GLFT Grant Library

Lake Michigan stock assessments for lake whitefish suggest an adult abundance peak in the mid-2000’s, with estimates pointing to a steep decline in recent years due to decreased recruitment. We propose to explore this trend and validate current assessment models for a representative stock over the 2000-2018 period using close-kin mark-recapture, a fishery-independent method of estimating adult dynamics using observed kinship frequencies from archived tissue samples.

This project will remove an obsolete dam on Buckhorn Creek, a tributary to the Muskegon Rivernorth of Big Rapids. Dam removal will reconnect Buckhorn Creek with the Muskegon, allowing fish passage into more than seven miles of cold-water refuge and spawning habitat. The work will support survival of more than 20,000 trout stocked annually in the Muskegon River at Paris Park and will be a scenic enhancement for the popular White Pine Trail.

Four dam removals on the North and South Branches of the Kalamazoo River. Removal would result in reconnecting 41 river miles. Removal would facilitate upstream fish passage, allowing native fish species to access spawning, foraging, and thermal refugia habitats, and would rehabilitate high gradient stream reaches upstream. Removals also benefit the aquatic ecosystem by restoring natural transport of sediment, wood, and nutrients and eliminating existing water temperature increases from expanded solar radiation exposure in impoundments. 

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council (TOMWC) will build on past fisheries enhancements by completing the engineering, design, and removal of an undersized culvert limiting fish passage and causing flooding on Tannery Creek, one of the largest tributaries to Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay. We will also explore options for restoring the remainder of lower Tannery Creek with an engineering alternatives study to address erosion/sedimentation problems, reduce stormwater pollution, and improve instream and floodplain habitat.

The Rapid River is a significant tributary of the Elk River Chain of Lakes (ERCOL) Watershed that supports resident brook, brown, and rainbow trout with anadromous steelhead and Atlantic salmon spawning runs from Torch River and Torch Lake. CRA and partners will work with an engineering team on design and permits to remove deteriorating dam infrastructure, restore a healthy stream channel, and replace an adjacent inadequate road crossing for major ecological improvements to the watershed.

The Baldwin River is a significant tributary to the Pere Marquette River, and hosts steelhead, salmon, brown and brook trout. Through this project CRA and partners will work with engineer and construction contractors to remove the infrastructure of a deteriorating dam and former fish farm on the Baldwin River, restore a healthy stream channel with instream habitat, install a seasonal sea lamprey barrier, and replace the upstream adjacent and undersized 119-year old state-owned trail bridge.

Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI) will increase statewide access to its model of Place-Based Stewardship Education (PBSE) throughout Michigan by equitably expanding access to its PBSE teacher professional development programs and PBSE leadership development pathway. Through this project, GLSI will support 60 K-12 teachers in its Beginner PBSE Institutes, 30 K-12 teachers in its Advanced PBSE Institutes and PBSE Leadership Development Pathway, and 2,250 students engaged in stewardship action projects.

 

This project aims to empower Northern Michigan students, educators, and community members to advocate for sustainable water practices and become stewards of local ecosystems. It builds on the Watershed Academy’s successful programs, expanding the High School Stream Monitoring program, launching the Students Experience Lake Michigan program, and introducing a volunteer training component. This promotes awareness of Great Lakes ecology, fostering critical thinking, and inspiring long-term environmental stewardship across the region.

Focusing on existing partnerships and protected lands in Alcona County, Huron Pines will engage, activate and sustain place-based stewardship education focused on Great Lakes protection by (1) supporting teachers

and students to build connections between land stewardship and water quality (2) providing hands-on learning and data collection programs that will influence conservation decisions at Huron Pines’ nature preserves and (3) sustain these efforts by formalizing long-term strategies and relationships with Great Lakes networks.

West Michigan teachers and their students will gain awareness of the value of their local watershed to human and non-human communities within the Lake Michigan Basin through participation in direct

experiences with local waterways. This will be done using a place-based approach and the newly developed Great Lakes Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) Toolkit. Students will then work

with local partners to design and implement projects focused on improving and protecting the watershed for all.

Students in disadvantaged communities across the Lower Grand River Watershed will explore their local waterways to understand human impacts to our shared water resources. Through classic PBSE methods,

students will survey, research, and analyze at least two waterways, after which they will ideate with mentors on how their local waterway can best be protected and improved. Finally, students will present their work to policymakers and be encouraged to take part in ongoing stewardship projects.

Friends of the Detroit River (FDR) will foster learning using place-based stewardship education at Detroit

River Water Festivals (DRWF). The project will aim to engage 2,000+ youth, 200+ teachers/chaperones,

200+ volunteers, and 40+ local partners in hands-on, outdoor, water resource education along the Detroit

River. DRWF participants will be invited to actively steward their communities through additional, ongoing

initiatives offered by FDR including litter clean ups, invasive species management, and engagement in

habitat restoration projects.

