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Home , Lake Huron, Lake Michigan

Lake Huron Update Office of the Great Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 30473 Lansing, MI 48909

2000/2001

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Lake Huron was once known as the “Lake of the shaggy-haired tribe” after the first French This project was funded, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Environmental explorers’ impression of the area’s native Michigan Travel Bureau Protection Agency’s National Program Office. residents. Lake Huron Update Prepared by the Office of the Great Lakes Manitoulin, an island separating the North Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Channel from and Lake Huron John Engler, Governor; Russell J. Harding, Director proper, is the largest freshwater island in the www.deq.state.mi.us/ogl/ world. Tom Gagon Lake Huron Initiative The Lake Huron basin ranks second lowest of all www.deq.state.mi.us/ogl/huron.html Lake Huron was the first of the Laurentian Great the Great Lakes in number of human inhabitants. Lakes to be discovered. contains 37 % of the Lake Huron The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will not discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, national origin, color, inhabitants. Lake Huron is the second largest Laurentian marital status, disability or political beliefs. Questions or concerns should be directed to Great Lake in surface area and third largest in the MDEQ Office of Personnel Services, P.O. Box 30473, Lansing, MI 48909. Pollutant loadings to Lake Huron from water volume. It is the third largest freshwater lake sources are the lowest of all the Great Lakes, while Printed by authority of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in surface area and also sixth largest in Total number of copies printed: 10,000 Total Cost: $3,633.55 Cost per copy: $0.36 air sources are the highest. volume in the world. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Lake Huron Update been undertaken, yet Lake Huron fish The only site solely in Michigan, One of the most common exotics sediment remediation efforts in the Special and wildlife continue to be exposed to a /Saginaw Bay, is found in Saginaw Bay is Eurasian Saginaw and Pine Rivers. multiplicity of physical, chemical, and designated as an Area of Concern watermilfoil. This plant forms thick mats With combined efforts, the Lake Features biological stresses. In terms of primarily because of fish consumption on surface waters and can interfere Huron Initiative Action Plan has importance, major stresses that affect advisories, contaminated sediments with many types of recreational been produced to identify priority the biodiversity of Lake Huron fish and and nonpoint pollution sources. activities. issues and coordinate future efforts Georgian Bay wildlife communities are: Pollutants of concern include nutrients The is another exotic to ensure a sustainable Lake Huron. Georgian Bay is large enough to (principally phosphorus) and pathogens. species present in Lake Huron. be among the world’s 20 largest • degradation and loss of historical Of equal importance are the areas Lamprey populations are at their lakes by volume. Early explorers habitat in tributaries (principally What is the of high quality habitat in the lake. highest near the northern point of Lake 7 listed Georgian Bay as a separate impassable dams) and nearshore These include areas such as Saginaw Huron in the St. Marys River. This river sixth lake because it is nearly habitat, including coastal wetlands; LHI Action Plan? Bay, St. Marys River, Misery Bay, has been providing suitable habitat separated from the rest of Lake Eastern Georgian Bay, Manitoulin The Lake Huron Initiative Action • eutrophication (excess nutrients) Huron by and Island and the . Plan identifies trends regarding specific the Bruce Peninsula. High-quality in localized areas; critical pollutants, use impairments and habitats are still present Georgian Bay Association • effects of harmful exotic species; ecosystem objectives, and actions that in Georgian Bay and near Michigan Travel Bureau 5 Harmful Exotics can be taken to address the impairments • Drummond Island. basin. Future efforts need to be effects of over-fishing; and Historically, there was a diverse within Lake Huron. The plan is not as The Lake in population of fish species native to extensive as a lakewide management 1 directed toward controlling • impact of persistent toxic Lake Huron. Now, there are over Great Lakes Fishery Commission plan, such as those being prepared out-of-basin sources of atmospheric contaminants. the Middle deposition and restoring and protecting 145 nonindigenous species, both for lamprey spawning. Preliminary for the other Great Lakes. However, Lake Huron has been called “the habitat within the Lake Huron basin. Lake Huron aquatic and terrestrial, within the assessments show significant reductions the plan is an effort to address issues Sheltered by Manitoulin and lake in the middle” both geographically These efforts are important for all of , many of which are in sea lamprey larvae in the St. Marys of common concern within the Lake Drummond Islands, the North Check out our Lake Huron found in the Lake Huron basin. River since extensive international Huron basin. The LHI has identified and in environmental quality. Lake the Great Lakes as well. Channel