Michigan's Coastal Management Program celebrates 40 years with 'Year of the Coast'
By RACHEL COALE Michigan Department of Natural Resources
A drop of water in the Great Lakes system
passes an incredibly diverse coastline on its journey eastward to the Atlantic
Ocean.
Starting at the northern red rock shores of
the Keweenaw Peninsula, this water droplet – perhaps fallen from the sky to
Earth during a spring rainstorm – could be moved by currents south and east toward
the stunning painted cliffs of Lake Superior’s Pictured Rocks National
Lakeshore.
Or it might begin its journey near Chicago,
passing the towering Sleeping Bear sand dunes that crown Lake Michigan, moving north
and then east through the Straits of Mackinac.
The lake flow would then likely bring the droplet
around the more than 10,000 islands that stud the map of Lake Huron, before
spilling into the fertile wetlands along Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie.
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Along its long journey, this drop of water
could travel under a fishing dock in a tiny “up-north” village or be tossed and
tumbled by a kayak paddle along the busy waterfront of the Detroit River.
Whatever the course, the journey of water
through the massive Great Lakes system is a tremendous trip.
Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas are
surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes – Superior, Michigan, Huron and
Erie. These freshwater lakes are so vast they’re nicknamed “the Sweetwater
Seas,” and they form the world’s longest freshwater coastline.
Combined, these four lakes cover nearly 90,000
square miles in water area.
From early logging and fishing industries to
today’s hottest tourist destinations and emerging technology sector, Michigan’s
Great Lakes coastline represents an economic engine for the state, carrying
forward an incredible legacy reflecting a special Michigan way of life.
However, at some points in the not-too-distant
past, waterfront industrial and development activities often had negative consequences, with coasts and waterways damaged by habitat loss and pollution.
Beginning in the late 1960s and 1970s, growing
calls to value water not just as a resource to be used and consumed – but as something
we need to care for – prompted the establishment of modern environmental
protection laws and an increasing stewardship ethic.
Today, more people recognize Michigan’s coast
for the asset it is and see value in working to protect it, so generations to
come will be able to enjoy it too.
That’s where coastal management comes in.
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Driving this coastal stewardship work is the Michigan Coastal Management Program, which was established in 1978 through the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Our nation’s coastal zone is vital to the
well-being of our country. It is home to roughly half of the nation’s
population and supports ecologically important habitats and natural resources,”
the NOAA website states. “The National Coastal Zone Management Program works
with coastal states and territories to address some of today’s most pressing
coastal issues, including climate change, ocean planning, and planning for
energy facilities and development.
“The program is a voluntary partnership
between the federal government and U.S. coastal and Great Lakes states and
territories authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to address
national coastal issues. The program is administered by NOAA.”
In Michigan, the coastal management program is
administered through the Office of the Great Lakes, which, since December, is
housed within the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Previously, the office was part of the
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
The coastal management program has helped
elevate the importance of Michigan’s “freshwater coast” on a national level and drive the last four decades of work to protect, enhance and restore the
state’s 3,288 miles of Great Lakes coastline.
Check out the cool videos “The Geography I Call Home,” “Never Quite the Same,” and
“Church of the Open Sky.”
The Office of the Great Lakes is calling
attention to Michigan’s incredible Great Lakes coastal resources and the work
of our state’s Coastal Management Program by naming 2018 the "Year of the
Coast.”
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According to
NOAA, “coastal management” refers to the actions taken to keep the
environmental, community and economic aspects of coastal life in balance.
Michigan’s Coastal Management Program celebrates
its 40-year anniversary this year, along with saltwater coast states including
California, Hawaii, and Maine, and fellow freshwater state, Wisconsin.
Michigan’s program team members each focus on
a specialty area of coastal stewardship, including habitat, public access,
water quality, community development and hazard management.
“Michigan’s coastal program protects our
coast’s unique places, including freshwater wetlands, dunes and beaches, home to
rare and endangered species found nowhere else in the world,” said Karen Boase,
the program’s coastal habitat coordinator. “Michigan’s state wildflower, the
dwarf lake iris, is only found in the Great Lakes region, but faces threats due
to habitat degradation and shoreline development. Piping plovers, lake
sturgeon and mudpuppies are other coastal species in need of habitat protection.”
Public
access to the Great Lakes is critical to the Michigan way of life.
Weston
Hillier, the program’s public access coordinator, helps communities establish trail
systems, add
beach access, protect historic resources like lighthouses
and shipwrecks, and elevate coastal tourism efforts.