Promoting and educating about water quality and all subjects that factor in to create a healthy sustainable

environment. This would include the outreach educating events along with the Water Festival for two years.

We want to encourage the future minds in a positive impact for conserving and enhancing the environment.

West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC) and project partners are proposing capital improvements to an existing fishing pier with access to Pentwater Lake along Longbridge Road Boardwalk. Restoring the integrity of the fishing pier will not only alleviate the current safety concerns, but also reestablish the only publicly accessible point for shore fishing on Pentwater Lake, especially those with mobility challenges.

The proposed project will develop a permanent concrete boat ramp and a seasonal, removable dock with a handicap-accessible kayak launch at a site adjacent to Bay Mills Township Hall. This will enhance access to Lake Superior for recreational and tribal anglers, improving safety and expanding usability for various watercraft. The project also includes educational signage and supports both community cultural heritage and sustainable tourism, contributing to local economic development.

The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB) is requesting $250,000 in its entirety to replace the Meshenahma research vessel. The Meshenahma is LTBB’s largest research vessel and is critical to program operations in Little Traverse Bay and northern Lake Michigan, but has been out of operation since September, 2023 due to mechanical issues. This special project will enable LTBB to replace the Meshenahma and resume the full scale of assessments of fish communities.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking grant funding to help renovate the Snug Harbor shoreline fishing site at Muskegon State Park. The existing fishing pier is no longer accessible due to a failing subbase and sunken surface. Installation of new pavement, parking and amenities will provide improved accessibility and functionality at this popular fishery.

The Michigan DNR is requesting $500,000 to contribute toward replacement of the S/V Steelhead that operates on Lake Michigan. A new vessel will ensure continuation of long-term monitoring efforts, increase vessel efficiency, and improve surveys for inter-lake comparisons. The vessel will allow for collaboration with partner agencies on a variety of fishery assessments that support priorities of the Lake Michigan Committee and Lakewide Action and Management Plan.

Install a fish cleaning station and shelter at the Michigan DNR Clinton River Cutoff Boating Access Site near the Clinton River Spillway in Harrison Township. Once complete, the Foundation will transfer ownership to the Michigan DNR who will manage and maintain the facility.

The grantee will construct three bridges and install habitat structures on the Crystal River in Leelanau County opening 6.65 miles of tributary habitat to Lake Michigan and restoring habitat along 2,000 linear feet of the Crystal River within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. They claim a diverse fishery consisting of Crystal River-based and Lake Michigan migratory smallmouth bass and northern pike, as well as strong seasonal runs of salmon and steelhead, will benefit from restored habitat and connectivity.

The grantee claims that, this project will replace an undersized culvert restricting hydrologic flow on Mitchell Creek where it crosses a railroad grade, restoring natural stream function and improving fish passage in this section of creek. Their efforts will focus on replacing the culvert to maintain proper stream dimensions and sediment transport mechanisms, thus improving natural stream function and in-stream habitat. They claim this work will benefit brook/brown/rainbow trout and white/longnose sucker populations, as well as desirable forage fish and macroinvertebrate species.

The grantee states, the Baldwin River is a significant tributary to the Pere Marquette River, and hosts steelhead, salmon, and brown trout. Through this project CRA and partners will work with an engineering team on design and permits to remove the infrastructure of a deteriorating dam and former fish farm on the Baldwin River, restore a healthy stream channel, incorporate the parallel effort of reconstructing the nearby state-owned railroad trail bridge and install a seasonal sea lamprey barrier.

HRWC will conduct a stream-road crossing inventory of the Mill Creek, a highly agricultural cool-water trout stream, using the Great Lakes Road Stream Crossing Inventory Protocol.Simultaneously, HRWC will inventory small dam/road/stream crossings found throughout the fullHuron watershed.  HRWC will work with Washtenaw County drain and road commissions to collaboratively develop future restoration targets. HRWC will also reach out to dam owners to gauge interest in future small dam removals.

Trout Unlimited and its partners seek to replace an undersized and failing culvert on Claybank Creek and Pine Creek Road in Manistee County, Michigan. The current culvert is undersized relative to the natural stream channel dimensions, inhibits aquatic organism passage (AOP), and disrupts natural ecological processes. Trout Unlimited and its funding partners, the USDA Forest Service, US FWS, NOAA, and the Manistee County Road Commission have joined an effort to replace this crossing.

