Watershed Moments May 2010

by Andy KnottExecutive Director

I recently attended a workshop of the MSU Land Policy Institute on the New Economy and learned some things that reaffirmed my belief that our stunning freshwater resources are key to our regional economy and quality of life.

The New Economy refers to a global, entrepreneurial and knowledge-based economy where business success comes increasingly from the ability to incorporate know-ledge, technology, creativity and innovation into products and services.

Key features of the New Economy include physical and cultural amenities that attract knowledge workers and entrepreneurs who can live anywhere and start their own businesses. Another feature of the New Economy is the presence of bold partnerships between business, government and non-profits that lead to change.

The Grand Traverse region has these features and more. Our magnificent water and other natural resources attract people from across the nation and the globe. And the Grand Vision represents one of the boldest partner-ship projects in Michigan if not the U.S.

The Watershed Center is doing its part to implement the guiding principles of the Grand Vision. The principles are the result of more than 15,000 people in our region participating in forums and surveys.

Our Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Protection Plan is a proven framework for partnerships to protect our vital water resources.

The Watershed center also serves as convener of the Grand Vision’s Natural Resources Working Group, whichincludes 20 natural resource organizations and agencies. The group recently completed an Action Plan consistingof goals and objectives to implement the natural resource guiding principles.

I am extremely encouraged by the ongoing commit-ment of our region’s residents in moving ahead with Grand Actions under the Grand Vision. More than 400

citizens participated in a May 10 Grand Vision Expo that kicked off the implementation phase of Grand Vision.

Let’s keep the Grand Vision momentum going! We have the tools and the partnerships right here in our freshwater community to keep our waters grand. See how you can get more involved at thegrandvision.org and gtbay.org.

Grand Vision for Grand Waters

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Joe Rathbun of DNRE, Program Associate Maureen McManus and RalphReznick of DNRE set bank pins along a section of Kids Creek to monitor erosion during the coming year. Photo by Sarah U’Ren.

A two-mile portion of Kids Creek, a major tributary to the Boardman River, is on the State’s impaired waters list. This is due to a poor aquatic insect community, sedimentation, flow regime alteration, and other human-caused sources~all of which relate to stormwater.

Getting Kids Creek Off Impaired List

Making Waves in the Capitols Asian Carp ~ We have been following developments in management approaches to ensuring that Asian Carp do not take hold in Lake Michigan. While we support all efforts, including the State of Michigan’s, to control carp passage through the Chicago locks, we need to under-stand that closing the locks is not a sufficient resolution. The locks are not a tightly sealed barrier that will stop all passage of water and small carp into Lake Michigan. Immediate measures must include more than closing the locks. Likewise, we believe the best long-term solution is re-establishing the natural separation between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. Let your US representative and senators know how you feel about this issue.

Phosphorus ~ House Bill 5368 in the Michigan Legis-lature would ban phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, with some exceptions. We support this bill and encourage you to tell your state representatives to support it. Rep. Dan Scripps is a co-sponsor. Researchers from the University

The Watershed Center just received a grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environ-ment to establish a detailed action plan to address storm-water inputs and their effects on Kids Creek. This will begin the work necessary to remove Kids Creek from the impaired waters list. The plan will take a holistic approach and look at the existing hydrology and land uses for the creek, and take into account stormwater inputs and other sources of pollution from the entire watershed drainage area.

Recommendations will be prioritized and summarized in a final report which will include cost estimates and time-line for implementation. The recommendations will most likely include a mix of traditional on-the-ground improve-ments plus managerial and educational goals.

This process will involve lots of fieldwork, hydrologic modeling, research and strategizing. Good thing we're pulling together a stellar list of partners to help us! The Grand Traverse Conservation District, City of Traverse City, Garfield Township and DNRE will help us strategize the best way to help get our little gem of a creek right here in Traverse City off the impaired waters list.

