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Registration for the Annual Conference is now open and registrations are rolling in, we hope you will join us! Register on Eventbrite. You can watch the details fill in, check out our sponsors, and find the link to reserve your room on our
conference website.
Keynote Speakers:
Senator Sean McCann, MI District 19, Vice Chair of Appropriations Committee and Chair of Energy and Environment Committee
Ted Rulseh, author of Ripple Effects: How We're Loving Our Lakes To Death
Breakout Session Speaker Spotlight:
John Yellich, Director MI Geological Survey, Western Michigan University
The role of the Geologic Survey in Michigan has been dormant for more than 30 years. It was not until this responsibility was transferred to Western Michigan University in 2011 that John and his team started to look at the importance of this research to scientists and to help our society. It is important to understand the geology of an area so we can understand long term impacts of usage and infrastructure on the ground water under those sites.
Corporate, Nonprofit, and Associations -
Sponsor and Exhibit:
We would love to have your support and participation in our conference this year, please fill out this form if you are interested. We offer a variety of levels for booths and sponsorships, please contact us with questions: info@mymlsa.org
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Is It Time to Protect the Environment Again?
By: Paul J Sniadecki. MLSA Board Director
For the first time in decades, the same party controls Michigan’s Legislative House, Senate, and Governor. That fact could be a good thing for Michigan’s lakes and streams. Several state lawmakers and environmental advocates are telling media reporters they anticipate early action to reverse recent policies they consider bad for the environment.
BRIDGE MEDIA is reporting that among prior legislative creations the following could be in the crosshairs:
- The 2016 law that prevents local municipalities from banning plastic bags or charging a fee for using them.
- The 2018 law (established during the 2018 lame duck legislative session) that prohibits Michigan regulators (EGLE,etc) from adopting rules more stringent than federal standards, except in narrow circumstances. Environmentalists have criticized the law, saying it thwarts efforts to ramp up Michigan’s pollution protections.
- The Environmental Science Advisory Board, Environmental Permit Review Commission, and the Environmental Rules Review Committee, three panels that gave industry new ways to intervene in state environmental decisions. Environmentalists dubbed them “polluter panels,” and prior legislative leaders blocked Whitmer’s attempt to abolish them during her first term.
- Lack of Dam Safety actions. Michigan spent big in 2022 to repair the state’s crumbling dams. But, bills to strengthen Michigan’s lax dam safety laws failed to get similar traction. Members of a state-appointed task force who warned that Michigan’s dams need “immediate attention” to prevent future failures have said the state’s dam safety shortcomings remain a pressing environmental and public safety issue.
MLSA is encouraged by what now might be possible in Lansing. We are reviewing the backgrounds of the new legislative committee members to determine who might be inclined to help our lakes and streams. We are also working to develop allies/partners who we can move forward with on aquatic invasive species funding and control, wake boat issues, and harmful algae bloom (HAB) prevention. We hope to make progress in the year ahead.
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MLSA Sponsors Two
Upcoming Conferences
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Registration is still open and the conference starts TOMORROW.
Don't miss out on this uplifting virtual experience.
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EGLE Matters
By: Paul J Sniadecki, MLSA Board Director
Agency Shake-up:
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a cabinet shake-up in December 2022, choosing new interim leadership for the state’s two conservation departments — the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
Former DNR Director Dan Eichinger was tapped to lead EGLE as the interim director. Former DNR Natural Resources Deputy Shannon Lott was named the interim director of the DNR. The prior EGLE leader was Director Liesl Clark.
MiEnviro Portal:
Changes have been made to MiWaters. It is now named “MiEnviro Portal”, and has new web address: https://mienviro.michigan.gov/ncore/external/home.
All the prior features of MiWaters are functional and it appears there might be some improvements planned.
Permit Decisions:
For over 16 months we have reported that contested permit decisions have been pending in the Eagle Lake Boating Access Site matter (no AIS protections in the plans) and the 2020 CAFO Permit requirements. Those decisions remain undecided and unreleased.
