Grants: Water Resources

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Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative

Apr 2001

This project studies whether it would be feasible to partner with an existing manufacturer in the Saginaw Bay Watershed (Monitor Sugar) to develop an environmentally sustainable business that utilizes waste heat and water from the beet processing operations. In theory, it is possible to utilize the excess hot water generated from processing operations to support alternative sustainable aquaculture adjacent to the manufacturing facility. In this case, it is surmised that freshwater prawns could be produced. Saginaw Valley State University has developed an interdisciplinary team that will study this proposal to see if, indeed, it would be feasible. It is further anticipated that National Science Foundation Funding would be requested to move beyond the WIN-funded feasibility study, into test-scale operations both on campus at the processing facility in Bay City.

Loop Park Urban Erosion Control

Apr 2001

The City of Owosso’s Loop Park is a riverside park located along the Shiawassee River near downtown. The streambank along Loop Park was highly eroded, and water quality was poor because of suspected pathogen and nutrient influences of highly concentrated waterfowl. This project intended to correct environmental problems, while giving community training in soft engineering using natural restoration techniques including soil bioengineering, increasing recreational capabilities and appreciation of the river, and allowing natural restoration to serve as an ongoing educational tool for the rest of the region. Included in this project was interpretive signage and native plantings.

Frankenmuth Canoe Sites

Apr 2000

This project will promotes the use of the Cass River by providing canoe put-in and take-out sites in the City of Frankenmuth and at Lyle Park in Bridgeport Township. Both access sites meet ADA requirements and have WIN signage. In addition, the Lyle Park site will have a floating dock. The project is designed to promote tourism and provide access to some previously inaccessible natural areas.

Saginaw Bay Sustainable Business Partnership

Apr 2000

Sustainability is an emerging business trend that is quickly moving from the fringes of strategic planning into the core operations of many international corporations. The adoption of this strategy is being accelerated by global companies that are seeking ways to increase value to their shareholders and other stakeholders in an increasingly multicultural, international marketplace. These companies are often looking for ways to dramatically increase resource efficiencies in a world of finite supplies of raw material and exploding consumer demand. They are discovering that by integrating environmentally sustainable principles of commerce into their strategic planning and operations, enormous opportunities are emerging to reduce negative environmental impacts at the local and global level, improve health and safety conditions for their workers, and improve their profitability. This project seeks to build on this global phenomenon by developing the local infrastructure necessary to help businesses in the Saginaw Bay Watershed incorporate environmentally sustainable business practices. The project will achieve this goal by developing a network of businesses and other interested stakeholders into a formal partnership.

Mill Pond Dam Removal

Mar 2000

This project involved removing the deteriorating mill pond dam structure in the City of Mt. Pleasant. The dam was removed and the remaining rubble was utilized to fill holes and stabilize the banks and shoreline downstream from the site. The dam removal reestablished fish passage and habitat that had been fragmented for years, allowing unrestricted water and fish passage from the Dow Dam in Midland to the upper reaches of the river in Mecosta and Osceola Counties. The dam removal was part of a $2.1 million multi-use, barrier-free trail and park improvement project that will connect five City parks along the Chippewa River corridor. The plan included the creation of an arched pedestrian bridge, canoe landings, fishing and observation decks, wetland construction and improvements, and an information center. Park development partners include the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy, Chippewa Valley Audubon Club, Boy Scouts, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and Central Michigan University.

Pollution Prevention for Regional Healthcare Facilities

Oct 1999

The National Wildlife Federation launched this voluntary program with all major health facilities across the watershed to reduce the amount of mercury in hospital waste streams. The project quantifies the amount of mercury diverted. Partners in this region included Bay Medical Center, Covenant Hospital, and Mid-Michigan Regional Medical Center.

Ringwood Forest Park Canoe Trail

May 1999

One of the recommendations of the Fisheries Scoping Study was to improve small boat access on the watershed’s rivers. This project dis that. The Friends of the Bad River removed snags and blockages from the south branch of the Bad River between Ringwood County Park and St. Charles River Park. Some of the downed trees were cabled to the banks to stabilize the river; the rest were removed. The snags diverted the river from its natural course, exacerbating bank erosion. They also blocked small boat access. Removing the snags opened river for small boats, restored the river’s natural course, enhanced fish habitat, and helped prevent future bank erosion.

Understanding the Fate of Contaminants in the Pine River

May 1999

SVSU used this grant to kick start a new program to allow environmental chemistry students to monitor the Pine River’s ecosystem over the next 10 years. The Pine River at St. Louis is heavily contaminated withDDT and other toxic compounds. The area has been designated a Super Fund site. The project will allow students to monitor levels of contaminants in the river system as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality clean up the site. The program will provide a safe “hands on” learning experience for students. This seed funding will allow SVSU to implement the program during the first year, after which it will be self-sustaining through the environmental chemistry program. The project is not intended to produce data for any regulatory or enforcement purposes. However, the data will be available to people interested in the remediation of the Pine River.

Outdoor Writers Tour of the Saginaw Bay Area

Apr 1999

The CVBs partnered to promote the watershed’s outdoor attractions to outdoor writers visiting the area for a national In Fisherman walleye tournament. The tournament was held August 4-6, 1999. The writers’ tour was held July 30 – August 6. The CVBs developed a targeted list of writers and a package of materials about the watershed’s attractions. By exposing a cross section of writers to the watershed’s amenities, the CVBs can generate stories in credible national and regional media about the Saginaw Bay area and the watershed.

Fisheries Scoping Study

Oct 1998

Shortly after it was organized in late summer 1998, the WRTG identified fishery enhancement as a primary area of initial focus for its work. The WRTG wished to identify areas where it could target its time and resources to make a tangible difference in the quality and public perception of water resources in The Saginaw Bay Watershed. The WRTG asked The Conservation Fund to perform a scoping study to help it develop a practical, broad-based understanding of public perceptions about fisheries in the watershed and the status of those fisheries. The study also identified an array of appropriate project opportunities for WIN and new WIN partners. The WRTG has begun tapping those opportunities and working with new partners. A final report on the Fisheries Scoping Study was submitted to the Bay Area Community Foundation on August 25, 1999.