Huron River Report – Fall 2012
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Huron River Report Published quarterly by the Huron River Watershed Council 1100 North Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Fall 2012 CWA at “40” pg 5 Ospreys Are Back! A Dam Nation pg 6 Reintroduction effort a success Thanks to HRWC Interns pg 10 If you see a cell phone tower, look up! under the State of Michigan’s endangered Ospreys, rarely seen in southeast Michigan species legislation. for decades, are now living and thriving on the Huron River thanks in part to the Ospreys are a charismatic bird with dark Southern Michigan Osprey Reintroduction brown on the back and white on the belly Project, which took flight in 1998. and chest. The head is mostly brown with a distinct, dark stripe across the eyes. Ospreys once lived throughout Although closely related to hawks and Michigan. Known as the “fish hawk” eagles, they are unique among raptors because they eat fish almost exclusively, due to their specialized feet and wings these birds live near water and use their that bend in flight like a gull. The osprey keen eyesight and superb flying skills to grows to be about 2 feet long, with a catch their prey. Their feet are specialized wingspan of 4.5 to 6 feet and weights from for “fishing” with each foot having four 2.5 to 4 pounds, with females tending talons – one pair facing forward, the other to be slightly larger than males. While pair facing backward – and soles covered they normally reach a maximum speed in sharp spines that help them grip the fish of 40 miles per hour in flight, ospreys are The return of the osprey to Michigan is an indication of improved water quality. in flight. capable of reaching 80 mph in steep dives photo: R. Miller while hunting fish. Loss of habitat and the use of DDT and Metroparks, Detroit Zoological Society, other pesticides led to the osprey’s decline The goal of the osprey relocation project DTE Energy, Michigan Department of to the point that they ceased to nest in is to re-establish a breeding population of Natural Resources, and many dedicated southeast Michigan. Today, ospreys are osprey in southern Michigan. The project volunteers. The Detroit Zoo provides considered “threatened” and are protected is a joint effort between Huron-Clinton continued on page 3 Restoration of a Highly Urbanized Creek Benefits extend downriver Malletts Creek, located in the southern TMDL sets goals for reducing pollution, portion of the City of Ann Arbor and sediments, and runoff in order to improve northern Pittsfield Township, is a natural waterway health. The DEQ determined creek with several channelized sections that stream bank erosion, sedimentation, that also receives drainage from numerous total suspended solids and flashy water storm sewers. Thirty four percent of the flow in Mallets were causing poor fish and 7,000 acre creekshed (11 square miles) is macroinvertebrate communities. They also impervious (numerous studies have shown identified Malletts as a major contributor that fish and insect communities suffer of phosphorus and E.coli to the Huron when impervious surface exceeds 15%). River. Over 1,000 tons of sediment each Mallets Creek prior to restoration efforts. year was moving downstream to the Note the wide channel, high sediment content, In August 2004, the Michigan Department Huron River from Malletts Creek and its and bank erosion. photo: HRWC of Environmental Quality (DEQ) tributaries. established a biota Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Malletts Creek. A continued on page 3 Table of Contents Featured Articles = Adopt-A-Stream Monitoring Site * Ospreys Are Back! ..........cover Reintroduction effort a success Indicates geographic location connected to article. Restoration of a Highly Urbanized Creek Benefits extend downriver ..........cover cover Clean Water Act at “40” ..................5 One perpective on landmark legislation page 6 A Dam Nation ...................6 HRWC continues to eye the impacts of dams on the Huron River Staff Updates ...................8 New staff, new position, and an anniversary Summer Interns of 2012 ..................10 page 6 HRWC appreciates the contributions of eight cover interns Events Regular Features Thursday, September 6, 5 – 7:30 PM Saturday, October 6, 9 AM – 3:30 PM or Brew for the River 10:30 AM – 5 PM Laura’s Stream of Consciousness..............9 Blue Tractor, 205 East Washington River Roundup An update on HRWC projects and activities contact: [email protected] NEW Center, Ann Arbor www.hrwc.org/brew Pre-registration required You Make the Difference! ..................11 contact: www.hrwc.org/volunteer Become a member of HRWC Saturday, September 8, 6 – 10 PM Ann Arbor Home Grown Festival Sunday, October 14, noon – 4:30 PM Thank You! back cover Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market, 315 Detroit St (start at noon or 2 PM) contact: [email protected] Bug