Migratory Stopover Group Formed with TNC,
Service and Other Partners at DU - 9/23/2003
Executive Summary: Several Service entities were represented
at an inaugural meeting of the Migratory Bird Stopover Site group that
met at Ducks Unlimited in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 25. Bob Kavetsky and
Tameka Dandridge (East Lansing Field Office) contributed information
about the Coastal Program and Urban Bird Treaties. Doug Spencer (Shiawassee
National Wildlife Refuge) and Dan Frisk (Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge)
contributed perspectives on behalf of refuges and wildlife. Rich Greenwood
(EPA Liaison) picked up on the roles of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team. The group decided the geographic focus of the team will be from
the eastern thumb area North of Port Huron, south and east along the
Great Lakes shore to Lorain, Ohio. Ducks Unlimited, who received Coastal
Program funding this year for a GIS layer will use that information
in the project. Meeting results will be used after a 2 week review led
by the Nature Convervancy's Dave Ewert with the ultimate goal of a partnership
project to protect a stopover site. This meeting provided an on-the-gound
starting point application for use of FY2003 Coastal Program-funded
project entitled 'Improving Coastal Wetland Restoration and Protection
through development of a Conservation and Recreation Lands (CARL) GIS
layer'. Selection of appropriate sites will lead to an eventual partnership
in site protection with TNC, DU, the Service and eventually other partners.
Offices Involved: R3-East Lansing FO, R3-Shiawassee
NWR, R3-Ottawa NWR, R3-Joint Venture, R3-Great Lakes Basin EcoTeam
Partners: The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Ducks Unlimited
(DU), others to be added.
Programs: Migratory Birds & State Programs * National
Wildlife Refuge System * Ecological Services * Federal Aid * Ecosystem
Teams
States: Michigan * Ohio
Sturgeon Assessment Assistance Provided to
Canadian Agencies - 6/10/2003
Executive Summary: What do you get when a U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service vehicle tows a Fisheries and Oceans boat to an
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources office in northern Ontario. In
addition to a lot of questions and odd looks, you get a truly cooperative
effort to assess spawning lake sturgeon. In 2001, the GLBET Lake Sturgeon
Committee received a Great Lakes Fishery Trust grant to collect samples
and describe the genetic characteristics of spawning sturgeon populations
in the Great Lakes. As part of that effort, Ashland FRO contacted Canadian
representatives on the Lake Superior Technical Committee to offer assistance
with work in Canadian waters. In 2003, Ashland FRO provided a second
year of technical assistance in the form of consultation, field personnel,
and equipment to Fisheries and Oceans and the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources to conduct sturgeon assessments. Additional partners included
the Pukaskwa National Park, and Pic River First Nation. Crews set nets
in the Pic, White, Batchawana, Michipicoten, Goulais and Chippewa rivers.
A total of 18 sturgeon were captured in the Pic River for a total of
33 over two years. A total of 8 sturgeon were captured in the Batchawana,
1 in the Chippewa, none in the White, 7 in the Goulais, and 1 in the
Michipicoten. Biological information was collected from all sturgeon
and tissue samples from most fish. Upon analysis the tissue samples
will begin to provide an understanding of the genetic diversity and
similarities of sturgeon populations in the rivers throughout the Great
Lakes.
Offices Involved: R3-Alpena FRO, R3-Ashland FRO, R5-Lower
Great Lakes FRO
Partners: Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, Pukaskwa National Park, Pic River First
Nation
Programs: Fisheries * Ecosystem Teams
States: Michigan * Minnesota * Wisconsin
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Web Site
Updated - 4/10/2003
Executive Summary: New information was added to the
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Web Site (http://greatlakes.fws.gov)
on April 10 to provide team accomplishments and to update information
about cormorants and other issues. The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team
is comprised of Service offices in the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem that
work together and with cooperators to accomplish goals related to conserving
the Great Lakes. The web master for the site is Fishery Biologist Anjanette
Bowen of the Alpena Fishery Resources Office in Michigan.
Offices Involved: R3-Alpena FRO
Resource Outputs: Updates are important to maintaining
the integrity of web sites. The Internet is one of the most valuable
ways to provide information about the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team
activities to the public and partners.
Partners: Partners include the US EPA - Great Lakes
National Program Office and all USFWS offices participating in the Great
Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team.
Programs: Fisheries * Ecosystem Teams
States: Illinois * Indiana * Michigan * Minnesota *
New York * Ohio * Pennsylvania * Wisconsin
GLBET Binational Collaborative Submits Proposal
for Islands Conservation - 4/1/2003
Executive Summary: The more than 30,000 islands of
the Great Lakes form the world’s largest collection of freshwater
islands and their biological diversity is globally significant. The
islands have unique landforms, plants, animals and cultural history.
Because little is known about the islands as a collection or their
conservation
status, well-documented threats continue to degrade these important
ecosystems. These threats include development of islands and shoreline,
contaminants, introduction of non-native species, over-harvest, non-sustainable
recreation and increased access due to technological advances. At the
December 2002 GLBET Islands subcommittee meeting in Chicago, volunteers
agreed to draft a grant application for a project to create a framework
for binational, long-term conservation of the Great Lakes Islands.
This
binational collaborative, led by Karen Vigmostad of the Northeast Midwest
Institute and including representatives from USFWS, The Nature Conservancy,
Nature Conservancy Canada and university professionals, has submitted
a grant application to the USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office
(GLNPO) for the first year of a two-year, $600,000 proposal. The goal
of the project is to create the foundation for a robust, enduring framework
to ensure the long-term conservation of Great Lakes islands. This project
will implement the island component of the Great Lakes Ecoregional
Plan
developed by the Nature Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy of Canada
and will contribute towards GLBET Island Subcommittee's draft strategy
for protecting Great Lakes islands. The core group of the binational
collaborative that will carry out this project will begin by finalizing
an island assessment tool that will be used to characterize and assess
the entire suite of islands. Based on this information, the best representative
island areas (islands, parts of islands, and/or archipelagos) containing
the ecoregional conservation targets identified in the Ecoregional
Plan
will be identified. Additionally, the best examples of island-specific
conservation targets, such as colonial waterbirds, will also be identified.
