Muskegon River Research Articles

Exploring the effects of urban and agricultural land use on surface water chemistry, across a regional watershed, using multivariate statistics

In this paper, the influence of anthropogenic activity on surface water chemistry is investigated. Base flow samples from dominant land use streams in the Muskegon River Watershed, Michigan, USA, were analyzed for nutrients, major ions, and trace elements. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to investigate the processes controlling the effects of land use on the biogeochemistry of streams in this Watershed. Biogeochemical fingerprints of land use were developed based on the results of the cluster analysis. Spider diagrams which referenced the natural environment aided the identification of the individual contributions of urban and agricultural land uses to surface water chemistry. The biogeochemical fingerprints quantified support previous findings (Urb: Na, K, Cl/Ag: Ca, Mg) and produced new insights into the effects of land use on the behavior of nutrients (Ag: N and Urb: N, P) and trace elements (Urb: V, Cr, Co, Cu, Se, Rb, Mo, Sr, Cd, Pb and Ba/Ag: U and As). The higher correlations of urban than agricultural land uses with nutrients, specifically P, were not expected and may reflect the effects of fertilization and wastewater or the season the samples were taken. More study in different geologic and urban settings is needed to help refine these fingerprints, but it is becoming apparent that despite obscuring factors, land use produces consistent, quantifiable associations between biogeochemical analytes.

Using non-linear responses of multiple taxonomic groups to establish criteria indicative of wetland biological condition

Establishing criteria for protecting or improving wetland condition has often focused on physical and chemical factors, which can paint an incomplete picture of wetland quality. To protect the biological integrity of aquatic environments, identifying criteria based on biological responses to pollution is essential. We hypothesize that assessment of multiple taxonomic groups and response thresholds will provide statistically defensible effects-based methods to define reference condition and establish biological criteria. We used regression tree analysis to identify non-linear biological responses of three taxonomic groups (macrophytes, epiphytic diatoms, and plant-associated Zooplankton) collected from 36 depressional wetlands in the Muskegon River watershed (Michigan, USA). Multi-metric biotic indices were developed for all three taxonomic groups and these indices were combined to reveal biologically relevant thresholds along a gradient of human disturbance. We found these three taxonomic groups responded at similar levels of impairment and could be used to classify wetlands into three groups: reference sites representing the highest quality wetlands in the landscape; slightly altered sites where the most sensitive organisms responded (sensitive plants, diatoms); and degraded sites where extensive changes in community structure occurred, which may reflect a shift to an alternate state. For the Muskegon River watershed, in particular, this analysis allowed us to identify sites in need of restoration, including approximately one-third of the depressional wetlands in the watershed. This study outlines a method for identifying criteria that could be used for regulatory purposes. In particular, we recommend the use of community-level metrics in identifying broad-based changes in community composition that may represent shifts to alternate states, as well as the use of sensitive indicators, such as the occurrence of sensitive plant and diatom taxa.

Investigating impacts of land-use land cover change on wetlands in the Muskegon River Watershed, Michigan, USA

Estimates indicate that nearly half of the world’s wetlands have been destroyed or altered as a result of human activities. However, studies investigating the impacts of land-use land cover change on wetlands have shown varied results. Furthermore, when assessing wetlands at the site level, landscapescale wetland health conditions can go largely unnoticed. The objective of this paper was to investigate wetland quality changes resulting from land-use land cover alterations at a watershed scale. Landscapepattern metrics were generated to examine changes in wetlands characteristics between 1978 and 2000 in the Muskegon River Watershed, Michigan, USA. Metrics quantifying composition, configuration, and fractal indication were generated and correlated with land-use land cover patterns and alterations. Results show ranging wetland stress with the mid-river portion of the watershed undergoing the highest fragmentation indicated by wetland patch dynamics. Landscape Shape Index, Fractal Dimension Index, and Interspersion and Juxtaposition Index metrics reflect similar spatial trends of decreasing wetlands quality. Agriculture and urban land-use composition had weak to moderate strength correlations with the Interspersion and Juxtaposition Index, respectively. The method was useful for identifying the spatial variability of wetland changes across watersheds and possible regions to focus management and monitoring efforts.

Timing and Demographic Characteristics of Redhorse Spawning Runs in Three Great Lakes Basin Rivers

ABSTRACT Boat-electrofishing surveys and fishway monitoring were undertaken to describe the characteristics of redhorse (Moxostoma spp.) spawning runs in the Grand River, Muskegon River and Trent River. Spawning began in early May and was complete by mid-June. Timing of spawning varied among species, rivers, and years. Shorthead redhorse and silver redhorse spawned earlier and at lower water temperatures than black redhorse and river redhorse. Differences between rivers and years likely resulted from differences in the timing of suitable water temperatures and suitable flow levels, respectively. Spawning males were generally smaller, more numerous, and present in spawning areas earlier than females. While males reached sexual maturity at a younger age than females, there were no overall differences in the ages of spawning male and female redhorse.

