Freshwater Summit in Traverse City, October 26

The Freshwater Summit will be held on Friday, Oct. 26 from 9 a.m-4 p.m. at the Hagerty Center, 715 E. Front St. in Traverse City.

Preregistering is strongly encouraged, as the Summit usually sells out. Walk-ins cannot be guaranteed.
The registration deadline for the fifth annual Freshwater Summit is Tuesday, Oct. 16. Click here to register online. The cost is $30, which includes lunch.


If you cannot register online and want to pay by credit card, call Denise Baker at 231~935~1514 ext. 4. If you prefer to pay by check, mail a check payable to the Watershed Center, postmarked by Oct. 15, to 13272 S. West Bay Shore Dr., Traverse City, 49684.

This year’s theme is Our Changing Great Lakes. Highlights include:

•Dave Ulrich, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative~Change the Great Lakes for the Better

•Ralph Bednarz, Michigan DEQ~Lakes Assessment Survey•Guy Meadows, Ph.D., Great Lakes Research Center~Secrets Beneath Lake Huron

•Dr. Dave Hyndman, MSU~Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Climate Change

•Matt Herbert, The Nature Conservancy and Randy Claramunt, MDNR~Restoring Critical Fish Spawning Reefs

You’ll also learn about Boardman River dam removals, inland lake fish shelters, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, clean boating and more!

You can download a complete agenda soon. Agendas will also be distributed at the Summit. Please note that agenda may be subject to change.

If your lake association is a member of the Network of Lake Associations, you can send two representatives free, but you must register all names by October 16 with Denise Baker at dbaker@gtbay.org.

If your organization or business would like to have a booth, please contact Denise Baker at dbaker@gtbay.org by October 16. Non-profit booths are $50, and business booths are $200. You must pay an additional $30 for lunch for each person staffing your booth.

The Freshwater Summit is generously sponsored by AMEC, Cambria Suites and Great Lakes Environmental Center.

The Freshwater Summit is co-hosted by the Watershed Center, NMC Water Studies Institute, Michigan Sea Grant, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation Resource Alliance, Grand Traverse Conservation District, Inland Seas Education Association, Network of Lake Associations, Rotary Water Committee and Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

Free Seminar Tonight on Stormwater Treatment Techniques

Suttons Bay, MI – The Inland Seas Education Association will present a seminar focusing on stormwater treatment within the Great Lakes watershed at 7:00pm on Tuesday, November 8th, at the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay. The program will be presented by Sarah U’Ren, Program Director at the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. This seminar is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Outfall of Broadway Street Drain in Suttons Bay

Plume of contaminated water in Suttons Bay from Broadway Drain after rain event.

The Watershed Center is a non-profit organization located in Traverse City, dedicated to the protection of our water resources in Grand Traverse Bay. They work within the entire 1,000 square mile watershed to advocate for clean water through public education and on-the-ground projects. One such project currently underway is working towards improved runoff filtration systems in Suttons Bay and Traverse City. Land use management within the watershed is an important aspect of maintaining water quality, as poor land use practices can lead to public health concerns and degraded ecosystem health. “By managing runoff from the three largest storm drains in Suttons Bay, we hope to drastically decrease public health risks at local beaches associated with runoff,” says U’Ren.

Grand Vision Asks: Is the View of the Bay Worth More Than Half Your Pay?

Is a View of the Bay Worth More Than Half the Pay?

Public Invited to Community Conversation about Natural Resources and the Economy on February 23rd

How important do you think natural resources are to the future of our economy? Join business leaders for a panel presentation and community conversation on February 23rd from 6:00 – 9:00 pm to discuss how these resources help to drive our region’s prosperity. The event will be held at the Oleson Center in Traverse City, located on the main campus of Northwestern Michigan College. It is being hosted by the Natural Resources Network of the Grand Vision, which includes businesses, civic , and environmental organizations.

The event will feature several components:

· Opening Remarks - Derek Bailey, Tribal Chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, will deliver a welcome and opening remarks.

· Panel Discussion – Confirmed panelists include Jim MacInnis, President and CEO of Crystal Mountain Resort; Matt Myers, Co-Owner of M-22; and Deborah Wyatt Fellows; Publisher of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine; Kim Pontius, Executive Vice President of the Traverse Area Association of Realtors; and Gene LaFave, Developer. Panelists will share their perspectives on the following:

o Which natural resources are most important to the success of your business?

o How do natural resource protection goals increase the profitability and sustainability of your business?

o How do you communicate this value with your customers?

o What do you see as the biggest economic development opportunities for our region?

o How do these opportunities relate to natural resource protection goals?

· Community Conversation – Participants at the event will be invited to join break out groups to discuss the following questions as they relate to different topics such as recreation and access to nature, regulatory frameworks, education, energy, food, transportation, and housing.

o How do you think natural resources can drive economic development and economic prosperity in the region?

o Where might there be potential conflicts?

o How do you think these opportunities relate to the goals of the Grand Vision Natural Resources Action Plan?

Pre-registration is encouraged due to limited space. You may register by contacting The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, 231-935-1514 Ex. 4 or by e-mail to dbaker@gtbay.org. On-site registration on the day of the event begins at 5:30pm.

Snacks will be served and door prizes, including several wildlife prints, will be awarded. There is no fee to participate. After the event, join us for an Afterglow at Right Brain Brewery in the Warehouse District, Downtown Traverse City, for continued conversation over a discounted pint!

The mission of the Grand Vision Natural Resources Network is to protect and enhance the water resources, forests, natural areas and scenic beauty that preserve our quality of life and sustain our regional economy. The action plan for implementing the Grand Vision’s guiding principle for natural resources can be found online at: http://www.thegrandvision.org/2011/02/11/action-plan-for-implementing-the-grand-vision%E2%80%99s-guiding-principle-for-natural-resources/

Creatures of the Great Lakes on TV - 2 this week.

Denise Baker, Tom Kelly and Rich Brauer enjoying memories of underwater film making in the 1980's.

Watershed Moments premieres on Up North 2 with a retrospective look at the 1984 film Creatures in the Great Lakes

Creatures in the Great Lakes features a cast of "underwater stars" from yesteryear and offers insight into why the clear water we see today is less desirable than the turbid water of the past. The 1984 film was originally intended to serve as an educational tool for classroom use, yet has become a baseline for the state of affairs in the Great Lakes.

Watershed Moments is a public access television program by the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay that explores all facets of Grand Traverse Bay, the heart of our region. Its debut revisits Creatures in the Great Lakes with the film’s creators, Rich Brauer of Brauer Productions and Captain Tom Kelly of the Inland Seas Education Association.


Host Denise Baker delightfully navigates a scientific and technological inquiry of underwater cinematography and environmental education. Longtime friends, Rich and Tom reflect upon their early exploration of the aquatic world and the changes it has endured during the past twenty-five years.


Watershed Moments premieres on Up North 2 this Sunday November 15th at 8pm, Monday November 16th at 10pm, and Saturday, November 21st at 9am.

Watershed Center Uses ISEA Whaler for Aquatic Macrophyte Survey

Last week the Baykeeper John Nelson and the Watershed Center's Program Director Sarah U'Ren borrowed ISEA's 13' Boston Whaler for use in their macrophyte study of Grand Traverse Bay. http://www.gtbay.org/macrophyte.asp They worked the east side of Suttons Bay and the Stony Point area. They will soon begin work on East Bay using the Bay Monitor tug.