January 2023 Newsletter

• Megan E. Cook Memorial Scholarship Applications Now Accepted

• MLSA Conference - Registration Opening Soon

• Student Grant Program Applications Now Accepted

• 2023 Meetings and Executive Director Office Hours

• St. Anthony Falls Lab Update on wake studies

• Clean Boats Clean Waters Grant Deadline Extended

• Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Accepting Grant Applications

• Native Mussel Surveys by Central Michigan University

• Winter Learning Opportunities:

  • Register for Intro to Lakes

  • Harmful Algal Bloom Symposium

  • The Stewardship Network Conference

  • Shoreline and Shallows Conference

  • NotMISpecies Webinars

  • MiCorps Conference Recordings now available

  • Road Salt Webinar

  • Paddle Stewards

• Enroll in MiCorps CLMP

2023 Cook Memorial Scholarship Accepting Applications

2023 Award: One $3,000 scholarship will be awarded to a current student enrolled in a freshwater studies program at a Michigan educational institution (with preference to lake and watershed studies). Scholarship recipient(s) will also attend the 62nd Annual MLSA Conference held in person on Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6, 2023 at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, MI to learn about freshwater issues and research as our guest.

Application Deadline: By 5 pm, March 10, 2023

Applicant Eligibility: Qualified applicants must be active and continuing undergraduate students with a Michigan college or university that are pursuing a career in freshwater studies. Applicants must have an interest in lake and/or watershed research and be motivated to pursue projects that may lead to understanding or improving lake or stream health. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and must demonstrate some degree of financial need.

Applicant Instructions: Completed applications should be submitted by google form or if necessary by mail at the following address:

Michigan Lakes and Streams Association
PO Box 19615
Kalamazoo, MI 49019

Award Procedure and Administration of Funds: The scholarship recipient will be determined by a selection committee designated by the MLSA Board of Directors. In early April, the winner of the scholarship will be notified via a formal letter from MLSA. The recipient of the scholarship may use the award funds for educational-related expenses such as tuition, textbooks, research, or other pertinent expenses. The scholarship will be awarded in person at the 62 Annual MLSA Conference on Friday, May 5, 2023. Additionally, please be aware of your college policies that may require notification of this award to the office of financial aid if an award is received. Please consult with your college financial aid officer prior to application of the scholarship. You will be required to send a summary report of what you have used the award for and how it could benefit Michigan’s lakes and streams.

About Megan E. Cook

A bright 17-year old high school senior who was loved by all she met. She brought a vibrancy of life to everyone she was around. From kindergarten through 12th grade her favorite subjects were science and health. As the youngest in a homeschooled family, she absorbed knowledge from listening to the older children’s lessons. Long before her “formal” school years she began learning about the world around her. Throughout the years she would give her family detailed descriptions of what she learned that day in her science and health classes. She also enjoyed reading all she could about mysteries and forensics. Her plan was to study science in preparation for a career in forensics on a police force or in the medical field. She believed that by learning how the world functions through science, we could become better citizens and have a healthier life. People can be better stewards of the world in which they live by understanding the environment.

For more information visit our website: https://mymlsa.org/2023-megan-e-cook-memorial-scholarship/

2023 Lake Research Student Grants Program - Accepting Applications

The Michigan Chapter North American Lake Management Society (McNALMS) and the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association (MLSA) are pleased to announce the 2023 Lake Research Student Grants Program. The purpose of the program is to promote student efforts to work on inland lakes and/or with lake communities to enhance inland lake management. Projects that increase the understanding of lake ecology, have direct applicability to Michigan inland lakes, strengthen collaborative lake management, address inland lakes fisheries, build lake partnerships and/or expand citizen involvement in lake management are eligible for consideration. This year, McNALMS and MLSA expect to fund one or more projects from a total pool of $4,000. Proposals may be part of a larger project. Proposals will be funded for one calendar year.

Examples of previously funding projects include:

• Under-ice Photosynthetic Primary Production and Dark Carbon Fixation in Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Waterway

• A study on littoral zone restoration and nutrient enrichment source impacts on macrophyte and epiphytic algal communities

• Climate Change on Gene Expression in Stocked Walleye Populations

• Lake Responses to Elevated Levels of Chloride and Phosphorus

Applicants must be either University/College graduate student(s) conducting applied research/outreach projects; University/College undergraduate student(s) working on special studies projects; and/or students enrolled in the last 3 years in the Michigan Lake and Stream Leaders Institute, Michigan Conservation Stewards Program, or similar Watershed Academy.