Forecasting land use change and its environmental impact at a watershed scale

Urban expansion is a major driving force altering local and regional hydrology and increasing non-point source (NPS) pollution. To explore these environmental consequences of urbanization, land use change was forecast, and long-term runoff and NPS pollution were assessed in the Muskegon River watershed, located on the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. A land use change model, LTM, and a web-based environmental impact model, L-THIA, were used in this study. The outcomes indicated the watershed would likely be subjected to impacts from urbanization on runoff and some types of NPS pollution. Urbanization will slightly or considerably increase runoff volume, depending on the development rate, slightly increase nutrient losses in runoff, but significantly increase losses of oil and grease and certain heavy metals in runoff. The spatial variation of urbanization and its impact were also evaluated at the subwatershed scale and showed subwatersheds along the coast of the lake and close to cities would have runoff and nitrogen impact. The results of this study have significant implications for urban planning and decision making in an effort to protect and remediate water and habitat quality of Muskegon Lake, which is one of Lake Michigan's Areas of Concern (AOC), and the techniques described here can be used in other areas.

Evaluating the Performance of Spatially Explicit Models

Spatially explicit models are now widely used for conducting ecological research and for managing natural resources, due in part to the difficulty of undertaking empirical work at landscape scale. Unfortunately, error assessment and analysis of the predictive ability of such models is not well-developed, and has relied on the Kappa statistic and information-based measures. As has been pointed out, however, such approaches are limited by virtue of their global nature and weak hypotheses. As it turns out, the literature on map accuracy does provide a way of assessing model performance, and the goal of this paper is to adapt this literature to the need for evaluating the predictive ability of spatially explicit models. To this end, the paper first considers inference using the Kappa statistic. This is followed by a commentary on information theory, and a critique of both the Kappa statistic and information-based approaches given their global structure and underlying null hypotheses. A probabilistic treatment of alternative measures recently suggested follows, as does a direct adaptation of map inference to the modeling case. Examples of the proposed measures are given, using an application of logistic regression applied to land-cover changes that have recently occurred in the Muskegon River watershed of the State of Michigan.

Contaminants in fishes from Great Lakes-influenced sections and above dams of three Michigan rivers. II: Implications for health of mink.

Populations of mink (Mustela vison) have declined in many areas of the world. Such declines have been linked to exposures to synthetic, halogenated hydrocarbons. In the Great Lakes region, mink are fewer in areas along the shore of the Great Lakes and their tributaries where mink have access to fish from the Great Lakes. Recently, there has been discussion of the relative merits of passage of fishes around hydroelectric dams on rivers in Michigan. A hazard assessment was conducted to determine the potential for adverse effects on mink, which could consume such fishes from above or below dams on the rivers. Concentrations of organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlordibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQ), and total mercury were measured in composite samples of fishes from above or below hydroelectric dams on the Manistee and Muskegon Rivers, which flow into Lake Michigan, and the Au Sable River, which flows into Lake Huron. Concentrations of organochlorine insecticides, PCBs, and TCDD-EQ were all greater in fishes from below the dams than those from above. Concentrations of neither organochlorine insecticides nor mercury in fishes are currently a risk to mink above or below the dams. All of the species of fishes collected from downstream of the dams contained concentrations of PCBs and TCDD-EQ, which represent a hazard to mink. The hazard index for PCBs was less than one for the average of all species from the upstream reaches of the Manistee and Au Sable Rivers, but not the Muskegon. The hazard index (concentration in fish/NOAEC) was greater than 1 for all of the species collected from below the dams, in all three rivers. The greatest hazard index was observed for carp (Cyprinus carpio) downstream on the Muskegon River. Because the concentrations of PCBs used in the hazard assessment were corrected for relative toxic potencies, the hazard ratios based on PCBs should be similar to those based on TCDD-EQ. This was found to be true. Thus, either total PCBs or TCDD-EQ could be used as the critical toxicant in the hazard assessment. However, if uncorrected concentrations of PCBs, expressed as Aroclors, were used in the hazard assessment, the toxicity of the weathered mixture would have been underestimated by approximately five-fold, and, in that instance, TCDD-EQ would be the critical contaminant for the hazard assessment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) Fluctuations in the Great Lakes and Possible Causes, 1800–1975

