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Building A Great Lakes Lake Level Policy For Agency-owned And Managed Lands In Northwestern Lower Michigan

By

Dennis A. Albert, Research Faculty, Oregon State University

Paul Drevnick, Research Scientist, University of Michigan Biological Station Jason Tallant, Information Manager, University of Michigan Biological Station

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Natural water level fluctuations on Lakes Michigan and Huron create a biologically diverse zone along the shoreline, but also create complex conditions for management by shoreline owners, managers, and governing agencies. Emmet County, located at the northwestern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, contains the communities of Petoskey, Harbor Springs, and Mackinaw City, as well as popular state parks, county, and private recreation facilities. The county is also recognized as important for wildlife habitat, including many rare coastal species. Water level fluctuations impact both human communities and important wildlife habitat, often resulting in conflicting coastal land uses.

The county’s long history of human settlement, similar to that of many coastal communities along northern Lakes Michigan and Huron, make it a good area for exploring the development of land use regulations and other mechanisms for addressing water level fluctuation. The county’s historic land use includes fishing, farming, timber harvest, and recreation.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Biological Station near Pellston regularly conduct environmental studies along the shoreline in Emmet County during its summer sessions. The biological station’s database of biological studies conducted along the Lake Michigan shoreline of Emmet County provides an opportunity for collaboration with government and non-government agencies involved in land use permitting and land management that is affected by fluctuations in Great Lakes water levels. These stakeholders in Emmet County currently involved in management and regulation of the GL coastal environment include Emmet County, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, Emmet Conservation District, the Little Traverse Band of Odawa Indians, land conservancies, and state parks.

Water level fluctuation issues in the county during recent low water conditions include invasive plant expansion, reduced water access, increased ORV damage to wetlands, increases in algal blooms, and outbreaks of avian botulism. High water brings other problems, such as storm and ice damage, flooded docks, coastal erosion of dunes and roads, flooded septic systems, and increased conflicts between recreational users and endangered species habitat.

To address the issues related to Lake Michigan water level fluctuations, the University of Michigan Biological Station began development of a spatial database that combines coastal scientific studies with GIS data layers and land-use and permitting data managed by government agencies within the county. A GIS-based model will identify agency-managed parcels vulnerable to Great Lakes lake level extremes, and will allow monitoring of lake-level caused damage and development of management protocols to reduce damage in future extreme lake-level events.

The results of a study in Emmet County will be readily transferable to other nearby communities in Cheboygan County. Ecological conditions and physical features along the county’s shoreline are shared by other counties and shoreline communities throughout northern Lakes Michigan and Huron, and there is potential to extend the spatial model to other counties.

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INTRODUCTION Locational Setting Water level fluctuations of up to five feet on Lakes Michigan and Huron create a biologically diverse zone along the shoreline, but also create complex conditions for management by shoreline owners, managers, and governing agencies. Emmet County, located at the northwestern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, contains several communities, including Petoskey, Harbor Springs, and Mackinaw City, as well as popular state parks, county, and private recreation facilities. The county is not only important for human settlement and recreation, but also is recognized as important for wildlife habitat, including many rare coastal species. Water level fluctuations impact both human communities and important wildlife habitat, and because this juxtaposition results in conflicting coastal land uses, we chose Emmet County as the site for this planning grant. The county’s long history of human settlement, similar to that of many coastal communities along northern Lakes Michigan and Huron, make it a good area for exploring the development of land use regulations and other mechanisms for addressing water level fluctuation. The county’s historic land use includes fishing, farming, timber harvest, and recreation. Early Native American settlements along the shoreline include a settlement that pre-dated a French fur trading post established in 1673 at the current location of Mackinaw City (1870) and L’Arbre Croche, which became a mission in 1742 (Romig 1979). L’Abre Croche included the coastal Indian villages of Harbor Springs, Middle Village, and Seven Mile Point (Bogue 1985), which were later incorporated as the villages of Harbor Springs (1862), Good Hart (1874), and Cross Village (1875) (Romig 1979). Petoskey was settled as a Presbyterian mission in 1852, as a village in 1879, and as a city in 1896 (Romig 1979). The earliest land use in both Mackinaw City and Petoskey was focused along the shoreline, where Indians traded furs and fish with the French (Romig 1979, Bogue 1985). Petoskey, the county seat for Emmet Co., had a protected harbor that allowed it to become an important exporter of lumber, limestone, cement, and manufactured goods (Bogue 1985).

