| 2002
Funded Projects
Access
:: Education ::
Habitat :: Muskegon
River Initiative :: Research
:: Sturgeon Research
Beaver
Island Dock Expansion Project – Grand Traverse
Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians – $578,662
A primary component of the 2000
Consent Decree governing 1836 treaty fishing in the
Great Lakes is the commitment of the Indian Tribes to
remove at least 14 million feet of large mesh gill net
fishing effort from Lakes Michigan and Huron and to
replace this effort with selective trap net fishing
operations. The Beaver Island Dock Expansion Project
will enable tribal trap net fishing vessels to access
the commercial fishery targeting whitefish.
Black
River Access Improvement Project – City of South
Haven – $225,000
The Black River Access Improvement
Project will provide angler access amenities and general
improvements along a 765-foot stretch of the Black River,
just upstream of Lake Michigan.
City
of Cheboygan Major City Park Public Fishing Access Phase
II – City of Cheboygan – $79,000
Funds for this project will be used
to support the fishing pier component of the city’s
riverfront improvement project. Two additional fishing
piers, rock riprap shoreline stabilization, and a lighted
walkway will be built for access to fishing piers on
the Cheboygan River.
Harrison
Township/Lake St. Clair Great Lakes Fishing Site –
Phase I Site Design/Engineering – Michigan Department
of Natural Resources – $48,500
The MDNR is interested in developing
a parcel of property to enhance shoreline fishing opportunities
and restore native vegetation along its Lake St. Clair
property. Funds for this project will help the MDNR
move toward this goal by providing an engineering study
and an environmental assessment.
Lake
Michigan Oval Park Improvement Project Phase 2 –
Benona Township – $60,000
The Lake Michigan Oval Park Improvement
Project is a community effort led by Benona Township
to improve public access to Lake Michigan. The project
will span a one-year period and consists of three tasks:
the construction of a fish landing/deck, replacement
of a portion of the deteriorating seawall, and construction
of restroom/refuse shelters.
The
Great Lakes Ecosystem and Fisheries Education Networking
Conference – Michigan State University –
$30,000
This conference will bring together
members of the environmental education community to
talk about needs and further identify areas for targeting
funding by the Great Lakes grant-making community. It
is planned for May 2003. One important byproduct of
this conference will be to produce proceedings that
can be used to guide Great Lakes ecosystem education
funding decisions.
Research,
Assessment, and Data Management Needs to Promote Protection
of Great Lakes Nearshore Fisheries Habitat – Michigan
State University Extension– $30,000
Human activities in coastal areas
influence nearshore ecosystems, although spatial scales
of response by nearshore aquatic communities are largely
unknown. Such community responses are key for effective
ecosystem management of Great Lakes nearshore areas.
This study seeks to identify differences in fish and
prey populations in response to local and larger scale
environmental properties of shoreline areas along the
eastern Lake Michigan coastline.
Restoring
Eden: The Recovery of the Muskegon River Watershed –
Muskegon River Watershed Assembly – $68,000
The result of this grant will be
a book on the Muskegon River watershed, including its
history and current restoration efforts.
Effects
of Exotic Species and Human Impacts on Essential Fatty
Acid Availability on the Lake Michigan Food Web –
Illinois Natural History Survey – $306,000
Yellow perch has endured recent
poor recruitment in Lake Michigan. Changes in the food
web (e.g., exotic species), as well as increased UV
light penetration, may have altered amounts of essential
nutrients available in the ecosystem. Researchers will
determine whether the availability of essential fatty
acids to yellow perch has been affected by the changing
food web and contributed to poor recruitment of this
important sport fish.
Elucidation
of Etiology and Pathogenesis of Early Mortality Syndrome
by cDNA Microarray-based Identification of Expressed
Genes – Michigan State University – $359,295
Early mortality syndrome (EMS) causes
massive mortality in many salmonid species in Lakes
Michigan and Ontario. Researchers will study the etiology
of EMS using an extensive fish health investigation
and novel cDNA microarray (“gene chip”)
technology, which has revolutionized human disease research
and diagnosis. The same cDNA microarray would be a unique
resource to study fish health, toxicology, and nutrition.
Identification
of Renibacterium salmoninarum Strains of Potential Threat
to Great Lakes Salmon Populations – Michigan State
University – $256,841
Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD),
caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum, is a devastating
disease of Great Lakes salmonids. Researchers plan to
enhance diagnosis of BKD by developing sensitive molecular
probes that will differentiate between virulent and
avirulent strains. This new diagnostic procedure will
be useful in epizootiological surveys and disease control.
Ultimately, this project will facilitate better management
of salmon fisheries in the Great Lakes and lower the
prevalence of clinical BKD outbreaks.
Evaluation
of Recruitment Success, Habitat Preference, and River
Retention of Young Lake Sturgeon in the Big Manistee
River – Little River Band of Ottawa Indians –
$84,374
The Manistee River, with good potential
habitat and a remnant sturgeon population, is a prime
site for sturgeon restoration. Evidence suggests poor
recruitment and an insufficient spawning population
are responsible for low populations in the river despite
fairly good environmental conditions. This study will
focus on lake sturgeon recruitment in the Manistee River
by monitoring egg deposition, larval drift, juvenile
dispersal, and habitat utilization and will determine
critical habitat for these life stages.
Historical
Distribution and Abundance of Lake Sturgeon in the Lake
Michigan Basin – Saint Mary’s University
– $97,315
Rehabilitation of lake sturgeon
in the Lake Michigan basin requires an understanding
of the historical distribution and relative abundance
of sturgeon within the basin. Similarly, understanding
how barriers limit movement of current sturgeon populations
to previously available habitat requires an understanding
of historical distribution of sturgeon within tributary
systems. This project will build on previous compilations
of anecdotal data through completion of an intensive
library search of historic documents to provide information
necessary to restore lake sturgeon populations in the
Great Lakes.
Sturgeon
Habitat Restoration, Monitoring, and Education in the
Detroit River – University of Michigan –
$110,000
The project’s goal is to enhance
a healthy and self-sustaining population of lake sturgeon
in the river by building three demonstration lake sturgeon
spawning reefs near Belle Isle. Educating the public
on the lake sturgeon and monitoring the created habitat
are also components of the work plan. A consortium of
federal, state, university, local, and nongovernmental
agencies and organizations is participating in the project.
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