Islands areas that contain either of these two types of conservation
targets will be designated Great Lakes priority island areas. Initiatives
to ensure the long-term conservation of priority island areas will
be
identified and published. Future implementation activities, using a
suite of conservation tools, will be targeted toward conservation of
priority island areas and will be based on the findings of this project.
The proposal builds off previous GLBET projects, including draft strategy
for protection of the Great Lakes islands, the Great Lakes GIS/DSS
project,
and the recently funded development of the Great Lakes island ranking
system. GLNPO will announce the accepted proposals this summer, and
grants will be awarded for fiscal year 2004. If funded by GLNPO, this
proposal is expected to begin in October 2003, and to be completed
in
September 2005. If not funded by GLNPO, the collaborative will seek
other funding sources to develop this important conservation strategy.
Offices Involved: R3-Reynoldsburg FO, R3-Regional Director's
Office
Resource Outputs: 1)State of the Islands Report- will
identify conservation targets, priority islands, indicators of island
health, best management practices, current and future needs, and gaps
in protection. A tool to reach Great Lakes policy and decision makers
to inform them about the islands, their importance, and what resources
we need to adequately protect the islands. 2)Guide for private landowners
on how to best manage and conserve island property, specifically shorelines,
and the plant and animal species that inhabit it. 3)Guide for public
land managers similar to above. 4)List of feasible pilot projects that
could utilize the island conservation guides.
Partners: Northeast-Midwest Institute, Nature Conservancy
Canada, The Nature Conservancy, University of Minnesota, USEPA
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
Information Provided for Great Lakes Strategy
2002 - 3/6/2003
Executive Summary: Representing the Great Lakes Basin
Ecosystem Team’s Lake Sturgeon Committee, Alpena Fisheries Resource
Office Assistant Project Leader Tracy Hill provided information to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their Great Lakes Strategy
2002 initiative. The Lake Sturgeon Committee was asked to provide information
on Great Lakes Strategy Action #56 which is to coordinate conservation
efforts on lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes basin. The purpose for the
report was to provide the senior managers of the U.S. Policy Committee
with an initial assessment of the Lake Sturgeon Committee’s achievements
at meeting the goals of the strategy. Hill provided information on
the
accomplishments of the Lake Sturgeon committee during fiscal year 2002.
Offices Involved: R3-Alpena FRO, R3-Green Bay FRO,
R3-Marquette Bio Station, R3-Ashland FRO, R5-Lower Great Lakes FRO
Resource Outputs: The Service is working with states,
tribes and other federal agencies to identify the biggest threats to
maintaining self-sustaining, interjurisdictional lake sturgeon populations
in the Great Lakes ecosystems. This project has allowed the Service
to increase our involvement in collaborative efforts to develop fishery
management plans as well as collecting and sharing information on this
depleted interjurisdictional native Great Lakes species.
Partners: Michigan Department of Natural Resources,
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources, New York Department of Conservation,
Programs: Fisheries * Ecosystem Teams
States: Michigan * New York * Wisconsin
Commerical Fishermen Play Expanded Role in
Monitoring Lake Sturgeon - 1/10/2003
Executive Summary: The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team Lake Sturgeon Committee received Service fiscal year 2002 flex-funding
from Regions 3 and 5 to expand their lake sturgeon work to include the
collection of information on sturgeon captured by commercial fishermen
in the Great Lakes. Funding will provide commercial fishermen with training
and equipment to gather data from lake sturgeon so that biologists may
determine the number and distribution of sturgeon and their movement
patterns in the Great Lakes and compile critical data on sturgeon growth
and reproduction. This project is an opportunity for biologists to work
cooperatively with an important stakeholder group -- commercial fishermen
from four of the Great Lakes. For more information about the Great Lakes
Basin Ecosystem Team Lake Sturgeon Committee, contact Tracy Hill, Alpena
FRO, 989-356-5102, x16
Resource Outputs: Funding provides commercial fishermen
with training and equipment to gather data essential for lake sturgeon
conservation.
Partners: Commercial fishermen
Programs: Fisheries * Ecosystem Teams
Lake Sturgeon Committee Increases Its Speed
on the Information Superhighway - 1/10/2003
Executive Summary: The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team received Service flex-funding in fiscal year 2002 for updating
and maintaining the Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Website (http://midwest.fws.gov/sturgeon).
This site brings together intra- and inter-national information and
research regarding lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes and serves as the
primary site for disseminating lake sturgeon information. Cooperators
from international, federal and state agencies, as well as universities,
provided updated information on their lake sturgeon activities in the
Great Lakes Basin. The activities of two new cooperators, Michigan State
University and the Lake Superior State University, were added to the
site during this revision. For more information about the Great Lakes
Basin Ecosystem Team Lake Sturgeon Committee, contact Tracy Hill, Alpena
FRO, 989-356-5102, x16.
Resource Outputs: Improved Web site presence for sharing
lake sturgeon information with partners.
Partners: Michigan State University; Lake Superior State University;
state DNRs of Michigan, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin; government of Ontario;
United States Geological Survey
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
Lake Sturgeon Committee Tackleys Tributary
Inventory - 1/10/2003
Executive Summary: The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team Lake Sturgeon Committee continued to make progress on a web-based
lake sturgeon database and GIS map. This project will create a unified,
interactive web-based GIS map and meta-database of Great Lakes lake
sturgeon information that is crucial to researchers and fisheries managers.
