Cory Kovacs
Starting this week, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will begin evaluating the Lake Superior splake fishery through a special study using marked fish. Splake, which are a hybrid cross between lake trout and brook trout, have been stocked in Lake Superior most years since 1971, with annual stocking since 1990.
In Lake Superior, the DNR stocks splake in Munising, Copper Harbor, and occasionally in Keweenaw Bay. Splake are stocked with the intent to create nearshore fishing opportunities in smaller bays of Lake Superior, where some fisheries are available year-round. This study will help fisheries managers understand the percentage of stocked fish caught by anglers, home range of splake, and harvest metrics such as harvest rates and size at harvest by year and location. Knowing how successful the DNR’s splake-stocking efforts are allows for the best management of Lake Superior fisheries.
MARQUETTE The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has awarded a total of $100,000 in deer habitat improvement grant funding to 12 entities for projects
Courtesy Photo
Hands hold small pinecones in this photo from the DNR.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources suggests some creative ways to celebrate Arbor Day, which is Friday.
Get into the spirit of Arbor Day by planting a tree or celebrating trees in other fun and creative ways.
Take your family on a tree-ID neighborhood chalk walk. Use the “What Tree Is That?” tool and write the name of the tree on the sidewalk to teach others.
Visit the DNR’s Nature at Home webpage to help kids discover the wonders of the natural world.
Give a tree as a gift. Unlike cut flowers, trees can be enjoyed year after year.
Sturgis Journal
Sturgis might be considered a quiet, small Michigan city, but throughout history, residents have made a splash in the news.
A few nearly splashed into one of The Great Lakes, according to Wayne Lusardi, maritime archaeologist at Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Earlier this year, Allen Kasdorf of Sturgis saw a tribute to Tuskegee Airmen presented and created by Lusardi and DNR.
In it, Lusardi mentioned the Hapner brothers of Sturgis, balloonists who crashed a hot- air balloon into Lake Huron in 1892.
That piqued Kasdorf’s interest, so he sent the link to the Sturgis Journal. From there, a triangle of information bounced among the Journal, Lusardi and Jenifer Blouin Policelli, director at Sturgis Historical Museum.
Great Lakes BioBlitz: Gotta catch em all!
April 28, 2021
Have fun finding and sharing Michigan biodiversity - the variety of wild, living things in a given area.
Did you know that more than 3,500 species of plants and animals live in the Great Lakes basin, including 170+ species of fish? Kicking off on Earth Day (4/22), community scientists (this could be you!) across Michigan (and other Great Lakes states/provinces) are invited to explore and share what’s living (the biodiversity) in their community through the Great Lakes BioBlitz.
Natural areas provide important ecosystem services - supplying many ecological, social, and economic benefits. Habitats in these areas are sometimes home to rare species. Learn more about rare Michigan species with the online Michigan Natural Feature Inventory tool.