Water Level change as an ecological driver Water level fluctuation issues for land managers in the county during recent low water conditions include invasive plant expansion, reduced water access, increased ORV damage to wetlands, increases in algal blooms, and outbreaks of avian botulism. High water brings other problems, such as storm and ice damage, flooded docks, coastal erosion of dunes and roads, flooded septic systems, and increased conflicts between recreational users and endangered species habitat. While low water level conditions have been the focus of managers and land owners over the extended period between 1999 and 2013, recent increases in water levels of slightly over a meter have returned the water levels to above mean conditions in 2015, and signs of shoreline erosion and ice damage have become evident throughout the Great Lakes, including Lakes Erie, St. Clair, Huron, Michigan, and Superior. The lead author encountered erosion of aquatic plant beds during summer 2015 GL wetland surveys in all of these Great Lakes. Along the north shore of Lake Michigan in late summer 2015, he documented more than 150 meters of beach loss in a dune and swale complex at Pointe Aux Chenes, and the creation of a steep erosional wave-cut berm on beach-grass stabilized dunes a few kilometers further to the west. Near Whitefish Point

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on Lake Superior, this one meter water level rise has begun to threaten homes recently built along sandy shorelines (MI DEQ Great Lakes sand dune program photo archive).

Partnerships There are numerous stakeholders in Emmet County currently involved in management and regulation of the GL coastal environment, at the local, state, and federal levels, including the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, three state parks, and coastal state forests. The county manages lands for recreation, habitat conservation, and historic preservation and education along the Lake Michigan shoreline, as exemplified by the parks at Cecil Bay, McGulpin Point, and the Headlands, with over 2 miles of shoreline (www.emmetcounty.org). The county also has local zoning responsibility. The effects of GL water level fluctuation on the aquatic plants of coastal marshes has probably been better documented at Cecil Bay than at any other Great Lakes wetland due to long term studies by Dr. Voss and his students, who began studying the site in 1971 (Ludwig et al. 1971, Albert 1980, Szwalik 2000). The Little Traverse Conservancy manages 12 preserves for biological diversity and passive recreation on the Emmet-County Lake Michigan Shoreline, and many more along the shoreline of other counties bordering northern Lake Michigan and Huron. The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council is involved in educational and policy issues related to GL coastal habitats, and monitors water quality, develops and implements watershed management plans, and conducts invasive plant surveys of the entire county shoreline. Wilderness State Park, at the northwestern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, is one of the largest state parks in Michigan, and includes habitat for several rare plants and animals associated with Great Lakes marsh, cobble shoreline, dune and swale complex, and open dunes (Cohen et al. 2015). The effects of water level fluctuation can be seen in satellite imagery (Figure 1); the exposed land surface in extreme high water years is much reduced from low water years, greatly reducing habitat for rare and common plant and animal species alike. For example, populations of butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) ranged from a few dozen plants in the extreme high water conditions of 1986 to tens of thousands of plants in 2013’s extreme low water. Petoskey State Park also protects dune habitat for GL endemics like Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcher) and the Lake Huron Locust (Trimerotropis huroniana).

Tools and analyses The University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS), whose students regularly conduct environmental studies along the shoreline in Emmet County during its summer sessions in nearby Pellston, is a key participant in this project. UMBS maintains a spatially explicit database that includes many biological studies of these shores, dating back more than a century. The data manager and researchers are currently experimenting with remote sensing and GIS tools that should further enhance the quality of its spatial data and expand its data analytic capacities.