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DNR Urges Ice Safety
Conservation officer and Newaygo County man released from hospital following ice rescue
By Lt. Joe Molnar, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds outdoor enthusiasts to use extreme caution when on or near the ice.
The DNR is emphasizing such caution after an ice rescue in January on Blanch Lake in Newaygo County. A 21-year-old Grant man and a DNR conservation officer received treatment for hypothermia, and both have since been released from the hospital.
“The department is beyond grateful that one of our conservation officers and a young man are both doing well after spending an extended amount of time in the cold water,” said Chief Dave Shaw, DNR Law Enforcement Division.
“As anxious as we all are to enjoy our favorite winter activities, the unseasonable winter has created unstable ice conditions throughout much of the state, particularly the Lower Peninsula,” Shaw said. “Everyone should use extreme caution when on or near the ice, consider wearing a personal floatation device and have ice picks easily accessible. There is no such thing as safe ice.”
Conservation Officers Jeff Ginn and Tim Barboza and probationary Conservation Officer Brandon Benedict responded to Blanch Lake, located east of M-37 and north of State Road after a caller contacted 911 around 3:20 p.m., stating a man walking on the ice had broken through into the water, where the depth ranges from 15 to 20 feet.
Wearing a personal floatation device, Ginn crawled on the ice to the open water, about 50 to 75 yards from shore, where the man was clinging to the edge of the ice about an inch thick. The man displayed signs of hypothermia and was too weak to swim.
“When I was about 10 feet from the man, I threw him a personal floatation device and a rescue rope,” Ginn said. “He was unable to hold the PFD because he was holding onto the ice shelf.”
The officers attempted several ice rescue methods, including tossing the man a throw rope and ice picks.
“He was unable to wrap the rope around himself because he did not want to let go of the ice,” Ginn said. “I threw him ice spikes, but he couldn’t reach them.”
Ginn was using an off-road vehicle ramp for weight distribution, and used the ramp to push the ice picks closer to the man.
“Water began to flood the surface of the ice, then broke underneath me, causing me to enter the water,” Ginn said. “Once in the water, I swam to and grabbed ahold of him. I grabbed the PFD I previously threw to him had him hold it to his chest, then grabbed the rope and ice spikes and swam us to the edge of the ice. I used the ice spikes to hold us against the ice shelf and attempted to tie the rope around his body under his arms.”
Barboza then crawled on the ice to tie a rope through Ginn’s PFD. Additional ropes were tied to the original line, which emergency responders used to try and pull the men from the water, but the ice continued to break.
Ginn was eventually pulled from the water but jumped back in to keep the man from sinking.
“I knew we were going to be in the water for a while, and kept talking to the man to keep him alert,” Ginn said. “I knew if I let go, he’d sink.”
Dressed in cold-water survival suits, emergency responders from the Newaygo Fire Department deployed an inflatable raft to successfully secure the 21-year-old and remove him from the water. Then Ginn climbed out of the lake onto the ice, and rescuers used the rope to pull him to shore.
The 21-year-old was in the water for more than 30 minutes and had a reported body temperature of 87 degrees Fahrenheit; he was transported to a hospital in Grand Rapids, treated for hypothermia and later released.
Ginn, in the water for about 20 minutes, was transported to Gerber Hospital in Fremont, where he was treated for hypothermia and released Sunday evening. Ginn had a reported body temperature of 89 degrees Fahrenheit.
Additional assisting agencies include the Ashland-Grant Fire Department, Life EMS, the Newaygo County dive team and Newaygo County Central Dispatch.
Winter outdoor recreation activities require preparation and caution. If you witness someone break through the ice, immediately call 911. Before spending any time on or around ice, review ice safety tips at Michigan.gov/IceSafety.
Conservation officers complete cold-water immersion and ice rescue training. Watch a video to learn more about their training.
Below: Photo of Blanch Lake presumably after the rescue, provided with this article.
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Back to the Future for Water?