Field work will start this spring and we hope to have drafted the Action Plan by fall 2011.

of Michigan have found that a 2006 ban on phosphorus in Ann Arbor has resulted in a 28 percent drop in phos-phorus levels in the Huron River, which runs through the city. When there is too much phosphorus, plants can grow to excessive levels in our lakes and streams. This potentially severe increase in plant and algae growth is usually associated with a condition known as culturaleutrophication, which leads to declining water quality.

Septic System Maintenance ~ Senate Bill 45 would result in consistent approaches to septic system main-tenance throughout the state of Michigan. According to Clean Water Action, Michigan is the only state that does not have a statewide sanitary code that addresses septic systems. Nutrients are the second most significant pol-lutant threatening water quality within our watershed. Overloaded or failing septic systems in shoreline areas can be a major source of nutrients to our water resources. We support this bill and encourage you to tell your state representatives to support it. Sen. Jason Allen signed on.

Thank You to Our Program Sponsors!

Joe & Christy Quandt

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Photo by Youngflesh family.

Adopt-A-Stream is great for families, classrooms,employee groups, neighborhood groups, churches--anyone who loves Grand Traverse Bay! Don’t tell kids,but Adopt-A-Stream also provides fun, place-basedhands-on learning.

You can adopt your favorite stream in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. Twice a year, we’ll lend you sampling equipment, you count aquatic insects, then report your findings. The bugs you find indicatea stream’s overall health.

Want to become a Stream Sponsor or Program Sponsor? Contact Maureen McManus at 231~935~1514 ext. 0 or mmcmanus@gtbay.org.

Adopt-A-Stream: Hands-on Fun!

Here’s How it Works

Choose your favorite stream in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed.

Assemble a team that includes at least four adults.

Pledge to monitor your stream once during June and October for three years.

Pay an annual fee of $300, which covers really cool monitoring equipment. If that’s too much for your budget, don’t worry--we’ll match you with a sponsor.

Designate a team leader to receive training from the Watershed Center.

Four team t-shirts

Stardom in our web site and newsletter

Pride of ownership in our water quality & quality of life

Here’s What You Get

Businesses, organizations and individuals can be Program Sponsors for an annual fee of $500 for three years. In addition to Stream Sponsor benefits, you get:

Name and logo on t-shirts

Publicity in newsletters, web site, blog and Facebook

A unique medium for increasing your publicity that shows our freshwater community you actively invest in our region’s beauty and quality of life

Program Sponsor Benefits

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Final Results are in: Macrophyte Beds Tripled Since 1998

The vast majority of plants found were Chara and Milfoil, with some other various forms of Pondweed. Virtually no Cladophora was found. How this impacts the likelihood of avian botulism affecting the Bay is unknown. The major plant type found near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is Cladophora, but whether that is the determining factor in the cycle ofavian botulism is unknown. It could be that excessive growth and die-off of any plant species will feed the botulism cycle, or perhaps it is the specific occurrence of Cladophora that is necessary. Previous cases of avian botulism have mostly been noted in East Grand Traverse Bay, where there are fewer macrophyte beds found, and no Cladophora noted.

Water and Sediment Sampling

Sediment and water quality sampling was completed in October and November 2009. We randomly selected 40 locations from mapped macrophyte beds and 10 adjacent areas lacking submerged vegetation.

Water testing results suggest that water quality within Grand Traverse Bay is excellent. Phosphorus levels in water samples were low overall in the Bay, and did not vary much between surface and bottom samples, or between areas with and without macrophyte beds. However, elevated nutrient levels in some sediments were found. In general, total phosphorus, ammonia, and kjeldahl nitrogen concentrations in sediments were higher in macrophyte bed areas than those innon-macrophyte bed areas.

Areas indicating elevated levels of nutrients in sedi-ments in other portions of the Bay include: Off Bryant Park, by Northwestern MI College harbor

Within the southwestern portion of West Bay South of Lee Point, northwest side of Stoney Point Omena Point and southern end of Omena Bay North of Bellanger Creek outlet Ingalls Bay Power Island, Neahtawanta Point, south of Bowers Harbor Northport Bay and Northport Point Mouth of Yuba Creek; Acme Creek and Elk River

The Watershed Center conducted a macrophyte bed study of Grand Traverse Bay in 2009, and the final results are in! Macrophytes are rooted aquatic plants. Macrophyte bed numbers in Grand Traverse Bay have more than tripled in the past 11 years. In 1998, there were 124 beds; in 2009, there were 400 beds.