Changes in walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) stocks in the Great Lakes from 1800 to 1975 were linked to proliferation of foreign species of fish and culturally induced sources of stress — exploitation, nutrient loading, alteration of spawning habitat, and toxic materials. During the 1800s, three small spawning stocks (and probably many others) were damaged or destroyed because of either overfishing or elimination of spawning habitat through logging, pollution, or damming.During 1900–40, stocks in the Michigan waters of Lake Superior, southern Green Bay, the Thunder Bay River of Lake Huron, the North Channel of Lake Huron, and the New York waters of Lake Ontario declined gradually. Pollution, in general, and degradation of spawning habitat, in particular, probably caused three of the declines and overexploitation was suspected in two instances. In addition, the decline of three of these stocks occurred when rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) were increasing.During 1940–75, stocks in seven areas declined abruptly: Saginaw Bay (1944), northern Green Bay (1953), Muskegon River (mid-1950s), western Lake Erie (1955), Nipigon Bay (late 1950s), Bay of Quinte (1960), and Black Bay (mid-1960s). The decline of each stock was associated with a series of weak year-classes. The stocks were exposed to various sources of stress, including overexploitation, pollution, and interaction with foreign species, which, if not important in the decline, may be suppressing recovery. Only the western Lake Erie stock recovered, in part due to a reduction in exploitation and, possibly, because of the relatively low density of smelt and alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in the nursery areas.Relatively stable stocks persisted in five areas: Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior, Lake St. Clair — southern Lake Huron, eastern Lake Erie, northern Lake Huron, and parts of Georgian Bay. Pollution problems were relatively minor in these areas and exploitation was light during recent decades. Apparently these stocks were more capable of withstanding the additional stresses exerted by alien species. Key words: population fluctuations, Percidae, Stizostedion, Great Lakes walleye, history of fisheries, summary of stresses, harvests, management implications

Homing Behavior in Walleyes

Abstract Records obtained from the Muskegon River system, the Inland Waterway, and Bay de Noc in northern Lake Michigan indicate that walleyes return to the same spawning areas year after year. Walleyes were tagged and released during the spawning period at several locations. Where netting was repeated in subsequent years many tagged walleyes were recaptured at the locations where they were tagged previously. Walleyes which were tagged and released at sites where netting was not repeated were not recaptured at other locations. The return of tagged walleyes to areas where they had been in previous seasons and the scarcity of tagged walleyes from other areas provide strong evidence for homing behavior by this species.

Numerical Abundance and Use of a Spawning Run of Walleyes in the Muskegon River, Michigan

Abstract During March and April of 1953 and 1954 walleyes were tagged and released in Muskegon Lake before they ascended the Muskegon River on a spawning migration. Recoveries of the tagged walleyes were made by dip nets below Newaygo Dam 39 miles upstream. Estimates of the numerical abundance of the spawning runs computed from these recaptures (ratio of tagged to untagged walleyes in the dip-net catch) were about 114,000 individuals in 1953 and about 139,000 fish in 1954. From the population estimates it was determined that transfer of between 7,000 and 8,000 walleyes to reservoirs above Newaygo Dam did not involve a large percentage of the total run. Of the walleyes that were not transferred, about 9,000 to 11,000 were captured by anglers; the cropping rate, therefore, was small.

Recaptures of Tagged Walleyes. Stizostedion v. vitreum (Mitchill), in Houghton Lake and the Muskegon River, Roscommon County, Michigan

Recaptures of Tagged Walleyes. Stizostedion v. vitreum (Mitchill), in Houghton Lake and the Muskegon River, Roscommon County, Michigan

Examples of the Use of Two-Way Fish Weirs in Michigan

Abstract Descriptions and reasons for the installation and operation of the most important types of two-way fish weirs used in Michigan are presented, with a summary of the results obtained and the conclusions reached as a result of the operations. Five weirs are in operation at the present time at the Hunt Creek Fisheries Experiment Station. Four of the weirs (one of a self-cleaning rotary type) installed near the mouths of tributaries are used to determine the movements of native and planted fish between the tributaries and the main stream, and the fifth weir was installed at the outlet of East Fish Lake to block the re-entry of undesirable species into the lake. During 1943, a total of 1,161 brook trout (fingerlings and fish approaching legal size) moving downstream and 292 moving upstream were captured in these weirs. The contribution by tributaries to the main stream is evident. The Muskegon River weir was installed just below Houghton Lake for the purpose of determining the extent of the migration o...

The Grand Rapids Water System

Journal AWWAVolume 26, Issue 2 p. 247-252 Article The Grand Rapids Water System Carl H. Grinnell, Carl H. Grinnell Superintendent Department of Water and Light, Grand Rapids, Mich.Search for more papers by this author Carl H. Grinnell, Carl H. Grinnell Superintendent Department of Water and Light, Grand Rapids, Mich.Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 February 1934 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1551-8833.1934.tb18359.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume26, Issue2February 1934Pages 247-252 RelatedInformation