By Paul J Sniadecki, MLSA Board Director
For several years, this newsletter has reported on the importance of the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA), which is now over 50 years old. The CWA has been the subject of much litigation and political chicanery over the past decades. The new and long-awaited final rule defining “waters of the United States (WOTUS)” was announced Friday, December 30, 2022. This rule formally rejects the prior Federal Administration’s rollbacks and restores the pre-2015 definition of WOTUS, updated to reflect agency experience and interpretation of Supreme Court case law. You can read the final rule text here.
The final rule sets forth seven categories of waterways that will be federally regulated:
- Traditional navigable waters, such as large rivers, lakes, and water bodies affected by tides;
- Territorial seas that extend three miles out to sea from the coast;
- Interstate waters, such as streams, lakes, or wetlands that cross or form part of state boundaries;
- Impoundments, such as reservoirs and beaver ponds;
- Tributaries, such as branches of creeks, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, ditches, and impoundments that ultimately flow into traditional navigable waters, territorial seas, interstate waters, or impoundments of jurisdictional waters;
- Adjacent wetlands that are next to, abutting, or near (most commonly located within a few hundred feet) other jurisdictional waters or behind natural or constructed features; and
- Additional waters, such as lakes, ponds, streams, or wetlands that do not fit into the above categories but may be considered jurisdictional if either the relatively permanent standard or the significant nexus standard are met.
The new rule reinstates longstanding clean water protections that were in place prior to 2015 for traditional navigable waters (e.g., waterways that can be used for commercial waterborne recreation such as boat rentals or guided fishing trips), the territorial seas, and interstate waters (i.e., waters that flow across state lines), as well as upstream wetlands, streams, lakes, and ponds that significantly affect those waters. As a result, the rule protects many critical waterways that have been protected by the administrations of both parties for decades. The rule also sets forth exclusions for certain waters and features that have generally been considered outside the scope of “waters of the United States.”
Under this rule, many waters that lost protection under the prior federal administration—ephemeral streams, many wetlands, and other intrastate waters—will be protected if they, either alone or in combination with similar waters in the region, significantly affect traditional navigable waters, the territorial seas, or interstate waters.
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Canada Goose Round Up Program Cancelled Again
Editor's Note: This is from a letter shared with us by Shavehead Lake regarding the permit for their round up program, thank you to the board of Shavehead Lake Association for sharing this information. The USDA and DNR provided additional information as well.
Last year, the Canada Goose Round Up Program was cancelled because of the detection of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in wild birds in the state. The disease has continued to persist in wild birds and mammals throughout the state and there continues to be cases in backyard poultry flocks. Avian influenza is a virus that can infect wild birds and both free-ranging and domestic poultry such as chickens, turkeys, quail and geese.
With HPAI still present in the state, it presents a clear and important threat to wildlife and domestic poultry facilities. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is cancelling the Canada Goose Round Up Program for 2023 because of the risk of transporting HPAI around the state with the relocation of Canada geese.
The DNR has notified Canada goose contractors and past Round Up Program participants of the cancellation. Any Round Up (Capture) and Hold Canada Geese Permit Applications and associated fees that have already been submitted will not be processed. Similar to 2022, the DNR will make very limited exceptions for round up in approved situations where there are elevated human health and safety concerns, however any birds rounded up under these exceptions will be euthanized.
The DNR continues to encourage Canada goose nest and egg destruction to resolve conflicts and is again waiving geographic eligibility requirements. Permits are required for this activity however there are no fees associated with these permits. Please be aware that nest and egg destruction does require online training to be completed.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to consider the risk to people from HPAI viruses to be low. The DNR continues to work closely with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Veterinary Services (USDA, VS) and Wildlife Services (USDA, WS); and Michigan State University to monitor health of poultry, livestock, wildlife and residents in Michigan. If you notice the death of three or more wild birds, please report it to DNR through the Eyes in Field App or at 517-336-5030.
If you have questions, please contact MI.goose.permits@usda.gov. You may also direct questions about the Canada Goose Program to Barbara Avers, Waterfowl and Wetland Specialist, at aversb@michigan.gov.