The database will enhance the existing map and database that was developed
for the 2000 Great Lakes Fishery Trust Lake Sturgeon Workshop. The long-term
objective of the project is to compile the available lake sturgeon data
sources to help focus restoration and research activities on priority
lake sturgeon waters. Project completion is anticipated in March 2003
with posting on the web by June. For more information about the Great
Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Lake Sturgeon Committee, contact Tracy Hill,
Alpena FRO, 989-356-5102, x16.
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
Great Lakes Team Leads Effort to Standardize
Lake Sturgeon Genetic Analysis - 1/10/2003
Executive Summary: In order to better guide lake sturgeon
restoration and enhancement efforts in the Great Lakes, resource managers
need a better understanding of the genetic structure among populations.
The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team's Lake Sturgeon Committee is leading
an effort to coordinate and standardize lake sturgeon genetic activities
in the Great Lakes Basin. Additional funds are needed for sample collection,
stock structure analysis and preparing a basin-wide management plan.
The comprehensive project proposal remains a collaborative effort among
natural resource agencies and geneticists. For more information about
the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Lake Sturgeon Committee, contact
Tracy Hill, Alpena FRO, 989-356-5102, x16.
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
Software Will Help Great Lakes Managers Do
Their Jobs Even Better - 1/10/2003
Executive Summary: The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team's Geographic Information Systems/Decision Support Systems (GIS/DSS)
Committee has completed their analysis of existing GIS capabilities
of the programs and field stations within Region 3 and 5 of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. This analysis has lead to the development
of the Draft Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem GIS/DSS Implementation Strategic
Plan. GIS and DSS are mechanisms that can be used to provide managers
with the capability to integrate and analyze multiple data sources
on
a desktop computer. The GIS/DSS is a tool that helps the user answer
simple questions concerning Great Lakes islands and the Great Lakes
basin as a whole. The GIS/DSS facilitates decision-making for land
acquisition,
environmental review, management planning and provides a valuable tool
for communication and outreach. Effective management of the Great Lakes
resources at the ecosystem level requires considerable coordination
of efforts from many groups. Geospatial data that can assist management
efforts are collected on many scales ranging from small, site-specific
projects to basin-wide examinations. In addition to variations in scale,
data are collected in many different formats, making integration of
data sets difficult. Because of the fragmented nature of the data available,
management decisions are often hampered by a lack of critical information
that may exist but is either not immediately available or not in a
useful
form. Obstacles, real and perceived, have prevented the Service from
effectively engaging in GIS on a landscape level for the benefit of
Great Lakes resource conservation. Since there was no entity or opportunity
to develop a pathway for effectively or efficiently engaging the Service
with this important technological tool, the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team formed a GIS/DSS Core Group to explore and determine how to advance
the use of this important natural resource management tool to better
serve our mission and work with partners. The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team's GIS/DSS Committee and Island Committee collaborated with the
U.S. Geological Survey's Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
and the U.S.G.S. Great Lakes Science Center to gather spatial and non-spatial
data relating to Great Lakes islands and their watersheds. The Decision
Support System was created by the environmental sciences center to
guide
future management and protection of islands and surrounding areas at
many scales ranging from small, site-specific projects to basin-wide
examinations. The GIS/DSS presently in use on the Upper Mississippi
River was used as a model for the project. The tool was created using
Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 and Environmental Systems Research Institute
MapObjects LT2. The GIS/DSS will be available from the desktop of all
Service field stations that manage resources within the Great Lakes
Basin. Managers will be able to review Great Lakes islands within the
GIS/DSS for natural resource values and threats and for their potential
for acquisition by the National Wildlife Refuge System. (For further
information about the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team's GIS/DSS tool,
contact Chris Castiglione, Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources Office,
716-691-5456, x35)
Partners: Great Lakes Commission, USGS Upper Midwest
Environmental Sciences Center; USGS Great Lakes Science Center; Environmental
Systems Research Institute.
Programs: National Wildlife Refuge System * Ecological
Services * Fisheries * Ecosystem Teams
2002
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Accomplishments |
Service, Partners Make Strides in Great Lakes
Islands Conservation - 12/13/2002
Executive Summary: Sixty representatives of two Service
regions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, other federal and
state agencies, universities, and conservation organizations, as well
as Canadian provincial and non-government organizations, gathered in
Chicago, Dec. 10-12, 2002, to discuss conservation, coastal habitat
restoration and GAP analysis for the thousands of islands in the Great
Lakes. Accomplishments during the two-day workshop included developing
a ranking and habitat classification system for the islands and developing
a model for conserving the islands at the local and landscape levels.
In addition, a multi-agency group, working with communications consultant
Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong, came up with a framework for producing a Great
Lakes Islands Conservation communications and outreach plan, and a grants
subgroup formed during the workshop has already gotten to work. The
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team's Islands Conservation Committee extends
a special acknowledgement to the workshop's major funders, the Service,
EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office and Environment Canada.
