GLFT Grant Library

Trout Unlimited, Inc. is looking to restore aquatic organism passage and stream function at three road/stream crossings as the first phase of an effort to restore complete connectivity throughout the Bigelow Creek watershed, a critically important coldwater tributary to the Muskegon River. The replacement of these crossings will enhance and provide long-term protection for fish passage and habitat for salmonids and other coldwater species of the Lake Michigan Basin.

We will evaluate the source-specific production of steelhead to the Lake Michigan fishery. We have demonstrated that chemical signatures of juvenile steelhead otoliths are sufficiently differentiable among different Lake Michigan tributaries and hatcheries to support accurate natal origin assignment. Here, otoliths of adult steelhead will be collected and analyzed to quantitatively assess the mixing of stocks in the Lake Michigan fishery and identify specific sources most supportive of steelhead production.

We will improve assessment of trends for lake trout populations and estimates of vital rates in Lake Michigan by fitting age-structured assessment models in southern and western areas of the lake where such assessments are lacking. We will combine results with those from other areas of the lake to provide a lake-wide assessment. Results will be used to develop or improve forecasting models to evaluate consequences of stocking decisions on rehabilitation status and predator-prey balance.

Historically, cisco was the major forage fish component in the Great Lakes food chain and supported extensive commercial fisheries in multiple Great Lakes. However, anthropogenic impacts have led to massive declines in cisco abundance as well as local and global extirpations of multiple cisco species. We will use genomics to investigate the genetic basis of adaptation in cisco. This research will provide important data that can be used to preserve cisco diversity and inform restoration.

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council Water Resources Education Program will build on the success of our experiential learning-based Watershed Academy program by: 1) extending opportunities for 20 Watershed Academy alumni to support their interests in local water resources monitoring and protection programs, and 2) engaging 300 middle school students in a foundation-laying program of watershed experiences focused on local issues and stewardship of water resources.

Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is looking to expand and enhance their programming, which will allow a large audience to experience hands-on watershed education. The GRPM Classroom with a Current will continue to develop as a hub of information related to watershed ecology. In addition, new laboratory-based programming as well as summer camp adventures will explore watershed concepts. By incorporating artifacts and object-based discovery into watershed education the GRPM will provide a local context to Great Lakes watershed themes.

GLFT has provided funding to build a comprehensive Great Lakes Fisheries Heritage exhibit unparalleled in Michigan. The exhibit represents NE Michigan’s fishery heritage spanning from pre-Columbian to present; a heritage largely shared by all regions of Michigan. Great Lakes stewardship will be evident in the integration of subsistence, commercial and recreational fisheries with scientific research, ecosystem changes wrought by invasive species, water quality, habitat degradation, and effects of fishery management. Two early fishing/survey vessels will anchor the display.