For more information, please visit:
Michigan.gov/AvianInfluenza or Michigan.gov/AvianDiseases.
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Plastic Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling
Encouraging Local Marinas and Lake Associations to Recycle
by Jim Heinsimer, Waterford Lakes Association President
Why recycle boat covers?
- For every bag recycled, there is a savings of 115 Kwh of energy, 13.5 gallons of oil, and 16-20 cubic ft. of landfill space.
- Businesses can save money in disposal fees associated with dumpster rental, landfill fees, and hauling.
- Looks great on a Clean Marina application or recertification.
- Recycling boat covers fuels the circular economy of Michigan. Recycled plastics from this program are used by domestic manufacturers, giving your used plastic a new life as new products.
How does my marina or group participate?
- Buy your EZ Fill Recycle Run bags at the Dr. Shrink website. When you buy your recycling bag, it is a one-time fee that covers pickup, haul-away, and processing directly from your business or group.
- Each bag comes with a zip tie to seal the bag, along with instructions on how to register and remove your boat covers. Make sure you remove all zippers, buckles and vents before packing your bag. Bags are industrial size and can hold covers from up to a 32’ boat (1 large cover or 1-3 small covers).
- For direct pick-up of your boat covers you must register for a minimum of 15 bags. Locations in the UP must meet a 70 bag minimum.
- Program coordinators will reach out to schedule a pick-up in May-August.
Recycling for individual boaters
For boaters with less than 5 boat covers, you may call Dr. Shrink directly at (800) 968-5147 to chose your best shipping options.
Further instructions and information about the program can be found on the Michigan Recycling Coalition's program webpage. If you must wrap your boats in plastic, do the responsible thing by recycling and encourage others in your area to do the same!
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Winter Webinars
Regional Use of Volunteer-collected data:
Spotlight on Missouri Stream Team and MiCorps
Across the country there are hundreds of water quality programs that involve members of the public in collecting data, but how are these data used? This webinar will highlight efforts by the Missouri Stream Team and Michigan Corps spanning from project-level data use, to state, regional and watershed-level data use.
Presenters: Erick Elgin, Lake Program Manager, MiCorps and Randy Sarver, Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Coordinator, Missouri Stream Team
Feb 7, 2023 03:00 PM EST -- Register Here
Lobster mobsters:
An update on Michigan’s red swamp crayfish response
Though sometimes called “mini-lobsters,” invasive red swamp crayfish are anything but sweet. Once they show up in an ecosystem, they quickly take over, leaving little or nothing for the locals. Dr. Lucas Nathan, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the Michigan DNR, is intent on turning the tide of infestation in southeast Michigan. Join him to hear about recent advances in research and management of this combative crustacean.
Feb 7, 2023 09:00 AM -- Register Here
Rowing the boat:
The Michigan Invasive Species Program
2022 year in review
The hearty crew of staff, partners and volunteers that make up the MISP navigated through some rough waters in 2022 with new detections of beech leaf disease and spotted lanternfly in the state, but they also managed to make a lot of headway. The program’s communications coordinator, Joanne Foreman, will highlight response efforts, prevention, outreach and survey work undertaken in 2022 to protect Michigan’s natural resources from the effects of invasive species.
Mar 21, 2023 09:00 AM -- Register Here
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The 2023 Winter Issue of The Michigan Riparian magazine is on the way to your mailbox. Don't want to wait? You can always access the magazine online by signing in to your MLSA Membership account.
- This issue features Indian Lake, Vicksburg and is written by MLSA president, David Maturen.
- Cliff Bloom addresses a number of court cases in his informative quarterly column, Attorney Writes.
- You can check out the first part of our series on Local Planning and Zoning by contributing author, Tony Groves.
- And beware of Monster Microbes lurking in our lakes and streams...
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Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, state-wide organization dedicated to the preservation, protection, and wise management of Michigan’s vast treasure of inland lakes and streams.
Ready to help us protect Michigan's waterways?
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