New National Marine Sanctuary Much Closer to a Berth in Wisconsin

Oct. 5, 2015

By Moira Harrington

Wisconsin Sea Grant welcomed President Obama’s announcement today that the nation’s newest NOAA national marine sanctuary is moving closer to a designation along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Manitowoc, Sheboygan or Ozaukee counties and in the waters in a location to be determined, having met preliminary national significance criteria and management considerations. As proposed, it encompasses 875 square miles.

The Wisconsin sanctuary is currently on a so-called inventory list and now heads into a more intensive public comment period and scoping, preparation of an environmental impact statement and a management plan. Once those processes are complete, the clock would start ticking toward official designation. The timeframe for those actions is not fully known but could range from months to a year. If successful, Wisconsin would host only one of 14 National Marine Sanctuaries and only the second one in fresh water.

The Wisconsin site has been selected, in large measure, based on the success of shipwreck explorations in state waters of Lake Michigan. There are 59 Wisconsin shipwrecks listed on the National Register of Historic Places, far more than any other state. Of that number, a proposed 15 would be within the designated sanctuary boundaries. Another 24 known wrecks are in the proposed sanctuary but are not, at this point, on the register.

Since the 1990s, Sea Grant has supported maritime explorations through grant funding in collaboration with the Wisconsin Historical Society’s (WHS) maritime archeology program.

In addition to shipwreck exploration, mapping and registration for protection, the Sea Grant-WHS partnership extends public understanding of the nautical past by creating and sharing land-based signage that explains the shipwrecks’ significance; preparing geocaches, which are an innovative, accessible and active way to extend the learning; and co-hosting an entertaining and informative website, wisconsinshipwrecks.org.           

“Wisconsin has a rich maritime heritage and an equally rich legacy of preserving that heritage,” said Jim Hurley, Sea Grant’s director. “We are thrilled the national panel looking at siting the newest sanctuary has chosen the Great Lakes to move forward. It means continued historic preservation, along with tourism for an important area of the state and highlights an important ecosystem.” 

Marine sanctuaries are now found in Lake Huron, the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and touch states such as Hawaii, Texas, California and Massachusetts. Sanctuaries are established to protect natural and cultural features while allowing people to use and enjoy the waters in a sustainable way. No disruption of commercial or recreational activities occurs. Sanctuary waters provide a secure habitat for species close to extinction and protect historically significant shipwrecks and artifacts. Sanctuaries also serve as natural classrooms and laboratories.

Wisconsin applied for the sanctuary designation in December 2014 and competed against four other proposed locations. After an initial screening, Wisconsin and a site on the Potomac River emerged as the strongest applicants. The review panel was impressed by the broad range of support for the Lake Michigan proposal from the governor’s office on behalf of the state of Wisconsin; the cities of Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Port Washington; Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties; NGOs and area businesses. The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, along with the WHS, were also highly instrumental in the application process.

The sanctuary’s application reads, in part, “The proposed Wisconsin sanctuary encompasses a key portion of an early transportation corridor that was critical to the expansion of the United States and the development of the agricultural and the industrial core of the nation.” 

Details on how to participate in the public comment period on the proposal are at sanctuaries.noaa.gov/wisconsin/

WCSFO 2015 Fall Meeting Notice

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015

Time: 10:00 AM

Location: Walleyes for Tomorrow Office

224 Auburn St

Fond Du Lac, WI

Typical Fall Meeting Agenda:

 

1. Call to order / Introductions / sign in

2. Minutes from March 21, 2015 Spring Meeting (Brenda Rosin

    Schaff)

3. Treasurers Report (Cornell Stroik)

4. Dues Notices (2016)                                                           Click photo to enlarge

5. DNR Update (There will be a WDNR Representative

    attending to give us an update on what is happening in the department.)

6. WI Wildlife Federation Update from a WWF Representative.

7. Lake access news

8. B.A.S.S. Federation/Bass Nation News (Cornell Stoik)

9. Tournaments/C.A.S.T. – Updates/News

10. “Kids Fishing Klinics,” Recap of 2015 events and update

11. Old Business:

      A. Kids Klinic Books

      B. Facebook

      C. eNewsline

12. New Business

      Election of Officers

Adjourn

Safer Lake Michigan Surf Thanks to New Academic and Governmental Partnership

By Moira Harrington

Lake Michigan swimmers will be much safer from the risk of rip currents and other dangerous waves thanks to a new real-time effort that will match the academic know-how of a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher with the outreach capability of Wisconsin Sea Grant, expertise on coastal issues by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and resources of the Milwaukee County Parks Department.