“These
projects enhance our ability to recreate outdoors and enjoy our coastal
resources,” Hillier said. “The goal is to partner with, and invest in, coastal
communities to create and enhance coastal public access, so everyday
activities such as swimming, kayaking and hunting for Petoskey stones are
more accessible and enjoyable.”
Recent
projects include boardwalks and stairways for people to safely access beaches
and wetlands, restoration of a historic fishing tug in partnership with a
maritime museum, and continued work on water trails to establish Michigan as “The
Trails State,” in the water as well as on the land.
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“Developing
water trails includes planning projects, as well as development of coastal
access sites, such as the installation of accessible kayak launches and
navigation signs,” Hillier said.
Public
access connects people to coastal resources in meaningful ways – to learn and
play. Keeping those resources healthy for people and wildlife is the mission of
Madeleine Gorman, the program’s coastal water quality specialist.
She
tackles coastal issues by engaging residents in water stewardship through
partner programs like Adopt-a-Beach
and Michigan
Clean Marina.
“We
also work with communities to implement green infrastructure techniques, like
rain gardens and porous pavement that soak up storm water, mimicking nature’s
processes,” Gorman said. “This work helps communities reduce runoff pollution
and become resilient to the effects of flooding and changing water levels.”
It’s
no secret that waterfronts can be an incredible community asset. Leveraging
that asset sustainably supports a healthy environment and local economy. The
coastal program supports community growth through smart planning.
Program
community development coordinator Matt Smar helps support sustainable
waterfront towns that are good places to live and visit. This takes a thorough
understanding of the Great Lakes assets that make coastal communities special.
The beauty of the Great Lakes and the title ‘lakes’ can lead people to
underestimate them. The Great Lakes system is dynamic and needs to be
respected.
“Storms,
erosion, rip currents, and even meteotsunamis can
occur on the Great Lakes,” said Matt Warner, the program’s coastal hazards coordinator.
Warner
educates communities on coastal management techniques that can reduce risks
from those hazards, saving lives, homes and infrastructure.
“Innovative
ways to think about protecting coastal residents and assets emphasize
techniques that work with coastal processes
instead of trying to battle a lake’s forces,” Warner said. “For example,
natural shorelines with hardy native vegetation can be more effective than an
armored seawall. They also provide scenic and environmental benefits for the
shoreline property owner.”
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Since its establishment, the Michigan Coastal Management Program has made strategic investments of millions of dollars in coastal communities and provided the technical assistance to get the work done.
In this 40th year, the program plans to focus on community resiliency, coastal dunes and education. The team will promote water stewardship, continue work to establish and enhance Michigan’s water trails, and work in boating communities to keep marinas clean. This work continues a decades-long legacy of service to our state’s coastal communities and natural resources.
Learn more about the Great Lakes Coastal Management Program at www.michigan.gov/coastalmanagement.
Follow the journey throughout “The Year of the Coast” online with #YearoftheCoast2018 for coastal facts, information, and projects. Subscribe to the e-mail list and follow on Twitter at @MichiganOGL.
Check out previous Showcasing the DNR stories at www.mi.gov/dnrstories. Subscribe to upcoming articles and other DNR publications at the bottom of our webpage at www.mi.gov/dnr.
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/Note to editors: Contact: John Pepin 906-226-1352. Accompanying photos are
available below for download and media use. Suggested captions follow. Credit:
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, unless otherwise noted.
Beach:
Erosion can be a problem along the Great Lakes, like here at F.J. McLain State
Park in Houghton County.
Canoeists:
Canoeists enjoy an afternoon paddle in Lake Michigan off Peninsula Point in
Delta County.
Harbor: A
visitor to the Keweenaw Peninsula enjoys the scenic view overlooking Copper Harbor
on Lake Superior.
Iris: A
blooming dwarf lake iris is shown.
Kayak:
Kayakers explore the base of the towering Pictured Rocks Cliffs, via Lake
Superior, in Alger County.
Launch:
An accessible kayak launch in South Haven is shown.
Leelanau:
A view of Lake Michigan from Leelanau State Park in Leelanau County.
Michigan:
A beautiful sunset of Lake Michigan in Emmet County. (Michigan Department of
Transportation photo)
Tawas: The
Lake Huron shore is viewed from Tawas Point State Park in Iosco County.
Wind: Beachgoers
at Tawas Point State Park in Iosco County./
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