A portion of sales will support the Watershed Center’s vital mission to protect Grand Traverse Bay and its 1,000-square-mile watershed.  Kean’s exhibit will run through May 11.

Image:  Holding Brookie by Kean Oh

 Job Description

• Aquatic Invasive Species Education and Outreach (80 hours)
  • Help design and implement a boater education program about invasive species, whichl includes significant direct interaction with recreational boaters 
• Phragmites Surveying in Grand Traverse County (40 hours)
  • Accompany staff into the field to learn how to identify native and non-native Phragmites
  • Help survey the Grand Traverse Bay shoreline and inland lakes
  • Help compile data for presentations 
• Water Sampling, Analysis and Data Input (30 hours)
• Accompany staff into the field to sample stormwater outlets and various beaches in Grand Traverse Bay
• Help staff run analysis work for detecting E.Coli in water samples
• Input data results into appropriate databases

Hours by task are subject to change

Commitment

•  The internship begins June 4, 2012. Ending date is flexible.
• Minimum commitment is 150 hours.
• Many weekend and evening hours required.
• Flexible schedule during the week.
• A stipend of $1,000 will be provided.

Qualifications

• Minimum age: 18 
• Schooling: must have completed at least one year of college
• Must have a valid driver’s license
• Experience: must have knowledge of invasive species and how they affect ecosystems
• Interests: natural sciences, environmental science, environmental education
• Knowledge:  Computer skills–Microsoft Office, GIS mapping and knowledge of GPS units a bonus; science—biology, fisheries, environmental science

Abilities

• to work well with people
• to express enthusiasm for the subject material
• to work as part of a team with professional staff, landowners, other interns and boaters
• to communicate effectively–written, verbal and computer skills
• to work in occasionally adverse outdoor conditions (rain, cold)
• to kayak and walk long distances
• MUST be able to approach and speak with members of the public

If interested, please send or email a cover letter and resume to:

Maureen McManus, Program Associate, mmcmanus@gtbay.org

Watershed Center, 13272 S. West Bay Shore Dr., Traverse City, MI 49684

T 231~935~1514 ext. 0; F 231~935-3829

All documents must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, February 24, 2012

“We are very grateful to Signs Now for protecting our Up North water quality,” says Denise Baker, Advancement Director.  “And Signs Now gets two giant thumbs up for providing clients with the opportunity to recycle their signs and for its green printing process being zero-waste.”   

The team at Signs Now Traverse City, located at 741 Woodmere Ave., hopes this will encourage recycling while also giving back and helping in efforts to keep the region’s natural resources intact.  “I feel an obligation to help keep our area beautiful so our children and our children’s children can enjoy the natural resources that we are so blessed to have. I also strive to keep Signs Now on the cutting edge of technology by continuing to offer new and innovative products,” says Signs Now Owner Andrew Kohlmann. “On top of allowing us to offer green signage, this technology allows us to turn around products faster, as the prints are fully cured when removed from the printer. It also allows us to print on a variety of unusual materials such as uncoated fabrics and Tyvec.”

The recycling initiative comes on the heels of Signs Now 2010 purchase of the HP L25500 60” Large Format DesignJet printer, utilizing HP’s Latex Ink technology. Signs Now is the first in the area to acquire true green sign-making technology.

The L25500 produces stunning indoor quality prints with state-of-the-art outdoor durability.  However, unlike traditional solvent based ink technologies, the L25500 does this without producing any harmful levels of VOC’s or any hazardous air pollutants, providing Signs Now and its clients with odor-free printing and no need for external ventilation equipment.

Besides being odor-free, all prints come out of the L25500 dry and ready for immediate use, with no wait times for solvent outgassing or ink drying. This significantly speeds up production time. And, with the HP Planet Partners Program and HP Media Take Back Program, Signs Now will be able to recycle 100 percent of the waste generated by the printer, from print heads to empty ink cartridge!  In addition, Signs Now will now offer a 100 percent green solution with free recycling of other medias offered by HP, including large format banners and PVC-free wallpaper products for interior décor.