If you know one or more students who might be interested in applying for funding, please pass this information on to them. Complete details as well as a link to the application form are available at https://www.mcnalms.org/grants/

Deadline for submission is March 17, 2023.

Announcement of recipients will be made by mid to late April 2023.

Zoom and Regional Meetings –

all are welcome!

If you are interested in organizing an in person or zoom regional meeting, please contact us: info@mymlsa.org. We are happy to help bring associations together for networking and problem solving. If you would like to attend any of the established region meetings below, you are always welcome from any part of the state.

• Northwest Zoom Meeting: Saturday, March 18 at 9:30am EST

• Southwest (Region 3) Meeting: Saturday, April 29 at Porter Township Hall, Lawton MI – from 9:30am to noon EST

• Southwest (Region 3) Meeting: Saturday, September 30 at Porter Township Hall, Lawton MI – from 9:30am to noon EST

• Northwest Zoom Meeting: Saturday, October 21 at 9:30am EST

*NEW* Executive Director Office Hours:

Join Melissa DeSimone, MLSA Executive Director for office hours. Do you have a problem you would like to talk through with someone from MLSA? Melissa will be available on the zoom link below from 10am to 11am EST on the second Wednesday of each month. Join if you are interested!

Zoom details for all meetings: https://mymlsa.org/zoom-and-regional-meetings-all-are-welcome/

Healthy Water Initiative Phase 2:

Update from St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota

From Andy Riesgraf, HWI Project Manager/Researcher

The project team successfully completed their field work and data collection on Lake Minnetonka this past September and October. We tested the propeller wash of five boats, with two being wakesurf boats. The field work involved driving boats over water velocity sensors that were deployed on the lake bottom at two different water depths. We also collected water samples before and after the boat passes to measure any

changes in water quality. Our team will spend much of the winter analyzing the data and writing a report for external peer review that we anticipate publishing summer 2023.

In addition to our Phase 2 study, I also want to share the good news that it appears the Healthy Waters Project will receive funding for a Phase 3 study. We submitted a proposal to the Legislative-Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) this past spring that has now been recommended to the MN Legislature for funding. If approved, funding for this three-year project would start July 2023. The project will expand our research on boat generated wake waves and propeller wash impacts on inland lakes. Moreover, the team will also look at wind generated waves to parse out similarities and differences to boat generated waves. I believe a major strength of our proposal was being able to point to the tremendous financial support we’ve received

from donors these past few years through our crowdfunding campaigns. The hundreds of donations that we have received, has without a doubt, conveyed a powerful message that studying boating impacts on our shared lakes is a critically important topic to Minnesotans and others across North America.

Editor’s Note: Read the full letter here. MLSA has been committed to supporting this research through significant financial contributions and other initiatives. We are pleased to see this project moving into phase 3. Thank you to everyone who has helped us to contribute and has contributed independently to this important research for the future of our lakes and streams.

Request for proposals:

2024 Lake Conservation Grant

Project proposals for funding from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership (MGLP) 2024 Lake Conservation Grant are now open. The MGLP is one of twenty partnerships that span the nation under the umbrella of the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP). The MGLP area of focus is glacial lakes and their watersheds. Nine Midwestern states, federal agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Forest Service, tribal governments, and private natural resource entities including The Nature Conservancy, have been integral partners in the development and operation of the MGLP.

MGLP supports conservation projects that work toward meeting the goals and objectives set forth in the MGLP Strategic Plan to benefit glacial lake fish habitats, which include addressing the chemical, physical, and biological components of the habitats that fishes found in glacial lakes use throughout their lives. We have directed funding toward a wide range of aquatic conservation projects that benefit imperiled, endangered, and recreational fish species and their habitats. We typically fund 3-5 projects annually between $30,000 and $100,000, but larger projects will be considered for funding up to a maximum of the approximately $360,000 expected for distribution. Projects have been successfully implemented because contributions and capabilities of many partners have been combined to accomplish project goals that none of the partnering entities could accomplish on their own.