Chin Wu, UW-Madison professor of civil and environmental engineering, and those organizations have teamed up to plan on installing a camera at Milwaukee’s Bradford Beach and an underwater wave sensor off of the harbor breakwall.

"In 2012 and 2013, dangerous Great Lakes currents and waves caused 88 drowning deaths and rescue incidents. In fact, rip currents claim more lives annually than tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning and floods," Wu said. "Our project will address these tragic statistics."

Rip currents occur when a strong offshore narrow current forms along sandy beaches as well as around

obstructions such as a sandbar, pier or jetty. The currents appear as a break in incoming wave patterns or as a channel of dark, churning, choppy water flowing offshore with no breaking waves. They do not pull swimmers down into the water, as an undertow would, but rather along the surface. Yet, the currents are strong and swimmers panic trying to escape them. That’s when drownings may occur.

“Our joint project will arm beachgoers with awareness so they can make better decisions while enjoying Lake Michigan. We want to provide information about rip currents or dangerous waves,” said Gene Clark, a coastal engineer with Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Todd Brieby of the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program said, “It’s gratifying to partner on this effort that will prevent further loss of life from these swimming hazards. This project is a successful example of a collaborative effort to address a coastal community need.”

Installed equipment will identify and more accurately pinpoint the movement and behavior of hazardous wave conditions. Additionally, computer models are being developed to better predict conditions. The information gathered from those tools will be shared with local officials, and in turn, the public through two sites: Integrated Nowcast/Forecast Operation Systems (INFOS) and soon at milwcountybeaches.org.

“On any given day, thousands of people visit Milwaukee’s lakefront and Bradford Beach,” said Jeff Baudry of Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture. “They are attracted by the sand, sun, volleyball courts, concession stand and, importantly, the sparkling water of Lake Michigan. With this real-time warning system, they will also be safer.”

The warning information is also available as an app for download to a mobile device or a smart phone. See the bottom of this page.

The effort is being funded by a $200,000 grant from the Great Lakes Coastal Storms Program, which is a regional effort led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to make Great Lake coastal communities safer and more resilient to storm and weather hazards and climate change. Similar systems are in place for Port Washington, where a 15-year-old died in a rip current four years ago, and in Duluth, Minn.

Monofilament Mania: Wisconsin Sea Grant Donates Fishing Line Recycling Bins to St. Louis River Alliance

By Marie Zhuikov

With all the work going on to restore habitat in the St. Louis River Estuary, organizations would be remiss if they didn’t also address a man-made killer that lurks there: monofilament fishing line. That’s just what the St. Louis River Alliance of Duluth, Minn., is doing.

Wildlife can get caught and tangled in discarded or lost fishing line, sometimes leading to death. This spring, the Alliance began a program to install monofilament recycling bins at public boat landings along the estuary in Duluth and Superior, Wis. They sent out a call for cooperation and support to several local organizations, and organized adult and youth groups to participate in an “Adopt-A-Bin” program.

Wisconsin Sea Grant heeded the call by offering six bins that were donated by the NOAA Marine Debris Program a few years ago. The bins look more like small ship smokestacks than boxes. They are comprised of wide white PVC pipe tubing with a curved opening on top. Bill Majewski with the Alliance outfitted the tubes with a special wooden door that keeps birds from using the bins for nesting and deters people from throwing trash inside. The organization also created “Reel in and Recycle” stickers to let boat landing visitors know what the bins are for.

The donated bins were installed by Jill DiDomenico of the Alliance and her homegrown work crew (her children) in Superior last week. Anglers will notice them at Loon’s Foot Landing, Arrowhead Pier, Billings Park, and on Barker’s Island at the public boat launch, the dock by the Wisconsin Sea Grant/Lake Superior Reserve office, and the fishing pier along the Osaugie Trail on the mainland across from the office.

If you find discarded fishing line at any of these sites, please look for the bin and do your part to keep the estuary clean!

Successful Sea Caves Watch Project Saves Lives, Changes Hands

No deaths have occurred near the sea caves since website went online in 2011

By Marie Zhuikov

A public safety project designed to prevent kayaking tragedies at the popular mainland sea caves in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has been turned over by the University of Wisconsin-Madison to the National Park Service and several partners.

SeaCavesWatch.org is a real-time wave observation system that provides webcam photos and wave height, water temperature and wind speed data to kayakers, who can access the website before venturing out on Lake Superior to the sea caves. The website is also available via a special kiosk at the boat launch site at Meyers Beach in the national lakeshore.