is the of hundreds of Initiative website at Huron receives water from two of Lake Huron has been impacted Nonindigenous species, also efforts began in July of 1998. These important future efforts focusing on islands and an unspoiled, fresh- www.deq.state.mi.us/ogl/ the Great Lakes, by human activity to a point that the referred to as non-native, exotic and efforts sought to eliminate 92 percent two key issues: water boaters paradise. This and ; it sends water loss of fish and wildlife habitat is now alien species, threaten the diversity of the sea lamprey produced in the channel is connected on the huron.html to and . a serious concern. One of the keys to and abundance of native species and river, thereby achieving the goal of • Fish and wildlife habitat and west end by the St. Marys Lake Huron has relatively good restoring the lake is the protection of the ecological stability of Lake Huron. reducing the populations in Lake biodiversity and River and on the east end by the James W. Herbert To obtain a copy of the Action Lake Huron water quality. It has lost significant existing critical habitat and the Also impacted are commercial, Huron and northern Lake Michigan Georgian Bay. Plan, or for other information areas of high value coastal wetlands, restoration of degraded habitat agricultural and recreational activities. by 85 percent over the next 15 years. • Critical pollutants/use impairments contact: Since the 1800s, exotics such as yet the fishery is relatively healthy. including those within the lake itself Michigan Since the creation of the LHI Action This Great Lake supplies drinking and its tributaries and wetlands. zebra mussels, ruffe, and gobies are 6 What is the LHI? Plan, the following actions have been Jim Bredin water to 1.5 million people. In The ecological well-being of Lake believed to have been introduced into undertaken: Saginaw Bay Office of the Great Lakes addition, Lake Huron’s connecting Huron is determined to a great extent the Great Lakes from ballast water The Lake Huron Initiative (LHI) P.O. Box 30473 Legend • channels, the St. Marys and St. by the condition of its tributaries. The Watershed unavailable to Great discharged from ocean vessels. was established by representatives Development of a bi-national system This eutrophic bay is made up Lansing, MI 48909 Clair Rivers, provide drinking water tributary streams provide critical habitat Lakes fish due to dams Not only do from the Michigan Office of the Great to identify, map and quantify high- of a shallow inner bay with an 517-335-4232 for another four million people. for spawning and young fish. Many of compete with native species for food Lakes, state, provincial, federal and quality natural communities and average depth of 15 ft. and an email: [email protected] Historical lake trout spawning areas the lake’s tributaries have been and habitat, they may also increase local agencies and interest groups with important habitats (funded-ongoing) outer bay with an average depth severely degraded because of dams, the cycling of persistent bioaccumulative a common goal “to restore and of 48 ft. The Bay has many James Schardt 2 Habitat is sedimentation, nonpoint source 4 Critical Areas chemicals in the food chain. maintain the chemical, physical, and • Initiate efforts to remediate impact sub-bays, which are believed to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pollution and land-use practices. biological integrity of the waters, of dams (ongoing) be prime nursery grounds for Great Lakes National Program Office Critical Specific areas within the Lake tributaries, and nearshore terrestrial fish. Historically, Saginaw Bay Ducks Unlimited 77 W. Jackson Blvd., G-17J In many of the other Great Huron basin that are significantly and aquatic ecosystems of Lake • Sediment cleanups in Saginaw and supported the second largest , IL 60604 Lakes, chemical contaminants are a 3 Ecosystem degraded are considered Areas of Huron.” The focus for the LHI is to Pine Rivers (funded-ongoing) fishery in the Great 312-353-5085 major concern. For Lake Huron, Concern. Two Canadian sites, work with all levels of government and Lakes, second only to that of email: [email protected] habitat is a primary concern. Even Objectives Spanish River and Severn Sound, private interests toward restoration and • Secure funding for the $177 million Lake Erie. though pollutants (principally Local Lake Huron restoration are responding well to remedial continued protection. Also, the LHI is buffer strip program for the Saginaw Janette Anderson through fish consumption advisories) efforts need to focus on Lake Huron actions and showing recovery. One working with similar interests toward Bay watershed (funded-ongoing) Environment are a problem in Lake Huron, there fisheries, wildlife and biodiversity within additional site, Collingwood Harbour, restoring the chemical environment of 867 Lakeshore Drive Kayak cover photo: Kate Ter Haar are few sources of persistent toxic the watershed. Significant research Ontario, was the first, and remains the the lake through targeted pollution Canoe cover photo: Carol Swinehart Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6 contaminants within the Lake Huron efforts toward restoration have only, Area of Concern to be restored. Michigan Travel Bureau prevention efforts and on-going Watershed map: Geomatics Unit, Environment Canada email: [email protected]