access other boater experiences and learn more about Michigan’s waters online and offline.

COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Michigan’s Coastal Management Program was developed under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act and approved in 1978. Since then, the Program has assisted organizations in protecting and enhancing their coastal areas, funded studies related to coastal management and helped to increase recreational opportunities in Michigan’s Great Lakes coastal area.

EXPLORING ECONOMIC IMPACTS Economic studies are often an important component of the research Michigan Sea Grant supports. Here are two examples of how Sea Grant researchers are helping communities understand the environmental issues and the prospective economic consequences of potential actions taken to address issues.

MANAGING THE CLINTON RIVER The Clinton River faces a number of environmental challenges, including periods of extremely high and low water flows that impair recreational opportunities and impact fish and wildlife. Don Carpenter, a hydrologist at Lawrence Technological

University, is developing a computer model of the river that will allow him to test some new ideas for managing water flows.

Carpenter has teamed up with an economist to estimate how different river regulation options could affect the economy of the area.

For example, if water levels on dammed lakes

Extension Educator Brandon Schroeder from northeast Michigan has also been working on water trails. Schroeder’s focus is more on motorized boating efforts, but the idea is the same: increase awareness of Great Lakes coastal resources.

Last summer Schroeder and Bohling planned, developed and hosted educational cruises for local decision makers. Schroeder said two, daylong, port-to-port cruises were organized to bring key people together to network and to demonstrate how to “be a tourist in your own town.”

The first cruise departed from the East Tawas state dock. The boat traversed to Caseville, where it stopped and the cruise participants dined upon whitefish sourced from Lake Huron. The boat then returned. During the journey, speakers presented on different topics related to economic development along the coast. The second cruise left from Port Sanilac Marina and docked in Lexington where participants visited local restaurants

were allowed to rise and fall during certain times of the year, the river downstream could maintain more steady flows. Kayaking and fishing in the river would be improved, but lake level changes could impact docks and lakeshore properties. The research team will also consider how current and potential policies impact water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, flood control, property values and insurance costs.

BUSINESS CRUISES The boat traversed to Caseville, where it stopped and the cruise participants dined upon whitefish sourced from Lake Huron.

for lunch. On the return trip to Port Sanilac, participants were treated to a serendipitous rendezvous with a Dutch Tall Ship on its way from the Straits of Mackinac to the Netherlands.

work cooperatively on a regional basis.”

Others particularly enjoyed the presentations and the possibility of developing new business.

“For me, it was about the fishery – that despite the decline of Chinook salmon there is still a diverse fishery in Lake Huron. Also, there is opportunity for new businesses should a port of call become a reality in East Tawas,” another respondent reported.

This summer, Michigan Sea Grant will partner with two coastal shipboard operators to continue offering eco-tourism educational cruises along the northeast Michigan coastline.

One such operator includes the Charity Island Dinner Cruise, running out of East Tawas and Caseville. The other is Alpena Shipwreck Tours, featuring a glass-bottom tour boat, that will start operating this summer out of Alpena.

Participants completed a post-cruise survey in order to assess the experience and to emphasize the benefits of such cruises, as well as the detractions. One participant said: “I think we’re on the right track and need to

EVALUATING WIND POWER OPTIONS Wind energy development is another contentious issue with potential economic impacts for lakeshore counties. The West Michigan Wind Assessment team is developing a series of issue briefs to help communities understand the environmental, technical and social consequences of wind farms. A soon-to-be released report examines the economics of wind energy development.

Four wind energy projects are being considered in Oceana, Muskegon, Allegan and Ottawa counties, but it is not clear how these projects could benefit the area over the long run. Paul Isely, an economist working with lead researcher Erik Nordman, evaluated the economic impact of other factors, including potential turbine manufacturing jobs, changes in property values and electricity prices, health benefits from lower pollution and environmental costs of bat kills.

To view the reports, visit: www.miseagrant.umich.edu/research

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Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

Michigan Sea Grant College Program University of Michigan Samuel T. Dana Building, Suite 4044 440 Church Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1041

PAID

Ann Arbor, MI Permit No. 144

FEATURED PUBLICATIONS BURNING RIVERS: REVIVAL OF FOUR URBANINDUSTRIAL RIVERS THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE

By John Hartig (2010, Ecovision World Monograph Series, Multi-Science Publishing Co., Ltd, UK). Paperback, 185 pages, featuring a forward by former Michigan Sea Grant Director and NOAA Chief Scientist Alfred Beeton.

Water on fire? It’s hard to believe, but pollution-induced river fires are more common than one might think. In this enlightening read, author John Hartig covers what caused the waterways in the Great Lakes region to burn, and ultimately how the startling image of waterways ablaze sparked the ecological revival of the Rouge River in Detroit, as well as the Chicago, Buffalo and Cuyahoga rivers.

SUPPORT A LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE FISHERY The whitefish cookbook Wild Caught and Close to Home: Selecting and Preparing Great Lakes Whitefish is a great resource for tasty, standby recipes (fish and chips, anyone?) as well as new recipes with flavor twists, like the Thai-inspired hor mok. Get a copy in preparation for fish fry season and upcoming Lent. While we happen to think lake whitefish is the best option, the recipes can easily be adapted to preparing other fish species.

“This book ably covers what one must learn from the past tragedies, the successes we must celebrate, and the importance of the plans we must make for the future of all our waterways so that our children and grandchildren may love and enjoy them as we do.”

– Congressman John Dingell

COMING SOON! THE GREAT LAKES BASIN MAP Similar in design to the Michigan Watersheds map, the basin map will be a great classroom tool or is suitable to frame. Email msgpubs@umich.edu if you would like to be notified when the map is available.

Go to www.miseagrant.com to order publications and to look for updates on upcoming publications

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Please recycle. Printed on 100% recycled paper (processed chlorine free), using vegetable based inks. | MICHU-11-800