The original project was co-led by Chin Wu, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Gene Clark, a coastal engineer with the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. Josh Anderson was lead student researcher on the project. It was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the Friends of the Apostle Islands, with support by the City of Bayfield. The National Park Service was involved in the project from the onset and provided significant in-kind support.

“The original focus was summer wave conditions but with the addition of the webcam, the system emerged as a vitally important year-round tool,” said Bob Krumenaker, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore superintendent, “especially in winter 2014, when record visitation to the ice-covered caves made international news.”

In recognition that SeaCavesWatch.org was crucial to operations at the caves in both summer and winter, the National Park Service sought to move it from status as a “project” to a regular part of its work plan. The park will be aided by the original partners, who finalized a Memorandum of Understanding outlining their roles recently in Bayfield at the lakeshore headquarters.

“It’s changed our park protocols,” said Krumenaker. “We’ve made a commitment to the system and plan to continue it in the long-term. Before our staff go out the caves or before we open the caves to the public in the winter, our motto is, ‘check the camera first!’ ”

“Since SeaCavesWatch.org went online, it’s contributed to a reduction in mishaps in the park,” said Dick Carver with the Friends of the Apostle Islands. “We went from four kayaker deaths in a five-year-period to none in the past five years.”

The mainland sea caves can be dangerous because of the possibility for high waves, and the sheer cliffs, which make it impossible for kayakers to get out of the water if they get into trouble.

“There’s a misconception that because the caves are close to shore, they’re safe,” said Tam Hofman, ranger at Meyers Beach. “But conditions can change quickly out on the lake, especially near the rock cliffs and caves, and you can’t always see that from the launch site.”

The website is accessed about 96,000 times per year. According to Clark, with Wisconsin Sea Grant, the webcam was originally meant as an experimental way to monitor wave conditions at the caves. “But now it’s invaluable,” he said. “We didn’t have that vision at first.”

Under the new agreement, Wisconsin Sea Grant will provide coastal engineering expertise as needed and public outreach and communications for the project. The University of Wisconsin-Madison will provide technical assistance for equipment operation and website maintenance. The National Park Service will deploy and retrieve the underwater wave pressure gage and cable seasonally, provide basic equipment maintenance, and provide wireless service funding. The Friends of the Apostle Islands will provide funding for project activities and travel, and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the City of Bayfield will provide advice and public awareness support. The agreement is effective for five years.

“The goal was to make people using the caves feel safe,” said Wu of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s been gratifying to be part of a project that’s had an impact and has made a difference.”

Wu is using what he’s learned for webcam and wave sensor installations in three other locations to help detect and forecast rip currents. The locations are Milwaukee; Port Washington, Wis.; and Park Point in Duluth, Minn. The images and data will soon be available on http://infosportwashington.cee.wisc.edu/index.html.

Voter Elects to Become Debut WRI Fellow

Carolyn Voter will be charged with compiling the annual report the state Groundwater Coordinating Council submits to the Legislature.

By Aaron R. Conklin

Groundwater brought Carolyn Voter to Wisconsin, and groundwater is what’s kept her here. It’s also the centerpiece of her latest career step:  Voter, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is set to become the first Wisconsin Water Resources Institute Policy Fellow.

The newly created position will be shared with and housed within the structure of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Voter will be charged with analyzing statistical data, compiling information and creating the annual report the state Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC) submits to the state legislature detailing the results of groundwater research funded by WRI and DNR and other state agencies.

“Interagency cooperation is the cornerstone for groundwater protection in Wisconsin,” said Mary Ellen Vollrecht, the DNR’s Groundwater Section Chief for the Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater. “The new Water Resources Fellowship builds on that base.  Carolyn’s background and energy are sure to get the fellowship off to a strong start.  DNR appreciates this initiative of the Water Resources Institute and will strive to maximize the benefits to all agencies --and all Wisconsin water consumers.”

Jennifer Hauxwell, WRI’s assistant director for research and student engagement, agrees.

“Carolyn has a strong background in hydrology and familiarity with the Groundwater Coordinating Council’s Joint Solicitation for groundwater research,” Hauxwell said. “She also brings great enthusiasm and positivity toward tackling the difficult challenge of both understanding and protecting a hidden resource – our groundwater.”

Voter, who was born in New Jersey and received her undergraduate degree from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, was inspired by stream restoration work she became involved with there, and was drawn to Wisconsin in part because of the UW’s interdisciplinary hydroecology research programs. As a PhD student, Voter worked on multiple WRI-funded research projects with UW-Madison professor of engineering Steven Loheide, including a project that examined the ways in which urban design impacted an area’s water budget.

