The Future of the Boardman (And Beyond)

Multiple organizations are pursuing initiatives to restore and monitor the health of the Boardman-Ottaway River and beyond. Nearly 140 attendees heard the latest on those efforts Thursday at the annual Freshwater Summit – ranging from a nearly $12 million grant awarded to the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians to a new report card for the Boardman-Ottaway River to major projects like FishPass and the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center.

Held at the Hagerty Center, the Freshwater Summit is produced by the Freshwater Roundtable – a group that includes The Watershed Center, Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, Michigan Sea Grant Extension, Great Lakes Environmental Center, Inland Seas Education Association, and Conservation Resource Alliance. Among this year’s presenters was Great Lakes Fisheries Biologist Chris Hessell of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB), who highlighted work underway including bolstering sturgeon and Arctic grayling populations and pioneering new fishery survey techniques using remote underwater cameras.

GTB was recently awarded an $11.9 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) for what’s described as “one of the largest land preservation and restoration projects in the Grand Traverse region.” Working with Leelanau County nonprofit New Community Vision, the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, and the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA), GTB is working to acquire, restore, and permanently preserve 187 acres of coastal wetland along Grand Traverse Bay. Funding will also support green infrastructure along the Lower Boardman-Ottaway and work at FishPass.

The DDA was awarded $657,750 from the NOAA funding for projects along the downtown river. DDA board members this month approved a $247,800 contract with GEI from those funds for data gathering/site assessment, concept planning, and design and engineering for river improvement projects. Work will include updating the Lower Boardman River Unified Plan and designing in-stream habitat improvements like “rock vanes, managed log cover/basking structures, stone treatments of vertical wall bases, riffle habitat, spawning beds, and related techniques to increase the desired populations of fish, reptiles, and macroinvertebrates,” according to project documents.

Assuming NOAA funds are available in 2026 and 2027, another $1.61 million will flow to the DDA for two final tasks. Those include pulling permits to “support the construction and ecological restoration” of the river and shoreline stabilization, in-stream habitat, and grade and native species restoration. “Native vegetation, including species of cultural significance to regional tribal communities such as sweetgrass, northern white cedar, sage, native tobacco, and others will be installed to restore a vegetated riparian buffer adjacent to the river channel and provide habitat for pollinators, birds, and wildlife,” project documents state. Along with riparian restoration, the DDA and contract partners will construct “access improvements and green infrastructure as part of an expansive placemaking project to increase access and human use of the river.” The establishment of “deep-rooted tree and shrub species will provide significant water quality benefits to the restored habitat and adjacent water bodies,” documents state.

A group of local leaders – called the Boardman-Ottaway River Network – could soon have a system for measuring how well the river is responding to those efforts. The Watershed Center Executive Director Christine Crissman said Thursday the group is establishing metrics to grade the river – similar to a report card – on its health. That could start with ecological health – for example, establishing desired temperature baselines for different sections of the river and monitoring those in real time – but eventually expand into metrics ranging from recreational use to viewsheds. “We want to look at this from all angles,” Crissman said.

Several other speakers Thursday addressed issues affecting the Boardman-Ottaway and Great Lakes. Extension Educator Mark Breederland of Michigan Sea Grant Extension noted that lake levels are lower than their seasonal averages right now, in part because of a dry season that has seen significantly less precipitation. Sea Lamprey Control Director Mike Siefkes of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission spoke of the importance of continued investment in sea lamprey controls like lampricide – a chemical that costs about $25 million to spread annually but helps protect a $5.1 billion Great Lakes fishery industry. A pandemic decline in lampricide use resulted in sea lamprey spikes in subsequent years, Siefkes said – highlighting the risk if federal funding or staffing cuts continue. Siefkes also highlighted the importance of FishPass in supporting research to better combat sea lamprey. Other researchers spoke of evolving techniques like using environmental DNA to monitor invasives like New Zealand mud snail, first found in the Boardman-Ottaway in 2016.

Along with FishPass, the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center (FRIC) under construction on Grand Traverse Bay is also expected to buoy water research and innovation, said presenters Leah McCallum and Jason Slade. Both projects are expected to come online in 2027. McCallum said (FRIC) is now about half full with committed tenants, with more expected as construction progresses. Slade said NMC and partners like Traverse Connect are continuing work to position the region as a marine innovation hub that will help Michigan diversify beyond the automotive industry. “We want Traverse City and beyond…to be the epicenter for blue technology,” he said.