Offices Involved: R3-Reynoldsburg FO, R3-Seney NWR,
R3-Alpena FRO, R3-Green Bay FO, R3-Horicon NWR, R3-Green Bay FRO, R5-Ohio
River Islands NWR, R3-External Affairs, R3-Fisheries, R3-Ecological
Services, R3-Ashland FRO, R3-Chicago FO, R3-East Lansing FO, R3-Shiawassee
NWR, R5-Gulf of Maine Program, R5-Lower Great Lakes FRO, R5-Montezuma
NWR, R5-New York FO, R3-Great Lakes Basin EcoTeam
Resource Outputs: Framework for a model strategy for
conservation of Great Lakes islands at both landscape and local levels(including
draft GLBET Great Lakes Islands Survey Protocols) An island conservation
ranking/prioritization system Updating, revision of SOLEC Islands Indicator,
including a listing/inventory of Great Lakes Islands currently under
conservation protection through inclusion in NWRs, or other means; islands
known to be in need of priority conservation efforts Inventory the databases
available for island conservation/concurrence on action plan for repository/access
of this information Preliminary Guidelines for development of a classification
system for nearshore coastal habitats of the Great Lakes and inventory
of the databases available for coastal GAP anaylsis Plan to improve
the utility of the Decision Support System, including demonstration
of DSS, hands on opportunities provided, follow up training and utilization
opportunities identified Framework for a communications campaign/plan
for Great Lakes island conservation
Partners: US EPA, NPS, USGS, Department of Commerce-NOAA,
Ontario Ministry of Canada, Parks Canada Agency, Wisconsin DNR, University
of Minnesota-Duluth, University of Wisconsin-Sea Grant Institute, University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Great Lakes Water Institute, Northland College,
The Nature Conservancy, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Great Lakes Commission,
Lake Michigan Federation, Northeast-Midwest Institute
Programs: National Wildlife Refuge System * Ecological
Services * Fisheries * External Affairs * Ecosystem Teams
States: Illinois
First-Ever Lake Sturgeon Coordination Meeting
Draws Wide Participation - 12/12/2002
Executive Summary: More than 110 biologists, managers,
researchers and members of the public gathered in Sault Ste. Marie,
Mich., Dec. 11-12, to exchange information and discuss issues important
to the study, management and rehabilitation of lake sturgeon in the
Great Lakes. This first annual Great Lakes lake Sturgeon Coordination
Meeting was organized by six members of the Services Great Lakes Basin
Ecosystem Team Lake Sturgeon Committee (Rob Elliott-Green Bay FRO,
Henry
Quinlan-Ashland FRO, Emily Zollweg and Betsy Trometer - Lower Lakes
FRO, Tracy Hill -Alpena FRO and John Weisser -Marquette Biological
Station)
with the assistance of representatives from Michigan DNR, New York
DEC, Ontario MNR, Wisconsin DNR, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians,
and Michigan Technological University. Attendees came from nine states
and two Canadian provinces representing more than 40 natural resource
agencies, organizations, and institutions working with and interested
in lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes. The Service was represented by
15 biologists from Regions 3 and 5. During the first day of the meeting,
participants presented 38 oral and 15 poster-display presentations
detailing
the status, assessment and management initiatives, and immerging issues
pertaining to lake sturgeon throughout the Great Lakes. Several of
these
presentations dealt with focus topics of stocking as a means to restore
populations, genetic characteristics of remnant Great Lakes populations,
and various assessment techniques useful in determining population
status
of juveniles and adult sturgeon. On the second day, participants divided
into nine small breakout groups to discuss the focus topics of stocking
to rehabilitate populations and assessment techniques to determine
status.
Participants also heard from and directed questions pertaining to genetic
considerations of stocking to a panel of genetics experts, as well
as
reviewed and discussed research and assessment needs and emerging issues
important to sturgeon rehabilitation in the Great Lakes. Prior to the
meeting, participants had contributed status information on existing
populations as well as abstracts describing work they are conducting.
This information was compiled into documents that were distributed
to
participants along with other informational materials in the meeting
information packets. An evening chili feed and social as well as group
breakfasts and lunches also provided additional opportunity for participants
to interact in an unstructured format. This first meeting was very
successful
in providing a forum to foster communication and exchange of information
relating to the study, management and restoration of lake sturgeon
in
the Great Lakes Basin, and should increase opportunities for cooperation
among traditional and non-traditional stakeholders. A proceedings report
from this meeting is currently being prepared and will be distributed
to attendees, to the Great Lakes Fishery Trust and to all other interested
persons. Funding assistance for this and two additional meetings has
been provided by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. For more information,
contact Rob Elliott, Green Bay FRO, 920-866-1762, or any of the other
steering committee members from the USFWS-GLBET Sturgeon Committee.
Offices Involved: R3-Carterville FRO, R3-Alpena FRO,
R3-Green Bay FRO, R3-Marquette Bio Station, R3-Ashland FRO, R3-Genoa
NFH, R5-Lower Great Lakes FRO
Partners: Great Lakes Fishery Trust, Ontario Minnestry
of Natural Resource, New York Department of Environmental Conservation,
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Technological University,
Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources,
Programs: Fisheries * Ecosystem Teams
States: Illinois * Indiana * Michigan * Minnesota *
New York * Ohio * Wisconsin
Great Lakes Team Showcases Accomplishments
and Commits to Action - 5/23/2002
Executive Summary: The recent meeting of the Great
Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team in Ithaca, N.Y., focused on showcasing past
successes and committing to action in the areas of lake sturgeon protection,
geographic information system/decision support system (GIS/DSS) development
and implementation, islands protection and outreach. Efforts in the
lake sturgeon arena that were highlighted at the meeting included developing
a web-based lake sturgeon database and associated GIS maps, updating
the Great Lakes lake sturgeon web site to include more information
and
partners, and continuing work on a standardized genetic assessment
of lake sturgeon. The GIS/DSS Core Group described its recommendations
for the implementation of geo-spatial technologies to support Great
Lakes Basin resource management issues and reported on efforts to partner
on a conservation planning process for western Lake Erie islands led
by The Nature Conservancy and a project to map sensitive habitats on
Great Lakes islands using multi-spectral satellite imagery led by the
USGS. Other examples of landscape-level approaches were presented at
the meeting including Joint Ventures in the Great Lakes Basin, Great
Lakes piping plover recovery, and a Gulf of Maine habitat analysis.
