Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay

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Grand Traverse Bay - Power Island ŠDietrich Floeter [Click here to view full size picture]

The Watershed Center advocates for clean water in Grand Traverse Bay and protects and preserves its watershed.

The Watershed Center has worked since 1990 to protect our Grand Traverse Bay region's water quality--and our quality of life.

The Bay's watershed encompasses nearly 1,000 square miles and covers major portions of 4 counties: Grand Traverse, Antrim, Leelanau, and Kalkaska. Minor portions of the watershed are found in Charlevoix and Otsego counties.

We use every tool in our toolbox to protect our Up North water quality: on-the-ground projects, public education and advocacy. Because it's all about the Bay!

Current Hot Topics Watershed Center Seeks Program Associate The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay seeks a qualified individual to fill a new position as Program Associate. This is a temporary, part-time position averaging 20 hours per week for the next 18 to 24 months. Duties include coordinating the Adopt-A-Stream program, assisting staff with field work, conducting administrative tasks and staffing outreach events.Candidate should be outgoing, enjoy interacting with the public and care deeply about the freshwater resources that are the foundation of our community. The candidate must have a science background, and demonstrate an ability to multi-task and be highly organized due the wide variety of duties performed. Familiarity with Microsoft Word, Excel and GIS is preferred. The position will require occasional evening and weekend work. Pay will be $11 per hour. Send resume and references to Watershed Center, 13272 S. West Bay Shore Dr., Traverse City, MI 49684. Postmark deadline is 3/19. Second Episode of Watershed Moments on Up North TV: Algae Beds Triple in Three Years Bed Study The second episode of our Watershed Moments show on Up North TV discusses our 2009 macrophyte bed survey. You can find out more about how algae beds tripled in Grand Traverse Bay since 1992 and where they're concentrated. Check out Program Director Sarah U'Ren, Grand Traverse Baykeeper John Nelson and Executive Director Andy Knott in action on the Bay Monitor tugboat on the Up North Media Center. You can also watch the episode on Up North TV on Saturday, March 13 at 9 a.m. or read more about the study. Please Help Stop Asian Carp from Reaching Lake Michigan If you haven't already, please sign Attorney General Mike Cox's petition. Asian Carp would wreak havoc on Lake Michigan's aquatic habitat. According to Attorney General Cox, Michigan would stand to lose 800,000 jobs, suffer property devaluation, and its $7 billion sport fishery would be threatened. The Tugboat and Barge Industry argues that thousands of jobs would be lost if the Chicago Ship Canal locks were closed. Rep. Dave Camp introduced HR 4472 to close the locks, direct the Army Corps to build barriers and conduct studies, and abate economic effects to the barge industry. Paul Laporte Featured in Art of the Watershed Exhibit Series Treat yourself to Paul Laporte's exquisite watercolors during his installation of our Art of the Watershed exhibit series. Laporte's exhibit runs through April. Hours are 9-5. All proceeds support the Watershed Center's vital work to protect Grand Traverse Bay. Laporte's tribute to water is as varied as the ways water touches the daily lives of every individual who lives in northwest Michigan. From agriculture to tourism, to providing an aesthetically pleasing place to live, his work celebrates the beauty of our water and our region. In recognition of the natural beauty that surrounds us, his work underscores the continuing need for us to protect this precious asset, use it responsibly, and work toward sustainable solutions to our water issues. Related Documents
Waterkeeper Alliance Member The Watershed Center is home to the Grand Traverse Baykeeper® and a proud member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a grassroots organization with more than 125 local Waterkeepers around the nation.	DEQ Pollution Alert Hotline To report observations of immediate threats – such as spills of hazardous wastes or toxic materials onto the ground or in the water – we encourage a phone call to the 24-hour emergency dispatcher at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Pollution Alert System: 1.800.662.9278
Healthy Beaches In summer 2006 there was increased public concern involving the health of our local beaches due to elevated E.Coli levels and swimming advisories posted for some area beaches. High E.Coli results are typically associated with heavy rainfalls following dry periods, resulting in a flushing of the stormwater system into the Bay, as well as strong onshore winds that stir up the near shore sediment and sand on beaches. As a result of this public concern, the Watershed Center is working with the City of Traverse City and Grand Traverse County on our Action Plan for Healthy Beaches . The Watershed Center also conducts E.Coli tests at nine area beaches on Wednesday mornings during summer. Results are posted on the MDEQ Beach Website.
Updated Watershed Protection Plan The Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Protection Plan has been updated to comply with newly implemented EPA guidelines. The end result is a state and federal approved watershed protection plan that is a warehouse of information on how to protect our watershed. Find more information about the plan here.	Watershed Center Unveils Strategic Plan We recently completed work on a comprehensive strategic planning process for our organization we call our "Blueprint for Clean Water". We now have revamped mission, vision, and value statements, along with a clearly defined set of outcomes for the watershed that we wish to achieve as an organization.
What's a Fun, Hands-On Way to Protect GT Bay? Adopt-A-Stream! The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay has transformed its Stream Search program into an Adopt-A-Stream program! Stream Search has been very successful in providing valuable water quality monitoring data, educating the public, and involving local citizens in caring for their watershed. More than 100 residents have volunteered their time to become citizen scientists with the program. Transforming Success into Increased Community Involvement With Adopt-A-Stream, individuals, organizations or business can adopt streams in their own backyard or other favorite spot in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. This instills Grand Traverse Bay region residents with a sense of ownership, thereby raising awareness of water quality issues, increasing commitment and changing behavior to protect our precious freshwater resources. This will also enable us to monitor more streams throughout the watershed. Anyone can adopt a stream! Families, schools, neighborhood associations, service organizations, realtors, businesses, non-profits, the news media, people who live along streams--anyone who cares about the deep link between clean water and our economic vitality and quality of life! For more information about how you can Adopt-A-Stream, please contact Policy Specialist Ellen Kohler at 231.935.1514 or ekohler@gtbay.org.