Boaters on the Frontline

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council’s Monitoring Programs Coordinator Caroline Keson demonstrates how to use lake monitoring equipment at Petoskey’s waterfront.

of Protecting Northern Michigan Water Quality

By Jennifer DeMoss, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council Communications Director

Once a week between early summer and fall, Bob Stetler throws an orange kayak on top of his car and heads from his house on Lake Charlevoix to Nowland Lake. He passes through rolling hills and farmland before reaching the boat launch and hitting the water. After admiring flourishing wetlands and looking for nesting loons, Stetler begins his weekly routine. He drops a Secchi disc (a black and white disc attached to a tape measure) into the water to measure water clarity. He takes Nowland’s temperature. Every other week, he drops a cement-weighted bottle into the lake for a water sample. He repeats the same process in Lake Charlevoix’s South Arm from a 20’ Sea Ray, sometimes with family members in tow. Why does he go through all this trouble? An avid boater, Stetler has been a volunteer lake monitor with Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council for the past five years.

Since its inception, the Watershed Council has been a fan of boaters. While conservation groups sometimes get a reputation for not supporting recreation, that’s the furthest thing from the truth for us and many other organizations. In fact, we depend on boaters. Some of you have been the eyes and ears of our lakes for decades.

Stetler has been a seasonal Lake Charlevoix resident for around 40 years, and he has a background in limnology, the study of freshwater lakes. For him, it’s difficult to live within the watershed and not pay attention to the environment. Especially since the lakes and rivers within our service area drain into Lakes Michigan and Huron, affecting an enormous source of drinking water, fisheries, and recreation opportunities.

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is the degree of environmental challenges stressing aquatic ecosystems in Michigan,” said Stetler. “We’ve watched the aquatic flora and fauna change dramatically since we’ve lived here. The effects are visible and real to those who know what they’re looking at.”

We count on boaters and shoreline property owners like Stetler for a variety of reasons. They are on the frontlines of environmental issues that affect the lakes. For instance, an algal bloom in one of our lakes has the potential to harm residents’ well-being and property values. Nutrient pollution from leaky septic systems can contribute to algal blooms. Lawns with deep-rooted native plants near the shoreline can help prevent pollution from excess nutrients, while short lawn grasses allow stormwater laden with pollutants to gush into the lakes. Since the watersheds in our four-county service area drain into Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, these problems are interconnected and go beyond a local scope.

“The actions taken by people who use and live on Northern Michigan lakes have a huge impact on lake health,” said Watershed Council Associate Director, Jen Buchanan. “We want boaters and other recreationists to spend time on our lakes and take steps to protect and enjoy them well into the future.”

Volunteer Lake Monitor, Dean Ginther,

Rich Crothers lowers a Secchi disc into a lake. Monitors use these discs to record water clarity.

has been visiting Elk Lake since he was six months old. His great-grandfather built a home on the lake in 1906, and Ginther lives on property his great-uncle purchased in 1931. He’s been sampling lake water on Elk Lake for around a decade, and he and his wife often take out their yellow and white Stingray to collect data.

“These are very unique and beautiful lakes, and anything we do to protect and preserve them is good for us and future generations,” said Ginther about his volunteer work.

Whether you’re a legacy homeowner like Ginther or new to the area, an avid inland lake fan or a big lake devotee, there are four steps you can take to protect the waters you cherish and protect your investment in the area. First, you can join the Watershed Council’s Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program by calling 231-3471181 or emailing info@watershedcouncil. org. Ginther mentioned that he likes to get a sense of how Elk Lake changes over time through monitoring work, and he gets to involve his grandkids in citizen science. There’s also more information on our website: www.watershedcouncil.org/ volunteer-lake-monitoring.

Second, clean boating principles are hugely important. Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels, among other invasives, love to hitchhike on boats and spread from lake to lake. Invasive plants can crowd out natives, get tangled in boat propellers, and take over swimming areas. As Burt Lake-boater and volunteer monitor, Steve Reh, says, “We want boaters who move between lakes to clean, drain, and dry their boats prior to moving on to another lake since invasive species are a real risk we have up here.”

Third, dispose of unused baitfish on land or in the trash. If you collect baitfish from a body of water, only use it in that body of water. Invasive fish species, such as round gobies, are sometimes used as bait and transported from lake to lake, where they eat the eggs and young of native fish and displace them, wreaking havoc on the native ecosystem.

Fourth, shoreline property owners have a lot of power when it comes to protecting lake health. Whether on Lake Michigan or inland lakes, septic systems need to be regularly pumped and inspected to prevent nutrient pollution. The threat of harmful algal blooms, which septic nutrients can feed, became a reality on Lake Superior this summer, and it’s something we’d all like to avoid in our waters.

Boaters help make the Watershed Council’s work possible. Thanks for protecting Northern Michigan’s precious waters while you’re out there having a great time. While you’re at it, be sure to check out www.mishorelandstewards. org for some great tips on maintaining a healthy shoreline.

426 Bay Street Petoskey, MI 49770 (231) 347-1181

Prevent the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species

Clean all plants, animals, and mud from all equipment. Drain all water from your boat, trailer, equipment, clothing, etc. before moving to a new location. Dry everything thoroughly before transporting boat and gear to a different location.

www.WatershedCouncil.org/Clean-Boating

Volunteer Lake Monitor John Fowler prepares to lower a water sampler into Pickerel Lake. The sampler has a small mouth so that water trickles in, making it possible to sample the water column at different depths.