“I’m excited about the policy angle,’ said Voter of her new position.  “I’ve had a lot of consulting experience, but I haven’t had a chance to do much policy.”

Voter already knows several of the issues that will be an integral part of the challenges associated with maintaining or enhancing the quality and quantity of the state’s groundwater resources: chemical and biological contaminants and dozens of factors that affect water supply and demand.

“An important part of what I’ll be doing is figuring out how to communicate science to non-scientists,” she said.

Voter begins work in her new position on July 27. In her spare time, Voter likes to run, spend time with her dog and check off activities on her “Madison bucket list.”

Tracking Toxins in Tunnel City

A pair of UW-Extension researchers begin the long process of detailing the mineral and chemical composition of two of Wisconsin's largest rock units.

By Aaron R. Conklin

Among Wisconsin geologists, they’re known as the Wonewoc Formation and Tunnel City Group--rock units named for places in Wisconsin where they are well exposed and were first described. Yet these rocks underlie almost half of the state.

But these porous rock units present in areas of West and Central Wisconsin could also be a potential source of groundwater contaminants, including an extensive list of elements that includes everything from aluminum, arsenic and cadmium to cobalt, copper and lead.

With the support of funding from the Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI), a team of University of Wisconsin- Extension researchers is taking the first of many steps to determine whether these formations are, in fact, a possible contamination source. They’re starting at the very beginning, creating a set of baseline data that details the mineral and chemical composition of the rocks.   

“Wells in part of western Wisconsin drawing water from near the intersection of these formations sometimes have water chemistry that is not ideal,” said Jay Zambito, a bedrock geologist and professor with UW-Extension’s Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and the principal investigator on the project. ”We sometimes find elements above advisory levels.”

To gauge the rock composition, Zambito and his colleague, hydrogeologist Mike Parsen, are collecting and studying rock samples, beginning with drill core, pristine rock materials collected from the subsurface across Wisconsin. Fortuitously, Wisconsin’s Geological and Natural History Survey curates and maintains an extensive library of drill cores. The collection contains cores from approximately 2,000 wells, as well as rock cuttings from another 11,000 water wells from across Wisconsin. This includes many samples from the Tunnel City and the Wonewoc rock units.

Having those samples available saves a ton of time—and a ton of cash.

“”It costs about $60-100 per foot to collect new drill core,” said Zambito, who noted that the estimated value of the drill core archive is between $120-140 million, though most is unique and irreplaceable. “Given the scope of this project, we’d be looking at spending approximately $2 million to collect these samples.”

Instead, they can get right to the research. Using an x-ray fluorescence analyzer, Zambito and Parsen will be able to quickly scan the cores and identify the elemental composition of the rock formations. Follow-up analyses will then be used to determine the minerals that contain these elements.

“This is a perfect example of a core being used for a different purpose than it was initially intended,” said Parsen.

Simple, right? Not quite: Just because an element is in a rock formation doesn’t mean it can leach into groundwater. A variety of environmental factors, including temperature, pH, oxygen levels, and whether the elements are incorporated within stable or unstable minerals, influences the process through which minerals can break down and constituent elements go into solution.

“We really don’t have a good idea whether these elements can make their way into the water,” explained Zambito. “That’s a subject for a subsequent study, after we figure out what elements and minerals are present.”

In addition to drill cores, Zambito and Parsen will also collect and analyze other samples, including freshly extracted rock from industrial sand mining operations and outcrops along the sides of highways.

Eventually, the results of Zambito and Parsen’s work could have the potential to inform policy decisions about where and how wells in West and Central Wisconsin that tap into the Tunnel City and Wonewoc rock units for water will be drilled and managed. Zambito pointed to an earlier WRI-funded study as a possible predictor, in which researchers determined that an interval of sulfide minerals found in the subsurface in the Green Bay area were breaking down and unleashing arsenic into the groundwater. The solution in that case could also be the solution in this case concerning the Tunnel City and Wonewoc rock units—casing-off groundwater wells so that water is not drawn from any possible horizons of problematic minerals.

“We would anticipate seeing geological layers that may contain lower or higher concentrations of problematic element-bearing minerals,” said Parsen. “The question becomes, how are we handling them? What’s the long-term policy?”

“Once we have that baseline data set, we’ll have a better idea about how to move forward in testing potential rock-to-groundwater geochemical pathways,” agreed Zambito. “This is really the first step.”