Most of the macrophyte beds were concentrated in embayments—Bowers Harbor and Suttons, Omena and Northport bays—and the southern end of West Grand Traverse Bay. There were also very large, extensive beds around the shallow shoal areas off Lee and Stoney points. As expected, marinas had elevated amounts of growth as well.

It’s interesting to note that we found a lot of bed growth along drop-off areas where the slope was getting steeper, in about 13 to 20 feet of water. Often a skinny patch of growth continued along this drop-off line for up to 1/4 or 1/2 mile—sometimes even longer.

More beds were found in West Bay than East Bay by far. We believe this is because the eastern edge of East Bay is less sheltered from wave action coming down from the open waters of Lake Michigan, in addition to less development along the shoreline and the lack of embayments.

The reason for the increase in macrophyte beds could be due to numerous factors. In the past 11 years since the last survey was done, there has been an increase in the amount of shoreline development, which could increase the amount of stormwater and fertilizers reaching the Bay. Also, invasive Zebra and Quagga mussels have increased. Mussels filter water, making it clearer so light penetrates deeper to spur plant growth. Waste from the mussels is high in phosphorus, which could be increasing the phosphorus in sediments, causing more plant growth.

The southern end of East Grand Traverse Bay was defined by numerous ridges extending in a north-south fashion. The tops of the ridges had aquatic plant growth, and the bottoms were comprised of sand. Plant growth observed in these beds was primarily Milfoil, with some areas of Pondweed. Our best theory as to why this pattern of plant growth has emerged here is that it is somehow linked to water currents.

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McManus Hired as Program Associate Maureen McManus graduated Summa Cum Laude from Central Michigan University in 2010, where she double majored in Environmental Studies with an Environ-mental Policy concentration and Geography with a Geo-graphic Information Sciences concentration. Maureen was named the 2010 Student Environmentalist of the Year by the Northwestern Michigan Environmental Action Council for her three years of service as a summer intern at the Watershed Center. She began her work as part-time Program Associate in May.

During her tenure at the Watershed Center, she has worked on multiple projects including: the macrophyte bed study, the Torch Lake and public lands greenbelt buffer surveys, Adopt-A-Stream, and documenting Phragmites around Grand Traverse Bay.

“I have enjoyed the privilege of growing up in Traverse City, and I am thrilled to return to the environment I grew up in to help protect it for future generations,” she says.

Program Associate Maureen McManus holds an anchor full of Milfoil duringthe summer 2009 macrophyte bed study. Photo by Sarah U’Ren.

As spring and summer lawn care activities swing into high gear in the watershed, there are many easy things you can do to help protect water quality and still maintain a perfectly green lawn.

One of the most important is selecting a phosphorous-free fertilizer, which is available at many nurseries and hardware stores. Studies of our local lakes and streams indicate that lawn fertilizer is one of the largest sources of pollution. Fertilizers containing even small amounts of phosphorous promote growth of harmful algae and otheraquatic plants that degrade water quality.

Here are some easy tips:

Have your soil tested to see if it even needs fertilizer. Select a phosphorous-free fertilizer. The middle number should be 0. Use the smallest amount necessary. The average lawn is overloaded with 10 times as many chemical pesticides and fertilizers per acre as typical farmland.

Eco-Friendly Lawn Care Tips Do not apply fertilizer right before it rains, as it will wash into the water.

Leave grass clippings on the lawn to help retain moisture and provide vital nutrients for the soil. Allow grass height to be up to 3 inches high. This allows greener, healthier growth and will help reduce the need for fertilizer. If you live on a lake or stream, leave natural vegetation along the shoreline. Trees, shrubs and flowers filter pol-lutants and reduce erosion. Natural vegetation costs 48 percent less to maintain than traditional landscaping! Plant a greenbelt garden between your lawn and the water to complement natural vegetation. Use mostlynative plants, which have longer roots to absorb more runoff and pollutants. They also reduce erosion and require little if any fertilizers, pesticides and maintenance. Some varieties include Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susans, Dwarf Lilacs, River Birch and Juniper.