Several agencies have data and permitting records that can allow quickly identification of major regional planning issues. Local agencies and planners, as well as UMBS, have spatial data that can be efficiently joined to create a plan to address Great Lakes water issues. A GIS-based model will identify agency-managed parcels vulnerable to Great Lakes lake level extremes, and will allow monitoring of lake-level caused damage and development of management protocols to reduce damage in future extreme lake-level events.

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The results of a study in Emmet County will be readily transferable to other nearby communities, as the ecological conditions and physical features along the county’s shoreline are shared by counties and shoreline communities throughout northern Lakes Michigan and Huron.

OUTCOMES OF THE PLANNING GRANT Focus area The focus area for the grant was Emmet County because of several factors, including the long-term presence and biological research of UMBS, a concentration of natural Great Lakes coastal shoreline under local, state, federal, and NGO ownership and management, and the interest of Emmet County in promoting ecotourism. The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council has also been actively collecting ecologically important data along the Great Lakes shorelines of the county, as well as producing education publications aimed at coastal landowners interested in more environmentally informed management of their coastal lands. Impact areas The coastal lands of the county can be divided into three distinctly different classes of land: 1) lands owned by NGOs or government agencies for conservation and low-intensity recreation, 2) lands owned by government agencies for intensive recreation or water access, and 3) private or industrially owned lands.

Figure 1. 

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Emmet County contains extensive government- or NGO-owned lands that provide important habitat values for native coastal biota, and many of these lands have been studied by UMBS scientists and students. Information from these areas is being organized by UMBS staff to create a spatial database that can be more effectively utilized by government agencies, NGOs, and the public to improve GL shoreline management and planning. Michigan Natural Features Inventory’s spatial database of high-quality natural communities and rare species is being incorporated into the existing UMBS database to create an even more robust spatial database of the county. Emmet County enforces zoning and land-use regulations for all lands, including the more intensively managed government- and privately-owned coastal lands. The county’s spatial data related to zoning and land-use regulations will either be incorporation into UMBS’ planning database, or UMBS’s database will be integrated into the county’s existing spatial planning database. Interdisciplinary topics and drivers To date, the focus of our project has been creating and enhancing a spatial database that includes the locations of high quality native plant communities and rare species along the Emmet-County shoreline, and also studies of organisms or habitats conducted along these shorelines by UMBS scientists and students. Other spatial data important to the planning and management of Emmet County’s coastal lands will be identified by other partner agencies. Partners whose mandate includes outreach and education will help determine how education materials can be linked to a spatial database, or how the spatial database can be best linked to citizen and manager education. Contributors Research team The research team consists of Dennis Albert, Paul Drevnick, and Jason Tallant. For the last 25 years Dr. Albert has collected data on coastal upland and wetland ecosystems throughout the GL, published articles and books aimed at both scientific and general audiences (), has taught courses on GL coastal wetlands, and has communicated with GNOs and government agencies concerning coastal ecosystem management and land acquisition. Paul Drevnick is a research scientist at UMBS. His research focused on mercury in fish, a topic important for the health of both the inland and GL fishery. Mercury levels have also been studied by the Tip of the Mitt, providing opportunities for partnerships outside of this project. Jason Tallant is the information manager for UMBS in Pellston. He is actively involved in improving spatial database management and collection of Great Lakes coastal wetlands data, with ongoing projects in coastal wetlands at Cheboygan in Lake Huron and Munuscong Bay and Sand Island in the St. Marys River. Jason manages a student employee who has been helping to build UMBS’ spatial database of Emmet County. Local partners Emmet County, located at the northwest tip of the Lower Peninsula, is committed to managing its coastal parks and recreation areas to promote biological and ecological diversity. Its lands at Cecil Bay are the site for the longest term coastal wetland plant study in the GL (begun in 1971 and continued until 2005), and its Headlands Park is one of the first international “dark sky” parks.