These approaches provided the team with ideas and techniques that can
be used in their future efforts. During the meeting, the team re-committed
to its efforts on Great Lakes islands restoration—the recently
published Great Lakes Strategy cites the team as taking the lead on
this issue. The team’s leadership also transitioned from Jim Hudgins,
Michigan Private Lands Coordinator to Rich Greenwood, USFWS-EPA Great
Lakes Liaison; Tracy Hill, Assistant Project Leader at the Alpena Fishery
Resources Office, was selected as team-leader elect. One of the highlights
of the meeting was a field trip to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge,
hosted by Refuge Manager Tom Jasikoff. The refuge is located at the
north end of Lake Cayuga and serves as a critical resting area for migrating
waterfowl and other waterbirds. During the tour, Tom showed team members
restored wetland areas that were farmed mucklands just a few years prior.
Future action for the team centers around its resource priorities. Team
members will continue to assess Great Lakes tributary streams for lake
sturgeon and will expand their efforts to facilitate data collection
by commercial fishers. The DIS/GIS Core Group will be meeting with field
offices and partners to present the team’s Great Lakes Island
GIS/DSS and discuss opportunities for applications. A team workshop
will be held this fall funded by the Great Lakes National Program Office
with hands-on training of the GIS/DSS for refuge managers, island committee
members and others. In addition, final site visits and script review
will be completed for a team video that highlights the Service’s
work in the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Partners: United States Geological Survey, New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
Service, Partners Cooperate to Provide More
Than $3 Million for Fish and Wildlife Conservation - 3/19/2002
Executive Summary: At least 138 projects valued at
more than $3 million will be conducted through the Service Challenge
Cost-Share Program (SCCSP) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)
during Fiscal Year 2002 in the Great Lake-Big Rivers Region (Region).
All 138 projects being carried out by the Service are in cooperation
with hundreds of local, state and regional partners. The SCCSP is coordinated
in the eight-state Region by the Twin Cities Regional Office. States
within this Region include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Conducted by the Service since 1988,
the
SCCSP has successfully leveraged federal funds with nonfederal dollars
and in-kind services to cost-share projects that support fish and wildlife
conservation on Service, nonfederal, private and tribal lands. During
FY 2002, the Regional Office is providing funds valued at almost $545,000
and partners have pledged more than $2.5 million. Total expenditures
for the 138 projects are likely to exceed $3.1 million. Approximately
150 wetland acres and 1,100 upland acres will be restored. More than
$103,000 of Service funds will cost-share 37 projects on Service lands
enrolled in the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). Additionally,
the Service is providing more than $79,000 for Centennial projects
on
Service lands to prepare for the 100th anniversary of the NWRS during
March 2003. Twenty-five projects to enhance recreational fishing opportunities
on national wildlife refuges will receive Service funds amounting to
almost $104,000, while ecosystem teams will carry out 15 projects with
cost-share assistance of more than $95,000. Additionally, 22 projects
being conducted during FY 2002 will cost-share the restoration of wetlands
and other unique upland habitats, including native prairies, oak savannas,
bottomland hardwoods, coastal marshes, rare fens and important riparian
areas. These projects, which received $90,000 in Service funds, will
restore and enhance habitats for trust species, including endangered
and threatened fish and wildlife. The cooperative projects will also:
purchase equipment and/or supplies for habitat projects; conduct fish
and wildlife research; maintain and improve Service facilities; enhance
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, hiking, photographic and other
recreational opportunities on Service lands for all visitors, including
youth and physically challenged guests; sustain diverse self-guided
interpretive programs; and improve environmental education and outreach.
Since the SCCSP began in 1988, the program’s success has resulted
from the timely generosity of partners, who have contributed funds at
a 76:24 ratio. From 1988-95, partners contributed funds and in-kind
services valued at $2.4 million, but since FY 1996 contributions from
cooperators have amounted to approximately $13.7 million. The Service’s
funding during the program’s history amounts to more than $5
million. For more information on the Service Challenge Cost-Share Program,
contact
Steve Kufrin, Partnership Coordinator, in the Regional Office at 612-713-5447.
Resource Outputs: In FY 2002, the Service provided
$543,669 in challenge cost-share funds and the American public will
receive over $2.5 million in fish, wildlife and habitat benefit.
Programs: National Wildlife Refuge System * Ecological
Services * Fisheries * Law Enforcement * Ecosystem Teams * Migratory
Birds & State Programs
2001
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Accomplishments |
Lake Sturgeon Database: a Work in Progress
- 8/30/2001
Executive Summary: The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team Lake Sturgeon Committee received FY 2001 flex funding from Regions
3 & 5 to develop a web-based lake sturgeon database and GIS map.
During a March meeting, the Lake Sturgeon committee discussed the type
of information to be included on the web page. Since sturgeon caviar
has a high black market value, much of this debate centered on balancing
the amount of information provided while limiting information that
could
be used by potential poachers. A draft database was developed over
the spring and summer, and lake sturgeon committee members are now
populating
the database with information. This database will help focus restoration
and research activities by natural resource agencies on priority lake
sturgeon waters, as well as provide information to resource managers
and the general public. The Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center
in LaCrosse will be assisting the committeee with the actual web page
development. Eventually, the database will be incorporated into the
GLBET GIS/DSS.
Offices Involved: R3-Alpena FRO, R3-Green Bay FO, R3-Green
Bay FRO, R3-Ashland FRO, R5-Lower Great Lakes FRO
Partners: Michigan DNR, USGS Upper Midwest Environmental
Science Center, Great Lakes Fisheries Trust
Programs: National Wildlife Refuge System * Ecological
Services * Fisheries * Ecosystem Teams
Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Website Updated
- 7/27/2001
Executive Summary: The Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Website
(http://midwest.fws.gov/sturgeon) was revised and updated to include
new information and more partnerships. The purpose of the site is to
consolidate information from numerous federal, state, university, and
international resource agencies that are conducting lake sturgeon projects
in the Great Lakes Basin. There are over 26 current partners contributing
information to the site. The site provides a means for educating the
general public and scientific community relative to resource agency
roles, responsibilities, and activities regarding this depleted native
species. It has had approximately 6,900 visits per month since its initial
posting in April 1999.