This project will measure the contribution of recreational fishing in the GreatLakes to the economy andsocial wellbeing. This contribution includes market-relatedactivities such as spending on fishing gear andcharter services, aswell as the nonmonetary benefits of fishing to anglers. We propose toquantify bothtypes of contribution using economic valuation methods. Thevalues will help decision makers betterunderstand the consequences ofpolicies that affect conditions in the lakes.

We will evaluate the source-specific production of Coho salmon to the Lake Michigan fishery.We have demonstrated that chemical signatures of juvenile Coho salmon otoliths are sufficientlydifferent among Lake Michigan tributaries to assign accurate natal origin. Here, otoliths of adultCoho salmon will be collected and analyzed to quantitatively assess the mixing of stocks in theLake Michigan sport fishery and identify specific sources most supportive of wild and hatcheryCoho salmon production.

GSGP’s 100% Great Lakes Fish initiative has identified ways to capture the potential value ofcommercially caught Great Lakes fish more fully by more completely using fish carcasses.  In thisnext stage, the project team will inventory raw material availability; assess demand for newproducts; create a value chain analysis; assess economic and environmental benefits; and,outline recommendations to drive more value through the fisheries, attract new talent andinvestment, and support rural economies.

Recreational angling is often viewed as a leisure activity; however, there is an often-overlooked fishing population that relies on this activity for food and nutritional security,socio-cultural expressions, sense of belonging, and income supplements, among otherprovisions. We seek to characterize the needs, motivations, and values of these fishers, andcharacterize the risks, benefits, and barriers they face around Lake Michigan to inform amore holistic fisheries management and risk communication approach.

This project seeks to evaluate whether thiamine deficiency could affect lake whitefishrecruitment in the Great Lakes region. The specific objectives are to (1) determine thiamineconcentrations in lake whitefish eggs, (2) determine the lethal thiamine concentration thatinduces 50% mortality of lake whitefish embryos, (3) evaluate lake whitefish diet using stomachcontent, stable isotope and fatty acid analyses, (4) relate egg thiamine concentration to lakewhitefish diet, (5) assess lake whitefish prey nutritional quality.

With support from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust, the St. Joseph County Conservation District (SJCCD; The District) completed a comprehensive inventory of nearly 1,000 road-stream intersections across six HUC-10 subwatersheds in the St. Joseph River Watershed. Using the ArcGIS-based Survey123 application, The District collected detailed data on infrastructure condition, fish passage barriers, and site-specific habitat concerns such as erosion and runoff. The project filled critical data gaps, identified high-priority sites for restoration, and provided valuable information to the Michigan DNR and many other local agencies. Results are publicly available through the MDNR’s Great Lakes Stream Crossing Inventory map and will inform future restoration planning, watershed management, and updates to the St. Joseph River Watershed Management Plan.

Huron Pines and partners will reconnect 20 miles of coldwater habitat, restore natural river processes in the Thunder Bay River, and address road safety and stormwater runoff issues through the replacement of two problematic road/stream crossings with new, channel-spanning timber bridges. The proposed project sites are Lutz Road/Thunder Bay River and Hossler Road/Thunder Bay River, located in Montmorency County, Michigan. These sites were prioritized based on road/stream crossing inventory data collected throughout the watershed.

The Muskegon Conservation District conducted a comprehensive road stream crossing inventory in the Mona Lake Watershed in Muskegon County, Michigan. This inventory is an update to the 2006 inventory and new data will be used to update the 2004 Mona Lake Watershed Management Plan. Past sites were inventoried as well as new sites in order to identify future restoration projects and implement new best management practices (BMP’s).

Project Summary

West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) is partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Muskegon Lakeshore (BGCML) to expand watershed education programming to their members. Members will engage with hands-on models and field studies at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve to learn how to measure water quality and stop local threats of pollution. We will conduct several community clean ups to expand members’ knowledge and community connections to protect our watersheds.

HRWC’s youth education program consists of four main branches, all of which emphasize science learning and environmental protection for K-12 and college-aged students: aquatic field internships, streamside education, summer learning experiences, and intergenerational monitoring events. At each experience, young people experience grade level appropriate, hands-on, place-based, real life watershed ecology.

Inland Seas Education Association will support a year-long classroom stewardship experience with 30 educators from across the Great Lakes following an immersive, four-day field experience that combines watershed learning with authentic science inquiry and place-based education pedagogy. Educators will implement stewardship action projects with their students over the following school year. A culminating event will bring educators back together to share their work and provide additional support as they integrate this experience into future years.