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The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, formed in 1979, is committed to protecting water resource quality in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, and Emmet Counties, both in inland lakes and the GL. The Tip of the Mitt conducts scientific research and publishes for government agencies and the general public. The Little Traverse Band of the Odawa Indians manages part of its ancestral lands along the Little Traverse Bay shoreline. The current reservation boundary includes approximately 336 square miles within Emmet and Charlevoix Counties. The Band has an active commercial fishery that fishes in the waters of Lake Michigan. The Emmet Conservation District provides education information related to natural resource management and environmental issues out of its office in Harbor Springs. Its educational programs range from agricultural management to management for native plants. Other participants Two of Michigan’s state parks, Petoskey and Wilderness State Parks, occupy several miles of GL shoreline and are important habitat for coastal native biota, including endemic GL plants and animals. Our spatial database includes MNFI records of rare species and high quality natural communities located within the parks, as well links to reports and data collected by UMBS scientists and students. We continue to explore opportunities for direct state park participation in our project. Activities and process Spatial database development The central focus of our project has been the development of a spatial database that contains biological data collected by UMBS scientists and their students, as well as other biological data from MNFI’s state-wide spatial database, with UMBS’ information management staff assuming the role of database developer and curator. Other data layers relating to zoning or land use would be incorporated into the spatial database, with specific protocols for database access and structure remaining for later stages of the project. During the summer of 2015 Jason Tallant worked with a student to develop the spatial database for Emmet County, and they also incorporated spatial data from MNFI. UMBS currently has 39 distinct layers of GIS data that are being incorporated into the spatial database from bedrock, soils, hydrologic features, wetland, elevation, landcover, presettlement landcover, unique and rare habitat/species locations, EPA related inventories, aerial photography, and satellite imagery. Probably the most significant of these are detailed elevation data derived from LiDAR and Michigan Natural Features Inventory species and habitat locations (Figure 2). There are also imagery dataset which allow us to confirm changing water levels and distribution of habitat types. Reports from historic studies done by UMBS faculty and students along the Lake Michigan shoreline are another significant resource for managers (Figure 3). Among the most significant of these for coastal managers are John Lichter’s study of dune succession at Sturgeon Bay Dunes and Edward Voss’s Cecil Bay transect. MNFI’s database of rare biota and

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plant community occurrences contains 164 records located within 1 mile of the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Figure 2. Rare species localities from Wilderness State Park in northwestern Emmet County from Michigan Natural Features Inventory spatial database.

Figure 3. Scientific reports collected by University of Michigan Biological Station staff in and around Emmet County.

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Workshops A single workshop was conducted on August 5, 2015 in the Conference Room of the University of Michigan’s Biological Station near Pellston, Michigan. The focus of the meeting was presentation of the preliminary spatial database by Jason Tallant. The conference was attended by the research team and by a representative from the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Conference, with last minute cancellations from the Emmet Conservation District. While Emmet County Parks and Recreation Department staff was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, a representative participated in pre-workshop discussions and reviewed and commented on workshop electronic materials. A recent retirement resulted in no participation by Little Traverse Band staff. It was suggested that better participation would have resulted if the workshop had not been held in the peak of the vacation season and if it had been held in Petoskey, where most of the participating partners work. For some of the partners it may also be effective to have one-on-one meetings to focus on specific components of the spatial database or partner needs. Analysis Analysis was not a focus of this planning grant, but rather development of the spatial database and presentation of the database’s structure and content to partners. Analysis is a logical step following the development of the spatial database. Key findings from the planning grant efforts that can contribute to the IA One of the most significant findings was that there were more spatial data available for incorporation into the spatial database than anticipated. Lidar imagery is one of the most important of these, providing elevation data that will allow for more spatially explicit modeling of shoreline areas, more accurately linking horizontal expansion or contraction of Lake Michigan to a specific rise in water level. Additionally, accurate comparison can be made between low and high water using 2009 coastal LiDAR and 2015 county wide LiDAR. Another revelation was that MNFI’s database contains many mapped polygons that are encoded to protect rare species from illegal harvest or damage. These polygons may be quite large, while in reality the rare plant occupies only a very small area along the shoreline. While this is a necessary safeguard for rare-species protection, it will require more personal involvement with MNFI staff to allow land managers access to more spatially specific information. Another option might be to link MNFI’s habitat models to rare species, thus using detailed plant-community locational data to ground locations of rare species strongly associated with a specific plant community. Potential for transferability There is good potential for extending the spatial database to nearby Cheboygan County, where UMBS scientists and students have long been involved in biological studies. This is especially true in some well studied sites like Cheboygan Marsh, Cheboygan State Park, and Grass Bay. There have also been collaborative planning studies involving UMBS faculty and both