Projects considered for funding must align with the goals and objectives of the MGLP and can range in scale from projects that affect one or more sites, from individual or multiple lakes to entire watersheds. Projects should address the processes that cause fish habitat impairments as opposed to managing or treating the symptoms of those causes. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• projects that implement or demonstrate new approaches

• watershed-level nutrient control projects;

• water quality and erosion control measures;

• native vegetation or wetland rehabilitation;

• natural riparian or in-lake habitat restoration and protection;

• barrier removal for improved native fish passage;

• fish population or watershed assessments needed for project evaluation;

• habitat assessment, prioritization and planning for future habitat projects;

• evaluating current and future habitat conditions;

• projects addressing climate change adaptation or mitigation through fish habitat;

• projects training biologists and managers on inland lake fish habitat management tools and approaches; and

• community outreach and education on the importance of and how to better conserve glacial lake fish habitat.

  
  

In addition to conducting independent outreach and/or education, successful applicants will be expected to work with the MGLP to coordinate media and public outreach to raise the profile of MGLP-funded projects.

If you have a lake conservation project aligned with the goals and objectives of the MGLP and need financial assistance, we encourage you to submit a proposal for project funding. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Nohner at nohnerj@michigan.gov or 517-599-6825 or John Hiebert, MGLP Steering Chair, at john.hiebert@state.mn.us. Applications for funding are available at the Lake Conservation Grant website. Applications are due on February 17, 2023, and you can submit your application by emailing it to MGLP Coordinator Joe Nohner at nohnerj@michigan.gov.

Native Mussel Surveys of

Wixom and Sanford Lakes

The Four Lakes Task Force reported in their December newsletter about this research project. In 2022, Central Michigan University researchers conducted 69 surveys of native mussels in Wixom and Sanford Lakes after all the disturbance of the recent dam failures. These surveys detected 17 live species and a total of 739 live individual mussels, most notably the federally endangered Snuffbox and the Michigan state endangered Black Sandshell. Their interactive StoryMap report shares their findings along with photos and videos.

Winter Learning Opportunities:

There is still time to register for

Intro to Lakes Online

Course topics include: Lake Ecology, Lakes and their Watersheds, Lakes and their Shorelines, Introduction to Aquatic Plants, Lakes and the Law, and Community Involvement. Each topic is explored weekly, complete schedule and syllabus is available on the course website.

Registration is open now through January 8. The cost of the course is $115 per person.

Special Pricing for MLSA Members:
Current individual members of the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association are eligible to receive a $95 reimbursement upon successful completion of the course. Not an MLSA member? Join as an Individual Member prior to completing the course and you can also take advantage of this opportunity.

Get Caught Up:

MiCorps Conference Recordings

We're pleased to announce that the recordings from the 2022 MiCorps Volunteer Lake and Stream Monitoring Conference are now available at: https://micorps.net/events/2022-annual-micorps-conference/

The sessions include:

• Welcome and MiCorps Program Updates

• Awards, Volunteer Recognition, and Grantee Presentation

• An Introduction to Freshwater Mussels

• Local Use of MiCorps Volunteer Monitoring Data (panel discussion)

• Stream Macroinvertebrate Identification

• Lake Data Interpretation: Total Phosphorus, Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch, and Dissolved Oxygen/Temperature

• Volunteer Monitoring to Protect Michigan Waters: Benefits, Strategies, and Opportunities

Our partner, the Michigan Environmental Council, highlights an important issue for our lakes and streams. Take 30 minutes and find out more by watching the video above.

Enroll in the 2023 Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program today!

The CLMP has been an important component of Michigan’s inland lakes monitoring program for over 40 years, which makes it the second oldest volunteer monitoring program for lakes in the country. The primary purpose of this cooperative program is to help volunteers monitor indicators of water quality and habitat in their lake and document changes in lake quality over time.

Visit Become a Volunteer to enroll your lake for the 2023 season.

If you have any questions, please contact Erick Elgin (elgineri@msu.edu, 218-340-5731)
or Jean Roth (jean.roth@mymlsa.org).

Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, statewide organization dedicated to the preservation, protection, and wise management of Michigan's vast treasure of inland lakes and streams.