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hanks to the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, our GRAND TRAVERSE BAYKEEPER® program is funded largely through the Baykeeper for Grand Traverse Bay Fund. Please give today to protect Grand Traverse Bay.

Baykeeper for Grand Traverse Bay Fund Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation250 E. Front St., Suite 310 ~ Traverse City 49684231.935.4066 ~ www.gtrcf.org ~ info@gtrcf.org

Bay Day August 14 Our annual Bay Day is scheduled for Saturday, August 14 at Clinch Park in Traverse City! Kids can enjoy hands-on educational activities at numerous booths and hopping aboard the Sheriff’s boat.

The central event this year is a River Raft Recycling Boardman cleanup sponsored by Right Brain Brewery and Bay Area Recycling for Charities. You can get together a team of up to four people and build a raft to float down the Boardman. The cost is $50, and each team member receives a Right Brain Brewery beverage ticket. The cleanup will begin at the Farmer’s Market parking lot and end at Clinch Park. We will award prizes for the best raft and for the most trash collected! Teams will be assisted by scuba divers. Then teams will disassemble their rafts and recycle them at Bay AreaRecycling’s booth! Right Brain Brewery will hostan after party, complete with food and live music.

Contact Denise Baker at dbaker@gtbay.org or231~935~1514 ext. 4 for a registration form.

If You Love the Bay, Log On Today! Hang out with us on gtbaynews.wordpress.com,Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

W e all want Grand Traverse Bay and its watershed to brim with pristine water quality so that we may reap a high quality of life. When we tend to estate planning, we can give the gift of high water quality to future generations. Please join our Grand Traverse Bay Legacy Society. Members leave a gift to the Watershed Center in their will. Anyone can make a gift of any amount. A bequest is the most common form of gift. Please contact Advancement Director Denise Baker at 231~935~1514 or dbaker@gtbay.org.

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NONPROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTRAVERSE CITY, MI

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13272 S. West Bay Shore DriveTraverse City, MI 49684

T 231.935.1514 ~ F 231.935.3829www.gtbay.org

The Watershed Center advocates for clean water in Grand Traverse Bay and acts to protect and preserve the Bay’s watershed.

Andy Knott ~ Executive DirectorSarah U’Ren ~ Program Director

John Nelson ~ GRAND TRAVERSE BAYKEEPER®Denise Baker ~ Advancement Director

Ellen Kohler ~ Policy SpecialistMaureen McManus ~ Program Associate

Deb Marois ~ Bookkeeper

This Nonpoint Source Pollution Control project has been funded wholly through the Michigan Nonpoint Source Program by the

United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 2007-0155 to the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay for the Strategic Approach to Stormwater Pollution Reduction project. The contents of the document do not necessarily reflect the views and

policies of the EPA, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

Feast of the Watershed a Grand Success Siren Hall hosted a Feast of the Watershed benefitdinner for the Watershed Center on Sunday, May 2. Co-owners Michael and Rebecca Peterson care deeply about the Grand Traverse Bay area’s water resources, and this is their special~and sumptuous~way to be stewards of the region they grew up in. Their caring generosity will go a long way in protecting the Bay and its 1,000-square-mile watershed.

Chef Michael featured local foods from the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. Menu selections included crispy root vegetable cannelloni; broiled whitefish with dill mousse; and seared walleye with potato bacon wild ramp hash.

You can browse Siren Hall’s fare at sirenhall.com. Reservations are accepted at 231~264~6062.

Top: Chef Michael Peterson, Rebecca Peterson, Denise Baker and Andy Knott. Center: Cal Karr, Jane Mohr, Lynne Moon and John Nelson. Bottom: Enda McGonigle, Melissa Johnson, Jodi and Jeff Jocks, Ellen Kohler, Gretchen Fraser and Matt Cauchy.