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Mackinaw City and the city of Cheboygan. Ecologically there is also similarity to the limestone-rich sediments and Straits climate of Emmet County. The ecological similarities of other northern Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula coastal counties would allow habitat modeling resulting from this study to be used in several counties, including Charlevoix, Antrim, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Presque Isle, Alpena, Mackinac, Schoolcraft, Delta, and Cheboygan counties, but the extent of UMBS data from these counties would be greatly reduced. Testing the combination of geospatial data, MNFI’s sensitive species database, and long-term and detailed biological studies from UMBS biologists might allow for the development of a model that could be utilized for county-wide planning of shorelines that is useful for management of water-level sensitive biota. Feasibility of conducting analysis in Emmet County that can contribute to the IA Stakeholder Engagement The potential for stakeholder engagement in Emmet County is strong for several stakeholders. Emmet County’s Park and Recreation Department commitment to environmentally sensitive management of its shorelines has been demonstrated by years of interaction with UMBS scientists who have done floristic evaluations of sites and provided management recommendations. The Tip of the Mitt has a similarly long working relationship with UMBS faculty and provided some funding for the student developing the current spatial database. The Tip of the Mitt also has a strong working relationship with other citizen and non-profit groups in the region, and does extensive research on invasive biota in coastal ecosystems. The Emmet Conservation District has requested participation from UMBS faculty for short courses and training, especially as related to shoreline ecosystems. The Little Traverse Band of the Odawa Indians has an active commercial fishery in the region and there is good potential for cooperative research with Paul Drevnick, who is currently developing his mercury-related fish research as part of his new UMBS research scientist position. Wilderness State Park has cooperated with UMBS’ entomologist in recent years, allowing his class to collect extensively within the park, thus broadening their knowledge of the insects of the park. Similarly, there is a long-term relationship with researchers studying the federally endangered piping plover from UMBS. Recent communications between the park manager and Jason Tallant indicate an interest in participation in the study. Successful engagement of partners this summer was hampered by late finalization of the contract between the University of Michigan and Oregon State University (July 2, 2015), resulting in even later finalization of subcontracts with Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and Emmet Conservation District (July 16, 2015) and scheduling of a workshop on August 5, during the peak of the northern Michigan vacation season. In the full two-year study, workshops would be initiated during autumn or winter months when meetings are easier to schedule. Analysis of options While the University of Michigan’s Biological Station has strong relationships with conservation and governmental partners in Emmet County, that partnership could potentially be strengthened by working with other teams with shared goals and complementary skills, such as those of the Grand Traverse Bay Corridor Project, Tribal Fisheries Project, or Richard Norton’s land-use