Offices Involved: R3-Carterville FRO, R3-Alpena FRO,
R3-Green Bay FO, R3-LaCrosse FRO, R3-Green Bay FRO, R3-Marquette Bio
Station, R3-Federal Aid, R3-Ashland FRO, R3-East Lansing FO, R3-Ann
Arbor LE, R5-Lower Great Lakes FRO
Partners: State partners include NY State Department
of Environmental Conservation, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
(Marquette, Mt. Clemens), Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Federal partners include
the U.S. Geological Survey - National Biological Service (Great Lakes
Sciences Center and Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center). International
partners include the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Lakes Superior,
Huron, Erie, and Ontario Units). University partners include Central
Michigan University, Michigan Technological University, University of
Michigan, and Cornell University.
Programs: Ecological Services * Fisheries * Federal
Aid * Law Enforcement * Ecosystem Teams
Revamped Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team Website Now On-line - 6/20/2001
Executive Summary: The newly revised Great Lakes Basin
Ecosystem Team’s (GLBET) website is up and running (http://greatlakes.fws.gov).
Funded by contributions of field stations within the ecosystem, the
website fills a vital role by providing one-stop shopping about the
GLBET for both team members and the public. In addition to the homepage,
the website includes a dozen secondary pages that further describe the
team and its landscape objectives in the ecosystem. These pages include
descriptions of the Great Lakes ecosystem, the GLBET’s focus issues
of lake sturgeon restoration and Great Lakes islands protection, and
two of the GLBET’s geographic focus areas -- Saginaw Bay and the
Detroit River. The site also describes the team’s accomplishments
of the past year, their future work plans, and gives information about
the upcoming and past meetings. Links related to the team are provided
that may be useful both to team members and the public who are searching
for additional information on the Great Lakes ecosystem, the U. S. Fish
and Wildlife Service’s Ecosystem Approach, and the principles
and practices of conservation biology and ecosystem management. The
above represents the first phase of remodeling for the GLBET’s
website. A second phase of the website will be completed later this
year. The second phase will include additional pages for the other
GLBET
focus areas, a map of the ecosystem that will be linked to all of the
field stations in the ecosystem, a link to the Accomplishment Reporting
System so that website visitors can access recent accomplishments of
the GLBET, and more.
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
Great Lakes Ecosystem Team Funds Four
Projects Supporting Sturgeon Restoration, Island Protection - 5/15/2001
Executive Summary: The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team recently funded four projects that support Team priorities of
lake
sturgeon restoration and Great Lakes Islands protection. For the past
several years, field stations in the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem have
been donating to a team kitty to fund smaller-scale landscape-level
projects in the ecosystem. This year $14,500 was received. Eight project
proposals were submitted and ranked at the team’s spring meeting.
Four of these proposals will be funded. The first and second ranked
proposals are cost-shared by partners who are providing over 50 percent
of the projects’ costs. The first proposal involves lake sturgeon
data collection and monitoring by commercial fishers. The funding for
this proposal will provide the lake sturgeon fishers with training and
equipment to gather data that will assist biologists in determining
the number and distribution of sturgeon, their movement in the Great
Lakes, and critical data on growth and reproduction. This project is
an opportunity for biologists to work cooperatively with an important
stakeholder group -- commercial fishers from four of the Great Lakes.
The second proposal funds predator control for breeding piping plover
on Crane and Temperance Islands in Lake Michigan. Predation of piping
plover eggs and, in particular chicks, remains a significant factor
limiting the reproductive success of the species in the Great Lakes.
The team’s third-ranked proposal will fund the second and final
phase of the team’s website development. The purpose of the website
is to provide a central clearinghouse for information on team activities
and priorities — information that will be useful to team members,
the interested public, and Congressional staffers. The fourth proposal
is also related to information-sharing via the web; it focuses on website
maintenance for the Great Lakes lake sturgeon website. This site brings
together intra- and inter-national information and research regarding
lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes and serves as the primary site for
disseminating lake sturgeon information.
Partners in the projects include: Bay Mills Indian
Community, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Chippewa/Ottawa
Resource Authority, Lake Erie commercial fishers, Lake Michigan commercial
fishers, Lake Superior commercial fishers, Lake Huron commercial fishers,
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services
Resource Outputs: Resource outputs of the kitty include
biological data on Great Lakes lake sturgeon that will aid in management
of the species. These funds will also contribute to increased survivorship
of the Great Lakes piping plover through the control of their predators
on Crane and Temperance Islands in Lake Michigan. Other outcomes include
completion of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team's website and continuing
maintenance on the Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon website.
Partners: Bay Mills Indian Community, Michigan Department
of Natural Resources, Chippewa/Ottawa Resource Authority, Lake Erie
commercial fishers, Lake Michigan commercial fishers, Lake Superior
commercial fishers, Lake Huron commercial fishers, USDA Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Services
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
Great Lakes Ecosystem Team Identifies
Landscape-Level Goals, Funding Priorities - 4/5/2001
Executive Summary: Members of the Great Lakes Basin
Ecosystem Team (GLBET)addressed several components of its lake sturgeon
restoration and island protection work plans during a goal setting
meeting
April 3-5, 2001 in Milwaukee, Wis. The Team further outlined and made
recommendations for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) rehabilitation
plan for lake sturgeon restoration in the Great Lakes. The document
was requested in part by the Service’s partners in the Basin and
will identify the Service’s unique responsibilities in regard
to lake sturgeon. The team also coordinated volunteers for this year’s
field work towards lake sturgeon restoration priorities. Progress was
made towards the team’s Great Lakes islands priority as well.
