The GLFT is an innovative funding source created in May 1996 to compensate the residents of Michigan for the lost use and enjoyment of fisheries resources of Lake Michigan resulting from the operation of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant.
Grants were awarded to six organizations for projects highlighting public education, applied fisheries research, preservation and rehabilitation of native fish species, fishing access and fishery habitat restoration.
The grant recipients, whose projects span over a five-year period, include:
Pere Marquette Charter Township, Mason County -- Suttons Landing project to improve a current public access site and increase the opportunity for shoreline fishing.
Pere Marquette Watershed Council, Mason County -- Erosion Control and Habitat Improvement project on the Pere Marquette. This is a five-year plan to improve fisheries habitat and control erosion on the Big South Branch of the Pere Marquette River and to measure the effectiveness of various treatment techniques.
Michigan Cooperative Extension, Michigan State University -- Project FISH, an education program to help youth become aware of the value of the Lake Michigan fisheries through interactive learning materials, mentoring and Family Fun Fishing Festivals.
Great Lakes Center for Maritime Studies, Western Michigan University and Michigan Maritime Museum -- Completion of a traveling museum exhibition titled, Fish for All: The Legacy of Lake Michigan Fisheries Policy and Management. The exhibition will promote better understanding of Lake Michigan Fisheries and the role of public agencies, universities, the Michigan legislature and tribes in sustaining them.
U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division -- Two project grants were awarded. One was for development of a prototype fishway to allow the passage of sturgeon and other fish at hydroelectric facilities. And another for research to identify the cause and pathway of thiamine deficiency which causes Early Mortality Syndrome in some species of Great Lakes fish, as well as the development of a technique to screen fish eggs taken at hatcheries for this deficiency.
Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research, University of Michigan -- A project to develop a comprehensive ballast water management plan by providing data on the effectiveness of treating ballast water with a biocide.
Public Sector Consultants, Inc. (PSC), a private public policy research firm, has been retained since December 1996 to manage the GLFT. A guiding principle of the GLFT is to provide tangible, long-term benefits to the Great Lakes fishery, Vice President at PSC and GLFT Manager Jack Bails said. We believe these initial projects meet this principle and will be used as models for future grant applications.
The GLFT envisions using its funds to support a sustainable and diverse Great Lakes fishery that meets the needs and demands of the Great Lakes communities. We are excited to see these first seven pilot grants awarded, Chair of the Trust and Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources K.L. Cool said. It is very rewarding to be a part of this cooperative venture and to see our work over the last two years come to fruition.
In addition to Cool, the GLFT Board of Trustees includes representatives from the Michigan Department of the Attorney General, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, National Wildlife Federation, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
The GLFT will work cooperatively with the many fishery interests and authorities already active in the Great Lakes community. We recognize that public understanding of and involvement in Great Lakes fishery management is vital to sustaining this valuable resource and attaining GLFT goals, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist Charles Wooley, a member of the GLFT Board of Trustees. Since its inception, the vision has been to use the assets of the GLFT to enhance, protect and rehabilitate the Great Lakes fishery resources.
Mitigation and abatement of the fish mortality was sought by the State of Michigan during a legal proceeding against Consumers Energy and the Detroit Edison Company, owners of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant. Funding for the GLFT is from the 1995 court settlement that mandates compensation for fish losses occurring at the facility.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
