2020 Michigan Inland Lakes Convention: Lightning Talks

2020 Michigan Inland Lakes Convention: Lightning Talks (includes all 5-minute presentations listed below)

• Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (Grand Valley Metro Council):  Empowering residents to protect lakes and streams in the Lower Grand River Watershed. Eileen Boekestein, LGROW Environmental Education Coordinator
  

The Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW) exists to discover and restore all water resources and celebrate our shared water legacy throughout the Grand River Watershed community. Hear about the wide array of resources that LGROW provides to residents that help them take an active role in protecting water resources and learn ways to replicate these resources in your own watersheds. Highlighted programs include LGROW’s residential Rainscaping program, diverse and unique community and K-12 education efforts, and collection of water quality data in an online Data Repository.

• McNALMS:  Promoting and enhancing the protection and management of Michigan’s inland lakes. Erick Elgin, McNALMS President
  

The protection, management, and wise use of Michigan’s lakes is a challenging task. The Michigan Chapter of the North American Lake Management Society (McNALMS) is a group of professionals, practitioners, and interested citizens who encourage and promote the preservation and wise management of Michigan’s inland lakes. McNALMS is an affiliate member of the international North American Lake Management Society. Through this affiliation, McNALMS is able to draw on the expertise of scientists, engineers, policymakers, and citizens from throughout the world. Our Chapter provides a unique opportunity for individuals, groups and lake advocates to come together to achieve shared lake protection and restoration objectives. This presentation will discuss our two main programs – student grant program and outreach series. The student grant program promotes student efforts to work with lakes and lake communities and to enhance lake management. On average, McNALMS with our partner the Michigan Lakes and Streams Associations awards $4,000 per year. Our outreach series seeks to advance the knowledge of lake management professionals and riparians on urgent and timely issues such as HABS and climate change impacts on fisheries.

• Michigan Lakes and Streams Association (MLSA):  Helping to preserve and protect Michigan waters since 1961. Melissa DeSimone, Executive Director
  

An overview of what MLSA does, and the benefits of membership.

• Michigan State University Extension: Natural shoreline programs and water quality monitoring. Erick Elgin, Michigan State University Extension
  

Michigan State University Extension provides a variety of programming that supports the protection, wise use, and long-term monitoring of Michigan’s inland lakes. In this presentation, we will highlight our partnership with the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership and discuss the many programs we provide that promote and encourage natural shoreline design and practices. We will also cover another important partnership - the Michigan Clean Water Corps’ Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP). The CLMP is a long-term citizen science lake monitoring program that helps volunteers monitor water quality indicators in lakes around the state. We will summarize each of these partnerships and provide information on how to get involved.

• How to keep advocacy alive in times of apathy and anxiety. Carol Richardson, Ore Lake Preservation Association

My husband, Kurt Richardson, and I have participated in Ore Lake water quality monitoring program since 1980. We have lots of information to share with others about how to scale up when there is a crisis, and how to scale back when the water quality issues are minimal.

Handout: Slides for How to keep advocacy alive in times of apathy and anxiety

• Michigan State University Extension: Introduction to Lakes Online and the Michigan Lake and Stream Leaders Institute. Jo Latimore, Michigan State University
  

Michigan State University Extension offers a wide variety of educational and personal development programs related to inland lakes. Introduction to Lakes is a 6-week online course that introduces concepts of lake and watershed ecology, aquatic plants, shoreline habitat, lake policy and law, and community engagement. The Michigan Lake and Stream Leaders Institute is an in-person, immersive experience that meets in multi-day sessions throughout the year. Institute participants expand their ecological knowledge, develop leadership skills, and build a peer network to support their lake and stream stewardship goals. The Institute is co-sponsored by MSUE; MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife; the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; Michigan Lake and Stream Association; and the Michigan Inland Lakes Partnership.

• Environmental and morphometric drivers of zooplankton community composition in lakes across the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Jonathan P. Doubek, Samuel J. Johnston, Brady D. Slater, Kevin L. Kapuscinski, and Ashley H. Moerke, Lake Superior State University

Lakes are changing color across the US, and in many regions worldwide, often becoming more turbid (i.e., browner or greener), in part because of human actions. Lake color, and subsequently lake function, can play a critical role in lake processes and in structuring biological communities, such as zooplankton, which are critical in regulating water quality and food webs. Many clear and brown lakes exist in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, making for an excellent comparison in how lake color vs. other environmental and morphometric variables may affect zooplankton communities. We are conducting a “sampling-blitz” of about 30 lakes in the eastern Upper Peninsula during June 2020. Each lake will be sampled once in a standardized manner for physical profiles, water chemistry, water clarity, chlorophyll a, and zooplankton communities. Species richness, density, and biomass will be quantified for zooplankton (crustaceans and rotifers). Lakes sampled vary along many environmental and morphometric gradients such as pH, depth, color (i.e., tannic vs. clear lakes), and trophic state. Therefore, we will be able to assess primary drivers of zooplankton communities across different lake types and environmental and morphometric conditions. We will report preliminary results of this study, including water quality and zooplankton data from many lakes with limited or no historical data. We anticipate our results will provide insight into how changing lake color and conditions can affect zooplankton communities and inform management of inland lakes.