“Signs Now of Traverse City has made the right choice not only for their production needs, but for the environment and all of the businesses and consumers that will make sustainability an issue when choosing where to go for their sign and graphics needs” says John Stevens, Strategic Account Manager at Hewlett Packard.

The Signs Now Traverse City service base includes business solutions for outdoor and indoor signage, banners, window and vehicle graphics, exhibit and trade show graphics, ADA signage, dimensional letters, directional systems and other visual communications tools.  For more information about Signs Now, call 231~933~7446 or visit its website.

Shelters will use all-natural materials that are approved by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.  If any shelters are placed in front of a waterfront owner’s property, written permission will be obtained before placing the structure.  Shelters will be installed in 15 to 25 feet of water.

You can download a brochure to learn more about the fish shelter project and how you can get involved.

This project is a collaboration between the Watershed Center, Three Lakes Association, Friends of Clam Lake,  Antrim Conservation District, Elk-Skegemog Lakes Association, Intermediate Lake Association and Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

Photo:  Stephanie Lockman shows off her record Muskie for Elk Lake.  Photo by Kyle Anderson.

The storm drain cap on the old system would often blow off during a rain, allowing runoff to flood the beach and flow right into West Bay. A brand new storm drain lid was installed and all the old piping was replaced so the lid no longer blows off during rain storms.

A new runoff filtration system will be installed in spring 2012 that will decrease the amount of bacteria and other pollutants entering the bay. “The goal of this project is to reduce beach closures at Bryant Park due to high E.Coli counts, and to also remove this beach from Michigan’s Impaired Waters list,” said Sarah U’Ren, Program Director.

• First Place~Trout Trinity by Christopher Morey
• Second Place~Sleeping Ducks by Jenny McKellar
• Third Place~Cass Underpass by Bridget Johnson

The winners, plus these photographers, appear in our 2012 calendar:

• Emily Beyer
• Terry Clark
• Cherie Correll
• John Gessner
• Craig Goodrich
• Debra Ott
• Dana Vannoy
• Robin Webb-Bransky

All the above-mentioned photographers, plus these, will be featured in the upcoming Art of the Watershed exhibit:

• Laura Burmeister
• Fred Keeslar
• Mark Lindsay

The opening reception is Thursday, December 1 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Watershed Center office, 13272 S. West Bay Shore Dr. in Greilickville.  All photographers who entered the contest will have their photos displayed in a Power Point presentation at the opening reception. 

We’re the bright blue building on the bay, across the parking lot from the Children’s Museum.  RSVP Denise at dbaker@gtbay.org by Wednesday, November 30 if you can attend. 

Calendars will be on sale to give you a head start on purchasing holiday gifts!

The Sandersons have a naturalized back yard between their home and the water’s edge, which works as a giant buffer of sorts.  Their natural shoreline contains threatened pitcher’s thistle, Lake Huron tansy and Houghton’s goldenrod.  They live near Elk Rapids on East Bay. 

“We need natural vegetation to help purify the water,” Dick says.

Pitcher’s thistle and Houghton’s goldenrod grow nowhere else in the world but the Great Lakes shoreline.  Pitcher’s thistle grows in Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ontario, with most of it being in Michigan.  Houghton’s goldenrod grows primarily along the tip of the mitt and along the southeastern shore of the U.P. 

Dick’s love of the natural world and plants began as a child.  He grew up as a birder; his parents banded wild birds.  “I would look at every wild plant I could find,” he says. 

He and Pat have several naturalized gardens on their property.  They have purchased some of the plants, and others they have transplanted from the woods.  “Wild plants need little water and little fertilizer,” Dick says.

Dick and Pat’s two grandchildren, now in college, spent a lot of time on the property when they were growing up.  Dick says that when his grandson Andrew was five, he swore that his grandpa knew exactly which logs to turn over to find red-bellied salamanders.  “If you get out and walk and let them learn, they’re sponges,” Dick says about children exploring the natural world. 

