Grand Traverse Bay's deep aquamarine hues epitomize the region's beauty and provide the lifeblood for our local economy.  This precious resource demands protection.  The Grand Traverse Baykeeper serves as the eyes, ears and voice for the Grand Traverse Bay and its watershed.  

The Grand Traverse Baykeeper, a program of the Watershed Center, serves as a resource to citizens, planners and municipalities throughout the region.  Our focus is finding sustainable solutions to protect the environmental health of the Grand Traverse region's most precious water resources. 

In January 2002, the Watershed Center became a member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance and inaugurated the Grand Traverse Baykeeper® program.

The Waterkeeper Alliance is an international organization boasting nearly 200 water programs located throughout the world. Each Waterkeeper program reflects the needs of the water body and community that it represents. Each program has a full-time Keeper who serves as the public advocate for that body of water.

Our Baykeeper is John Nelson – an environmental advocate and leader with deep roots in the Grand Traverse area.

The Baykeeper provides a full-time presence on Grand Traverse Bay and its surrounding watershed and serves as the public’s ombudsperson and advocate for the Bay.

Grand Traverse Baykeeper tasks include:

• Responding to questions from local governments, developers, planners and citizens
• Being involved in community planning projects and boards
• Providing oversight and comments about proposed projects requiring permits
• Proactively interacting with communities, developers and planners about stormwater and wastewater issues 
• Responding to citizen concerns and advising them about water quality issues

The Bay Monitor is a vital component of The Watershed Center’s Baykeeper program.  The Bay Monitor provides a stable platform for water quality monitoring, research and education.

The 23-foot Bay Monitor’s aluminum hull was fabricated and its engine installed by Fair Metal Boats, Inc., in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  All other equipment and fittings were built and installed by volunteers during winter 2003-04.

The Bay Monitor’s eco-friendly features include: 

Composting head

Clean bilge system

Dry exhaust 

Energy-efficient diesel engine that utilizes bio-diesel

All trim, cabinetry and flooring fashioned from wood native to our watershed, cut and aged by a Watershed Center board member, with the exception of a small section of beadboard paneling

This unique boat is a symbol of our commitment to protect Grand Traverse Bay and the waters that feed it.

Thanks to the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, our Baykeeper program is funded in large part through the Baykeeper for Grand Traverse Bay Fund.

If you love the Bay, please give today!  

Baykeeper for Grand Traverse Bay Fund

Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation

250 East Front Street, Suite 310

Traverse City, MI  49684

231.935.4006

www.gtrcf.org

info@gtrcf.org                                                                                  

Great Lakes Waterkeepers Comment and Annex Agreements

The 14 Great Lakes Basin Waterkeepers submitted official comment on the Great Lakes Charter Annex agreement. The comments were prepared in collaboration with Waterkeeper Alliance attorneys Scott Edwards and Lauren Brown. For a copy of the comment document click here.  Other information about the international agreements can be found at these web sites:

• Alliance for the Great Lakes (formerly Lake Michigan Federation)
• Sierra Club Canada published a helpful summary document
• Great Lakes Commission

For Waterkeeper Alliance updates, please visit www.waterkeeper.org.

Proud member of Waterkeeper Alliance
www.waterkeeper.org