ID Day NEW Center, Ann Arbor Thursday, September 13, 6 – 9 PM Pre-registration required Suds on the River contact: www.hrwc.org/volunteer contact: [email protected] The content of this newsletter is prepared by www.hrwc.org/suds Thursday, October 25, 5:30 PM HRWC staff and does not necessarily reflect the HRWC Board Meeting opinions of HRWC board members. Saturday, September 15, 10 AM NEW Center, Ann Arbor Paddle Trip Flat Rock to Point Mouillee contact: [email protected] contact: [email protected] Monday-Tuesday, October 29 – 30 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! Thursday, September 27, 5:30 PM MiCorps’ Eighth Annual Conference and www.facebook.com/huronriver HRWC Executive Committee Meeting Training www.twitter.com/hrwc NEW Center, Ann Arbor R.A. MacMullan Center, Roscommon, MI contact: [email protected] Register: www.micorps.net/conference Saturday-Sunday, September 15 – 16 More EVENTS AND UPDateS AT HRWC offices are located at the NEW Center Flat Rock River Fest WWW.hrWC.orG 1100 N. Main Street in Ann Arbor. Directions at contact: [email protected] www.hrwc.org or call (734) 769-5123. Page 2 Fall 2012 Huron River Report Huron River Report Fall 2012 Ospreys Are Back! continued from cover veterinary services, telemetry equipment typically return to nest in the area where rebounding. OWSEM recorded 37 nesting and consultation. The Metroparks provides they learned to fly. Breeding pairs of pairs in 2011, and today there are 36 known staff and trained volunteers to feed and osprey usually form a life-long bond, and nests in southeast Michigan. care for the birds. The osprey program both the male and the female will tend to receives funding from DTE Energy and the eggs. In order to protect their young The osprey’s recovery is also due to the citizens who contribute to the Nongame from predators like bald eagles and great Clean Water Act of 1972, and the work of Wildlife Fund through sales of the Wildlife horned owls, osprey build their nests away HRWC to protect and restore clean water Conservation license plate. from dense cover and high up enough to in the Huron since 1965. We are fortunate maintain a 360 degree view of the space to have so many opportunities to see a At the beginning of a relocation project, around them. Cell phone towers fit the bill wide variety of birds within the Huron staff and volunteers transport chicks from nicely! River watershed, and to observe mating wild osprey nests up north to a “hack box” and feeding behaviors. The osprey’s return — a tall tree-like shelter 15 feet above the HRWC staff recently traveled to is an amazing success story of clean water, water. Care for the birds includes a daily Kensington Metropark to learn more healthy diversity, and abundant fish. diet of fish and behavioral monitoring. The about ospreys. Barb Jensen, a volunteer — Margaret Smith and Kris Olsson birds remain in the hack box until they of Osprey Watch of Southeast Michigan fledge (fly) at about eight weeks of age. (OWSEM; www.owsem.org), guided HRWC The article from the Flint Journal titled staff to the nesting site of a mated pair “Michigan DNR bands osprey chick from cell The relocated ospreys will stay at the of osprey and their young family of three tower in Lapeer” and dated July 11, 2012, is available at www.mlive.com. Included with park through the summer and early fall fledglings on Wildwing Lake. Thanks to a the article is a terrific slideshow of osprey and then migrate south to Central and 1998 reintroduction project and cleaner nesting in cell towers, as well as pictures of South America. After maturing, ospreys water in the watershed, the osprey are the leg-banding process. Restoration of a Highly Urbanized Creek continued from cover In 1999, the City of Ann Arbor, Pittsfield RECENT StuDY IN MALLettS Township, and the Washtenaw County After these successful projects, Drain Commissioner’s office hired ECT, efforts focused on other potential ASTI, and Tilton & Associates to conduct ways to reduce the flow and the Malletts Creek Restoration Project. improve water quality. OHM, Inc. The report from this project, along with and Niswander Environmental the Middle Huron Management Plan and conducted field investigations the Creek Report for Malletts (all available and discussions with residents, at www.hrwc.org) focused on developing who reported that the stream had a comprehensive assessment of the creek, been widening for many years, establishing goals for restoration activities, was extremely flashy, and was and identifying specific actions to achieve starting to jeopardize private and Mallets Creek at the completion of construction. Note those goals. public property. Indicators of this the boulders and vegetation for bank stabilization, widening included eroding stream including the toe formations added on the outer bank These plans identified two major goals for banks with exposed tree roots, to reduce undercutting and erosion.