The Sandersons love their copy of Guide to Great Lakes Coastal Plants by Ellen Elliott Weatherbee, published by University of Michigan press.  It details where specific plants grow and lists state-endangered species.

Photos by Dick Sanderson.   Top:  Houghton’s goldenrod.  Center and bottom:  pitcher’s thistle.

Post-Summit Resources

• Historic Changes in the Lower Food Web of Lake Michigan by Dr. Gary Fahnenstiel, Senior Ecologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab
• Video of luncheon speaker Jerry Dennis with his new release The Windward Shore
• History of Boardman River video by Miles Chisolm
• Natural Resource Action Forwarding the Grand Vision by Andy Knott
• Freshwater Studies and Community Service Abroad:  Lessons from Integrated Farming Practices in Costa Rica by Constanza Hazelwood, Erika Galarza and Bruce Holland-Moritz
• Inland Lakes Strategies
  
• Facebook photo album

The Freshwater Summit is sold out and no more registrations are being accepted.  There are no walk-in spaces available.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

Please join us for the fourth annual Freshwater Summit on Friday, October 28 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Hagerty Center, 715 E. Front St. in Traverse City.  The cost is $20, which includes lunch.  Registration deadline is October 24. On the day of the Summit, check in at the registration table.  Please note that preregistering is strongly encouraged, as the Freshwater Summit usually sells out.

This year’s theme is Water and Wildlife.  You’ll learn about food web changes in Lake Michigan, wild bird habitat, how the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is keeping your Up North waters clean, avian botulism and more!  There will also be networking sessions for inland lakes.  Highlights include:

• Keynote luncheon speech by Jerry Dennis, renowned Great Lakes author, with his new release The Windward Shore:  A Winter on the Great Lakes, which includes wood engravings by beloved artist Glenn Wolff
• Panel discussion about wild bird habitat and native shoreline plants Brian Allen, Editor of the American Bird Association’s A Birder’s Guide to Michigan
• Plenary session with Dr. Gary Fahnenstiel, Senior Ecologist from NOAA, about food web changes in Lake Michigan

You can download a complete agenda here.  Agendas will also be distributed at the Summit.  Please note that agenda may be subject to change.

If your lake association is a member of the Network of Lake Associations, you can send two representatives free, but you must register all names by October 21 with Denise Baker at dbaker@gtbay.org.

If your organization or business would like to have a booth, please contact Denise Baker at dbaker@gtbay.org by October 21.  Non-profit booths are $50, and business booths are $200.

The Freshwater Summit is co-sponsored by the Watershed Center, NMC Water Studies Institute, Michigan Sea Grant, Conservation Resource Alliance, Grand Traverse Conservation District, Inland Seas Education Association, Network of Lake Associations, Rotary Water Committee and Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

Photos can be of any season and should capture the outdoors.  For example, subjects can include landscapes, water scenes or wildlife. 
 
Photos taken within the Grand Traverse Bay watershed are preferred.  However, photos taken in any part of Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Antrim, Kalkaska or Benzie counties will be accepted.  The location of a photo will not increase or decrease its chances of winning. 
 
Each photographer can submit up to five photos.  The entry fee is $10 and covers all five photos.  Entry fees can be paid online.  The submission deadline is October 21, 2011.  You can download contest guidelines. 

We want to see how your eyes see our Up North beauty!

Join us at an opening reception on Thursday, October 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Watershed Center, 13272 S. West Bay Shore Dr.  RSVP dbaker@gtbay.org.  We are the bright blue building across the parking lot from the Children’s Museum in Greilickville.  You can enjoy local foods and beverages, plus a lovely view of West Bay. 

A portion of sales supports the Watershed Center’s vital mission to protect Grand Traverse Bay and its 1,000-square-mile watershed.

Char’s exhibit runs through November.  Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Photo:  Imaginary Sky Map, painted silk collage by Char Bickel