TOMWC will expand the Watershed Academy to further watershed stewardship among area youth. High schoolers will experience place-based, hands-on education through stream monitoring within their watersheds and projects addressing concerns identified in the community’s watershed management plan. Elementary students will learn about their watershed through an after-school program with hands-on activities. A new “Educators Watershed Academy” will provide teachers tools, experience, and a network to help engage students, parents, and community leaders in watershed education.

Marine Debris Stewards will foster student learning and leadership through hands-on marine debris investigations and stewardship in northeast Michigan. Using place-based stewardship education, students will explore their local Great Lakes watersheds alongside natural resource community partners, analyze their findings and take action by proposing and implementing system- or community-level changes that help prevent marine debris from entering the Great Lakes. This project will engage 1500+ students and 20+ teachers across 8 northeast Michigan counties.

Communities in the Western Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior are increasingly impacted by environmental issues related to coastal storms, shoreline erosion, fluctuations in lake level, and impacts to water quality. Through place-based professional learning, watershed assessments, and student-led stewardship projects, teachers, students, and community partners will explore how these events have implications for fish habitat and fish health thereby reflecting the health of our communities.

Discovery Center & Pier has partnered with Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Inland Seas Education Association, and the Northwest Michigan Fishing Club to develop the Grand Traverse Youth Fishing Program. Utilizing the newly renovated Discovery Pier on West Grand Traverse Bay, this program will introduce northwestern Michigan youth to the Great Lakes fishery through hands-on workshops which will include Great Lakes food web exploration, basic fishing skills, fish identification, and stewardship.

Buchinger: Characterization of olfactory imprinting to inform restoration of lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes. # 1785. Publications: Behavioral evidence of olfactory imprinting during embryonic and larval stages in lake sturgeon. Submitted to Conservation Physiology (revision requested 1/12/23) Buchinger & Johnson: Identity and Function of Lake Trout Pheromones. #1631. Publications: 1) Behavioural responses of female lake trout Salvelinus namaycush to male chemical stimuli and prostaglandin F2α. Journal of Fish Biology, 2) The evolution of (non) species‑specific pheromones. Evolutionary Ecology, 3) Discovery and characterization of natural products that act as pheromones in fish. Natural Product Reports, 4) Male lake char release taurocholic acid as part of a mimetic pheromone. In preparation. Honsey: Spatial, temporal, and diel relations between zooplankton and age-0 lake whitefish in the Upper Great Lakes. # 1949 Johnson: Optimize pheromone application rate to yield large and consistent catches of adult sea lamprey. # 1645. Publications: 1) Behavioral responses of sea lamprey to varying application rates of a synthesized pheromone in diverse trapping scenarios. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 2) A renewed philosophy about supplemental sea lamprey controls. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 3) Where you trap matters: implications for integrated sea lamprey management. Journal of Great Lakes Research.

Lake Michigan stock assessments for lake whitefish suggest an adult abundance peak in the mid-2000’s, with estimates pointing to a steep decline in recent years due to decreased recruitment. We propose to explore this trend and validate current assessment models for a representative stock over the 2000-2018 period using close-kin mark-recapture, a fishery-independent method of estimating adult dynamics using observed kinship frequencies from archived tissue samples.

West Michigan teachers and their students will gain awareness of the value of their local watershed to human and non-human communities within the Lake Michigan Basin through participation in direct experiences with local waterways. Using a place-based approach to examining the upstream and downstream impact of human interactions and interventions on the watershed, students will work with local environmental partners to design and implement projects focused on improving and protecting the watershed for all.

A universally accessible fishing access structure will be constructed on this highly productive and locally treasured cold-water stream with robust populations of brook, brown, and rainbow trout, and strong runs of Lake Michigan steelhead and salmon. Located an hour northwest of Grand Rapids and one-half-hour north of Muskegon, the site offers an easy escape for city residents to access one of the cold-water tributaries that Lake Michigan has to offer.

The project will significantly increase access to shoreline fishing at Carronde Park in St. Joseph Charter Township through construction of two ADA fishing platforms located on the St. Joseph River, sidewalks from the roadway to the fishing platforms, ADA parking spaces that connect to the sidewalks, benches, picnic tables and educational signage.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is reimagining the role of a public museum. Located on the banks of the Grand River, the Museum will construct a welcoming and universally accessible outdoor space that provides educational and recreational opportunities to interact with the river. Anglers will have safe and well marked access to the fishery from created terraces and pathways.

The Pere Marquette River Community Access site will provide boating and shore-based access to the mouth of the PM River adjacent to PM Highway in the Ludington area. The project addresses long standing safety hazards with people parking along PM Hwy to access this popular salmon, steelhead and resident species fishery. This grant is specifically targeted at funding the shore-based boardwalk and fishing pier structure, which is the major remaining unfunded portion of the project.