Client Organization: Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
Client Website: Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
SNRE Faculty Advisor: Allen Burton and Dave Allan
Master Students Involved in Project:
- Elizabeth Lillard, MS Sustainable Systems
- Diana Portner, MS Behavior, Education and Communicaiton
- Julie Riggio, MS Environmental Policy and Planning/Conservation Ecology
- Bo Williams, MS Environmental Policy and Planning
- Leah Zimmerman (Erb ’14), MBA/MS Behavior Communication and Education/Conservation Ecology
Summary of Project Idea: The purpose of this project is to investigate issues affecting the water quality and ecosystem health of two threatened streams in Northern Michigan and collaborate with local stakeholders to develop individualized watershed management plans, as well as a framework for implementation. The “crucial creeks“ include Stover Creek, a tributary of Lake Charlevoix that drains directly into Lake Michigan, and Tannery Creek, a tributary of Little Traverse Bay that is the fourth largest bay in Lake Michigan. Lake Charlevoix and Little Traverse Bay are extremely important natural resources in Northern Michigan that warrant the utmost protection due to their ecological value, as well as recreational and economic value for local communities. Comprehensive assessments, management plans, and ultimately, restoration, are needed for these stream systems because monitoring data show declining water quality and diversity loss in biological communities as a result of urbanization in the lower stream sections.
SNRE Program Areas:
- Conservation Ecology (Aquatic Sciences, Terrestrial Ecosystems, and Conservation Biology)
- Environmental Policy and Planning
- Behavior, Education, and Communication
- Sustainable Systems
- Landscape Architecture