A status report on the Geographic Information System and Decision Support
System pilot project for Great Lakes islands was given. Further work
on this task will be accomplished at a committee meeting in early May.
The team also examined its other objectives under the Great Lakes Islands
priority. From this discussion, a scoping document for the Great Lakes
islands work will be developed. A draft of the Geographic Information
System/ Decision Support System Strategic Plan for the ecosystem was
also distributed for comment. Finally, proposals were ranked for team
kitty funding. The top three proposals address commercial fisher assistance
with lake sturgeon restoration, predator control for piping plover,
and further development of the team website. The next team meeting
was
scheduled for October 30 - November 1, 2001 in Chicago.
Partners: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,
USGS Great Lakes Science Center, USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences
Center
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
Programs Collaborating to Accomplish
Great Lakes Eco Team Objectives - 4/5/2001
Executive Summary: This field season, the Great Lakes
Basin Ecosystem Team (GLBET) is venturing beyond programmatic lines
to achieve one of its landscape goals. Earlier this year, the Great
Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team narrowed the focus of the team’s effort
to focus on two primary priorities — lake sturgeon restoration
and Great Lakes island protection. One of the ways in which the team
is involving all team members in the lake sturgeon priority is in assistance
in lake sturgeon field projects. Six fisheries field stations from
Regions
3 and 5 shared their joint list of 19 projects for lake sturgeon restoration
with the full team. Projects included telemetry in the Detroit River
(Michigan), assessment surveys with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
(Wisconsin), spawning, transport and fish culture at Pittsford NFH
(New
York), collecting data from commercial fisher by-catch (Ontario), restoration
feasibility studies in the Genesee River (New York), and coded wire-tagging
fingerlings at Neosho NFH (Missouri). Each fisheries station identified
its needs for staff and equipment, and what resources, such as lodging
or travel expenses, it could offer in return. Though workload at all
stations is heavy and budgets tight, Project Leaders from three national
wildlife refuges and three ecological services offices offered what
staff time and resources they could, fully recognizing the value of
their staff gaining hands-on experience in fisheries work, in some
cases
outside their normal geographic areas. Outreach has also got involved
with a conference call scheduled to coordinate a basin-wide invitation
to news media, congressional staffers, and Interior Secretary Norton
to join an inter-Region team of biologists for a day of lake sturgeon
field work. Through this work, the GLBET will move closer to restoring
sustainable populations of this ancient fish into the Great Lakes ecosystem
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
2000
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Accomplishments |
Invasive Species Committee Focuses on
Education - 9/30/2000
Executive Summary: Invasive species issues have gained
national and international recognition as one of the greatest threats
to global ecosystem diversity. Service ecosystem teams provide a mechanism
to address invasive species issues through cross-program coordination
and with the support of local partners. The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team Invasive Species Committee was established to advance prevention,
control, monitoring, detection, research, education, and coordination
efforts within the basin. Priority actions were identified by the Committee
addressing education, research, and coordination needs. The Committee
however, elected to focus on educational needs and developed a workplan
to guide activities into 2001. The Committee developed a list of image
and slide collections available for use in presentations and other educational
activities to assist Service staff throughout the basin.
Programs: National Wildlife Refuge System * Ecological
Services * Fisheries * Federal Aid * External Affairs * Ecosystem Teams
Decision Support System Will Inventory
Great Lakes Islands - 9/30/2000
Executive Summary: The Great Lakes Islands Committee
of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team collaborated with experts in
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Decision Support Systems (DSS)
to create an inventory of Great Lakes Islands. A computerized DSS will
be developed for islands in the Great Lakes Basin, incorporating GIS
databases and a variety of non-spatial information. The DSS will be
made accessible from the desktop of all Service field stations that
manage resources within the Basin. The DSS will facilitate decision-making
for land acquisition, environmental review, and management planning,
and provide a valuable tool for communication and outreach. For example,
Great Lakes islands will be reviewed for natural resource values and
threats, and for their potential for acquisition by the National Wildlife
Refuge System. The DSS currently in use on the Upper Mississippi River
is a model for this project. This project will be invaluable in assisting
in the development of recommendations for implementation of geo-spatial
technologies to support Service Great Lakes resource management issues.
Beyond just providing a useful product, this project will promote resource
knowledge integration and sharing, as well as cooperation, understanding,
and appreciation of USFWS Great Lakes activities with partners and the
public. After the demonstration project has been completed for Great
Lakes islands, the DSS will be broadened to include other Great Lakes
habitats.
Partners: USGS-BRD Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes
Science Centers; Michigan State University.
Programs: National Wildlife Refuge System * Ecological
Services * Fisheries * Federal Aid * External Affairs * Ecosystem Teams
Lake Sturgeon Committee Coordination
and Collaboration - 9/30/2000
Executive Summary: The Lake Sturgeon Committee of the
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team convened a full Committee conference
call Jan.10, 2000 and a full meeting on June 29, 2000. Also, one member
was on the steering committee for a workshop entitled, 'Research and
Assessment Needs to Restore Lake Sturgeon in the Great Lakes' June 27-28,
2000, where many other Committee members attended. During Committee
events, members provided updates on action items, prioritized project
proposals, and discussed emerging issues that needed to be addressed.
Smaller group conference calls also took place throughout the year to
finalize project proposals.