• What can the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership do for you? Joe Nohner, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership is a collaboration among over 1,000 partners across 8 states to protect, rehabilitate, and enhance sustainable fish habitats in natural inland lakes of the Midwest. The partnership 1) Conducts scientific assessments to determine the condition of and threats to fish habitats; 2) Enables partners to complete on-the-ground habitat conservation projects; 3) Conducts education and outreach to improve understanding and spark action resulting in fish habitat conservation; and 4) Provides a forum for those seeking inland lake fish habitat conservation to share strategies and resources. Recent products from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership that you may find useful, and which are all on the organization’s website, include the Shoreline Living document that promotes natural shorelines on private lakefront properties; the Lake Conservation webinar series with information on the latest science, management, and outreach tools; the Lake Conservation grants, and the Conservation Planner that provides information on shoreline, watershed, and climate change threats to every lake.

• Michigan State University Extension: Aquatic invasive species prevention programs. Paige Filice, Michigan State University Extension

Aquatic invasive species are a significant ecological and economical threat to the health of Michigan’s inland lakes. To address this issue, Michigan State University Extension (MSU Extension) educates and engages stakeholders through a variety of research-based outreach programs. The Mobile Boat Wash and the Michigan Clean Boats, Clean Waters program help local organizations increase awareness of aquatic invasive species and clean boating practices via boat washing trainings and events. To address the introduction of aquatic invasive species from the pet and garden trade, MSU Extension coordinates the Reduce Invasive Pet and Plant Escapes (RIPPLE) program. RIPPLE works alongside pet and garden retailers and hobbyists to share safe handling and disposal methods for non-native plants and animals available in trade.

• Protecting your lake through outreach: Resources for aquatic invasive species. Kevin Walters, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

I will provide a brief update on the status of Michigan's AIS outreach programs for inland lakes (AIS Landing Blitz, mobile boat washing, etc.) and provide viewers with online resources as well as opportunities for joining existing programs and receiving hard copies of outreach materials for boaters and anglers.

• The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay: Watershed nonprofit engages concerned citizens and lake associations in local decision-making around water. Heather Smith, TWC Grand Traverse Baykeeper

The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay (TWC) is a nonprofit organization in northern lower Michigan with a mission to advocate for clean water in Grand Traverse Bay and preserve and protect its watershed. TWC has been advocating for clean water in the Grand Traverse Bay region by focusing on sustainable solutions to water quality threats on a local level for over 25 years. TWC works with concerned citizens, lake associations, local governments, developers, and landowners to ensure a connection between the community value of water and local decision-making. TWC strives to provide technical and policy resources to stakeholders dealing with water-issues in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. We respond to citizen concerns about water issues; investigate water quality threats; assess applicable local, state, and federal laws; and draft technical advocacy positions. Our policy efforts are focused on teaching local appointed and elected officials as well as municipal staff about the importance of resilient community planning to protect water. Our Watershed Warriors volunteer advocacy program is one of our newest initiatives that focuses on engaging citizens in water advocacy at the local level. Our lightning talk will illustrate two or three examples of how TWC works with citizens and lake associations on water-related issues and how we draw on our network of dedicated, passionate advocates to ensure our messages are widely heard during the decision-making process.

• Shoreline Living: A resource to promote natural shorelines on inland lakes. Erin Fuller, Van Buren Conservation District

This presentation will highlight a new resource that inland lake supporters can use to showcase natural shorelines. Shoreline Living is a magazine-style publication containing articles highlighting five families who live on natural shorelines. Beautiful photographs of each property accompany the articles, and the families share their process in creating, maintaining, and enjoying their natural shorelines. The publication and its source photography can be used as a tool to promote natural shorelines by providing examples of everyday shoreline property owners who dipped their toes into a natural shoreline.

• A brief introduction to the mission and goals of the Michigan Waterfront Alliance. Bob Frye, MWA President

Michigan Waterfront Alliance (MWA) is a non-profit corporation that was formed over twenty years ago in order to contribute to the creation or preservation of state laws, and/or policies designed to protect, preserve, and promote the wise and sustainable use of the inland water resources located in the State of Michigan. Our primary mission will be accomplished by pro-active participation in Michigan’s legislative process, certain court cases, and/or by direct involvement with natural resources management, or environmental quality focused state agencies or departments. For example, Michigan Waterfront Alliance personnel are currently working with the senior leadership of the Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division within the context of a collaborative taskforce that is committed to moving forward with efforts intended to prevent or reduce the number of new introductions of aquatic invasive species that occur through DNR-owned public access boating sites. As a 501(c)4 membership-based organization, Michigan Waterfront Alliance possesses the ability to effectively influence Michigan’s legislative process through pro-active lobbying, an action that is not permitted by 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. We encourage waterfront property owners, conservation minded citizens, and anyone else concerned about the future of Michigan’ vast treasure of freshwater resources to become members of our organization.