Wait... Was That a Lobster!?
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Huron River Report Published by the Huron River Watershed Council SUMMER 2021 feature story Wait... Was that a Lobster!? Michigan’s native crayfish and threats of a new invader If you spot a mini lobster crawling can find most of them right here in across your lawn, chances are you the Huron River watershed! stumbled upon a crayfish. Like lobsters, crayfish are crustaceans Michigan’s native crayfish that belong to the order Decapoda Crayfish are burrowers that dig (a group that also includes crabs and tunnels in soft sediments in or near shrimp). Both lobsters and crayfish freshwater. While all of Michigan’s have hard exoskeletons, ten legs, a native crayfish are in the Cambaridae pair of pincers, and are delectable family, species can be categorized as when boiled and served with butter either primary, secondary, or tertiary (although you will find a single burrowers. Primary burrowers dig crayfish is more of a morsel than a complex networks of tunnels in dinner). Unlike their marine cousins, ditches, wet meadows and prairies however, crayfish are freshwater that extend as far down as the water invertebrates, with over 700 species table. While primary burrowers found around the world. While a spend most of their life underground, Crayfish chimneys can be observed near crayfish might look out of place you may see them trekking across waterways, creating a secure path of in your yard, eight native crayfish access between the land and water. species call Michigan home—and you continued on page 4 credit: G. Tang Updates from the Huron River Water Trail Progress, upcoming improvements, and a new paddle-through registry The Huron River Water Trail will see were awarded several grants totaling • improvements of the Rapids several improvement projects com- $1.28 million from the Michigan View launch area of Hudson-Mills ing soon. And progress continues on Natural Resources Trust Fund. HRWC Metropark; the network of shared-use land trails supported each project’s application • improvements to Loonfeather that hug the river. Improving regional and, in a few cases, helped plan Point Park on Ford Lake in recreational connectivity is good for designs and renovations. These Ypsilanti Township; the river. These efforts provide access, projects will build and improve making river recreation safer and infrastructure along the Water Trail, • improvements and universal reducing environmental damage in and many are breaking ground this access at the West Boat Launch of the long run. season: Kensington Metropark; and • improvements and universal Water Trail Projects • a universal access launch and comprehensive redesign of the access at the Flat Rock Boat In 2019, communities and livery area at Argo Park in Ann Launch. organizations along the Huron River Arbor; continued on page 5 INSIDE: UPCOMING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS Keeping Stormwater Running Clean MiCorps ReBoot 2021 | Welcome Marisa | Mike Schultz’s Vision for the Huron | New ‘Shed Map Available! HRWC status and updates Rebecca’s Stream of Consciousness s we move through a second asset—our community—to continue year defined by the COVID-19 working for the river because A pandemic, we are all learning together we make a difference. With to do things differently. What once more people engaging in outdoor seemed like a temporary condition recreation, a downside is that there now seems more like a permanent is more trash than ever. Do-it- shift in our hearts, minds, homes, yourself river cleanups can be done and families, as well as in the way safely with your household or your that we work. As a mission-driven pandemic pod—and help to lessen organization, HRWC has learned a lot the impacts of river recreation. Visit about ourselves this past year. One the Volunteer section of our website of the silver linings was the ingenuity for how-to information, but don’t and perseverance I saw in our team. stop there. Let’s take this viral. Share We found new ways to get work pictures of your adventure and tag you need to be a water advocate done and to engage with you all. The it with #HuronRiverDIY encouraging at the local level. Whether you are solutions were ever-evolving as no your friends to do the same. a concerned citizen who wants to two months of this pandemic have promote river-friendly development been the same. But we have landed HRWC monitoring teams have in your community, considering on several new ways of implementing found creative ways to continue our running for office, or are a current our work, and I think they will stick summer field work. This is the critical elected official, Change Makers with us through the full arc of this work that gets staff, volunteers, helps you learn to navigate local story and beyond. and interns to locations throughout governments’ decision-making the watershed to identify issues processes to encourage river-friendly As many of you know, HRWC expands like erosion, invasive species, illicit policies that protect clean water. our impact by working with many discharges, high phosphorus, and of you. As valued volunteers that harmful bacteria levels. While we Finally, we are planning to meet collect data from the river to guide have had to scale back these efforts again, on the banks of the Huron restoration, investigators that report to some degree, we continue to keep River, for our annual Suds on the issues you see in the watershed, our eyes on the river. We want to River fundraiser. We will follow residents who change your behaviors show you what we do and answer recommendations to keep us safe in ways that lessen your impact, some of your most commonly asked and compliant with the current health and advocates that push local and questions. All summer long, keep an guidelines, and we are hopeful that state leaders to enact policies and eye on our social media channels we will see many of you under the programs that keep our river healthy (Facebook and Instagram) for a big white tent (which might be even and drinking water clean—we series of staff-produced short videos bigger), sharing a taste from our local appreciate you! Yet one of the most from the field. Our team will answer breweries and a bite from our area difficult things to accomplish during questions like “Is this an algal bloom, restaurants, celebrating the river this pandemic was to engage with and is it toxic?”, “Is that foam bad?” we love and all that we are able to you. And in a zoom-weary society, we and “Can I eat the fish?” and share accomplish together. I hope to see sought alternative ways to keep us all facts about our work and the river. you there. working for the river. — Rebecca Esselman HRWC will host several Change HRWC Executive Director We have cooked up content and Makers workshops this year. Change @natureiswater programs that allow our greatest Makers gives you the information Make a Gift for Ages to Come Contact Wendy Palms about your planned gift to HRWC: [email protected], (734) 769-5123 x 605 Mike Schultz’s Vision for the Huron Avid fly-fisherman, entrepreneur, and ambassador of clean water Mike Schultz, affectionately known as bass regulation. Most of this section Schultzy, is a long-time supporter of is in the Huron’s Natural River District. HRWC and the Huron River. Schultz “Smallmouth bass have a very slow Outfitters, his thriving fly-fishing growth rate. Catch-and-release shop and guide business in Ypsilanti, practices minimize the negative is now widening its net to include effects on a species and help to conventional fishing tackle to support ensure the quality and survival of the the community’s ever-growing desire fish,” says Schultzy. to fish the river. Despite a demanding In addition to angler ethics, he and work schedule, Schultzy consistently his team are quietly imparting the makes time to organize river clean- values of river stewardship and clean ups, and contribute his expertise water to each group they guide. They to HRWC programs that restore and strive to be an environmental force revitalize the Huron River. for good every day. Schultzy and his team passionately Schultzy shares, “In today’s high- teach beginner-to-Ph.D. level fly- tech world, I truly unplug when I’m on fishing. They share their knowledge the river. I put away my phone and Schultzy is passionate about about weather patterns, water flow take in the healing qualities of the all things fishing, including and temperature, and how such water. I want this natural treasure to stewardship of the fish environmental factors influence the be there for my kids and their kids. through proper practices, number and species of fish you’ll I’m honored to share my knowledge preservation of aquatic likely encounter when casting a line. of the river and its inhabitants so habitat, and protection of the He’s passionate about the stretch of that everyone gets to experience the river system. river between Flook Dam at Portage bounty and the river, including future credit: M. Schultz Lake and Barton Pond, as it’s the generations.” only body of water in the State of —Wendy Palms Michigan with a catch-and-release DIY River Cleanups Keeping momentum up despite the pandemic With the goal of having river cleanups While most trash that ends up along the entire extent of the Huron in the river is due to accidents or River, over the past ten years HRWC carelessness, some comes from has led, collaborated on, nurtured, littering. When an area is degraded and inspired an ever-growing number and there is a lot of trash, some folks of these events.