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planning team. Difficulties negotiating a contract between Oregon State University and the University of Michigan detracted from our project’s progress and we would not recommend continuing with OSU involvement in the second phase of the study. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS Limitations For adequately evaluating rare coastal biota, Michigan Natural Features Inventory’s spatial database is critical. However, it will require working with MNFI to provide more spatially explicit information that local land managers can incorporate into their management. Additional knowledge needs For most rare native species whose habitat is GL coastal ecosystems, there is little or no documentation of their response to water level fluctuations (Albert et al. 2008). The same also holds for many species characteristic of native coastal plant communities or ecosystems. To solve this problem will require long-term vegetation or faunal sampling that is focused along coastal elevation gradients, much like the studies initiated by Dr. Voss on the Cecil Bay transect in 1971. LITERATURE CITED Albert, D.A. 1980. 10th Annual vegetation study of a transect in Cecil Bay, Michigan. Student report, University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI. Albert, D.A., R. Fanelli, and P. Hunt. 2008. Upper Great Lakes Indicator Species Scoping Report. A report for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and International Joint Commission. Institute for Water Research, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Bogue, M.B. 1985. Around the Shores of Lake Michigan: A Guide to Historic Sites. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI. Cohen, J.G., M.A. Kost, B.S. Slaughter, and D.A. Albert 2015. A Field Guide to the Natural Communities of Michigan. Michigan State University, Lansing, MI. Ludwig, J., D. Pinnow, and L. Wimmers. 1971. A vegetation study of a transect in Cecil Bay, Michigan. Student report, University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI. Romig, W. 1979. Michigan Place Names. Grosse Pointe, MI. Szwalek, Stan. 2000. An alanysis of the environmental factors determining the distribution of Scirpus acutus and Scirpus americanus in Cecil Bay Marsh. Student report, University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI.

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APPENDICES Appendix I. Events and participants Meeting of partners at University of Michigan Biological Station Faculty Conference Room: August 5, 2015 from 1:00 to 4:30 PM. Participants: Dennis Albert (Oregon State University), Jason Tallant (UMBS), Paul Drevnick (UMBS), Wendy Dorman (UMBS), Kevin Cronk (Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council) Appendix II. Key resources 1. Geodatabase hosted at the University of Michigan and distributed using web services

provided by University ArcGIS enterprise license. 2. Archived research and class project reports of University of Michigan Biological Station. 3. Rare biota and natural community spatial database of Michigan Natural Features Inventory

(updated in 2015). Appendix III. Timeline of project activities 1. April; 8, 2015: Powerpoint presentation to Graham Foundation in Ann Arbor, MI. 2. April 10, 2015: Jason Tallant meets with GIS researchers at Institute of Fisheries Research,

UM to discuss potential partnership for second phase of Graham Foundation project. 3. April 13, 2015: Email summary of April 8, 2015 Ann Arbor meeting to Partners. 4. April 14, 2015: Jason Tallant meets with Dick Norton to evaluate partnerships 5. April 14, 2015: Initiated Emmet Co. rare species data acquisition from Michigan Natural

Features Inventory for utilization by UMBS. 6. May 2015: Alteration of Contract – direct funding of UMBS partners through University of

Michigan. 7. Negotiation of Subcontract between the University of Michigan and Oregon State University

(OSU): March 2, 2015 to July 2, 2015. Completed award received July 2nd. 8. May 6, 2015: Finalized Emmet Co. rare species data acquisition from Michigan Natural

Features Inventory for utilization by UMBS. 9. June 8 and 10, 2015: Planning team conference calls summarizing activities to date. 10. June 26, 2015: Hired Wendy Dorman to assist with development of spatial database of

Emmet County. 11. July 6, 2015: Initiation of subcontracts between Oregon State University and partners (Tip of

the Mitt Watershed Council and Emmet Conservation District). 12. July 16, 2015: Subcontracts for Tip of the Mitt and Emmet Conservation District with OSU

complete. 13. August 5, 2015 (1:00-4:30 pm): Stakeholder meeting at University of Michigan Biological

Station. 14. August 17, 2015: Recap of Stakeholder meeting sent to partners by Jason Tallant. 15. September 1, 2015: Submit Final Report and Powerpoint. 16. September 3, 2015: Jason Tallant presents at Final Meeting in Ann Arbor.

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Appendix IV. List of students involved: Wendy Dorman, Eastern Michigan University