Programs: Ecological Services * Fisheries * Federal
Aid * Law Enforcement * Ecosystem Teams
Great Lakes Basin EcoTeam Leads Effort
to Standardize Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Genetics - 9/30/2000
Executive Summary: Through the Service's Regions 5
and 3, the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team (Ecoteam), Lake Sturgeon
Committee is leading and effort to coordinate and standardize lake sturgeon
genetics activities in the Great Lakes Basin. In order to better guide
lake sturgeon restoration and enhancement efforts in the Great Lakes,
resource managers need a better understanding of the genetic structure
among populations. The document entitled, Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon
Genetics Status Assessment: An Analysis of Samples, Methods, and Standardization
(Lowie 1999) has been completed. In addition, the Team hosted a Great
Lakes Lake Sturgeon Genetics Workshop Dec. 8-9, 1999, in Chicago, Ill.
The workshop provided a forum for biologists, managers, and geneticists
to discuss the current state-of-knowledge, identify information needs,
and standardize further collection and analysis of genetic samples.
Minutes from the workshop have been distributed to participants, Ecoteam
and Lake Sturgeon Committee members. A proceedings document will be
available in the near future, which will include final recommendations
for future sample collection, distribution, and analysis. As a result
of the workshop, the Service is leading a cooperative effort for future
basin-wide research, where some funding has been secured. Additional
funds are needed for sample collection, stock structure analysis, and
preparing a basin-wide management plan. The comprehensive project proposal
remains a collaborative effort among and between natural resource agencies
and geneticists.
Partners: USFWS Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources
Office, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources, Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, USGS-BRD, University of Wisconsin - Center for Great Lakes
Studies, Ohio State University, University of Guelph - Ontario, Stockton
College - (Pomona, New Jersey), Michigan Technological University, University
of California -Davis, Brooklyn College of the State University of New
York, Central Michigan University, Southern Illinois University, Consumers
Energy (Jackson, Michigan), Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Little
Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and Sturgeon for Tomorrow
Programs: Ecological Services * Fisheries * Federal
Aid * Ecosystem Teams
Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Brochure Finalized
and Distributed - 9/27/2000
Executive Summary: In September 2000, 25,000 copies
of the brochure “Lake Sturgeon: Giant of the Great Lakes,”
were distributed to Service field stations across the Great Lakes basin.
The brochure will serve as an effective tool to educate the public about
the biology, fishing history, status, and conservation of lake sturgeon
in the Great Lakes. It also highlights the restoration efforts of the
Service, and explains the importance of partnerships in restoring the
lake sturgeon. The brochure concludes by outlining measures that the
public can take to aid in the conservation of this ancient fish. “Lake
Sturgeon: Giant of the Great Lakes” represents the culmination
of several years of work by members of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem
Team’s Lake Sturgeon Committee, with project leadership by Henry
Quinlan. Chuck Traxler (External Affairs) and Kim Mitchell (Ecological
Services) also provided assistance on the project. Financial support
for the project came in part from the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team
and the USFWS Region-3 Fisheries Program.
Offices Involved: National Wildlife Refuge System *
Ecological Services * Fisheries * Federal Aid * Law Enforcement * External
Affairs * Ecosystem Teams
Michigan Refuge Participates in the Great
Outdoors Festival - 8/6/2000
Executive Summary: Service staff from Shiawassee NWR,
Alpena FRO, and the Friends of Shiawassee NWR participated in the first
annual Great Outdoors Festival held in Birch Run, Mich., Aug. 5-6, 2000.
The East Lansing Private Lands office loaned its Great Lakes Ecosystem
Team display for the event. Approximately 300 people toured the Service
display. A guided bus tour of the Refuge was also offered to visitors.
A variety of displays ranging from boats, to camping equipment, to live
animal exhibits were available to the public.
Offices Involved: R3-Shiawassee NWR
Resource Outputs: Approximately 300 people visited
FWS display.
Partners: Alpena FRO, Michigan PLO, Friends of Shiawassee
NWR, and the Birch Run Chamber of Commerce
Programs: Ecosystem Teams
States: Michigan
1999
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Accomplishments |
Status Report Completed on Great Lakes
Lake Sturgeon Genetics - 12/30/1999
Executive Summary: Through the Service's Regions 3
and 5 Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team (Ecoteam), the Lake Sturgeon
Committee has taken a leadership role in trying to coordinate and standardize
lake sturgeon genetics activities in the Great Lakes Basin. In order
to better guide lake sturgeon restoration and enhancement efforts in
the Great Lakes, resource managers need a better understanding of the
genetic structure among populations. The document entitled, Great Lakes
Lake Sturgeon Genetics Status Assessment: An Analysis of Samples, Methods,
and Standardization (Lowie 1999) has been completed. In addition, we
hosted a Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Genetics Workshop on December 8-9,
1999 in Chicago, Ill. The workshop provided a forum for biologists,
managers, and geneticists to discuss the current state-of-knowledge,
identify information needs, and standardize further collection and analysis
of genetic samples. The minutes from the workshop have been completed
and distributed to participants and Ecoteam, Lake Sturgeon Committee
members. A proceedings document will be available in the near future,
which will include final recommendations for future sample collection,
distribution, and analysis. As a result of the workshop, the Service
is leading a cooperative effort for future basin-wide research, where
some funding has been secured. Additional funds are needed for sample
collection, stock structure analysis, and preparing a basin-wide management
plan. The comprehensive project proposal remains a collaborative effort
among and between natural resource agencies and geneticists.
Partners: USFWS Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources
Office, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources, Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, USGS-BRD, University of Wisconsin - Center for Great Lakes
Studies, Ohio State University, University of Guelph - Ontario, Stockton
College - (Pomona, New Jersey), Michigan Technological University, University
of California -Davis, Brooklyn College of the State University of New
York, Central Michigan University, Southern Illinois University, Consumers
Energy (Jackson, Michigan), Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Little
Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and Sturgeon for Tomorrow.
Programs: Ecological Services * Fisheries * Federal
Aid * Ecosystem Teams