State Wildlife Grant, Study 237001 – 1

State Wildlife Grant, MichiganRenewed: 2009-10

Study 237001New Study: 2007-2008

Name of Study:Development of lake spatial information and tools for aquatic life conservation.

A.Problem:According to Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan, conservation and management strategies are needed for fish species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) as well as common fish species.Prerequisites for preparation of such strategies for lake fish include determination of the patterns in fish habitat use and identification of the lake fish assemblage types to which they belong, as part of the description of their life history characteristics.For such lake fish species this will require quantitative and qualitative descriptions of the lakes in which these species occur, using both landscape and local variables.

The Wildlife Action Plan identified several priority actions or conservation needs that can be addressed at the scale of a river watershed. GIS tools and databases can facilitate those actions and needs by supporting the preparation of river ecological assessments.

In late 2006, GIS specialists in the Michigan Department of Information Technology (MDIT) Center for Geographic Information (CGI), now Center for Shared Solutions and Technology Partnerships (CSSTP), completed the development of the 1:24,000, high-resolution National Hydrography Dataset (24k NHD) for Michigan. This dataset includes both lakes and streams and a flow network that represents the surface water connections for the entire state. The availability of this dataset permitted the construction of catchment boundaries for all lakes in the state, including both the local catchment boundary (within which water flows across the land surface directly to the lake) and the tributary catchment (within which water flows across the land surface to tributaries to the lake). Using GIS tools, this was done for all lakes 5 acres and larger (N = 11,295) as well as for most ponds less than 5 acres in surface area (total N: 52,283). The 5-acre size limit for lakes was identified in the Wildlife Action Plan (Eagle et al. 2005, Introductory Text & Statewide Assessments, p. 14 of 102). In the previous 1:100,000, medium-resolution NHD, many of the smaller lakes and streams were missing, so it was not possible to use the NHD flow network to accurately distinguish drainage lakes from seepage lakes or to determine tributary catchments.

These lake catchment boundaries were used to summarize many landscape and local variables for all lakes and larger ponds. Such variables include, for example, catchment area, percent forest, and percent agriculture in the local and tributary catchments.In the process of summarizing landscape and local variables for lake catchments, it became apparent that some lakes were missing from the 1:24,000 NHD.The current project will identify those missing lakes and report the list to DIT/CSSTP, the official steward of the 1:24,000 NHD in Michigan and the unit responsible for updating this spatial data.

Lakemorphometric variables are important local variables influencing the ecological character of inland lakes and thus the suitability of lakes for particular species. Such morphometric variables include lake mean depth, percent of lake area less than 15 feet (an approximation of the littoral zone), and lake bottom type in the littoral zone. These variables can be calculated after digitizing depth-contour maps. Approximately 1450 of the 2600 lake maps for Michigan have been digitized as of summer 2009. The current project will digitize additional lake maps and calculate morphometric variables, focusing on those lakes that will most help assess lake habitat requirements for SGCN.

These landscape and local variables will be used in determining lake types, the range of variation in inland lakes, the species composition of lake types, and the lake habitat characteristics associated with the presence or absence of SGCN as a component of the life history requirements of SGCN. The analysis of the landscape and local variables will be conducted as part of another study.

Fifteen river assessments (now river ecological assessments) have been published by Fisheries Division between 1995 and 2008. These reports concern the following rivers: Huron, Muskegon, Manistee, Rouge, Raisin, St. Joseph, Au Sable, Flint, Jordan, Manistique, Kalamazoo, Thunder Bay, Clinton, Tahquamenon, and Ontonagon. These documents describe the physical and biological characteristics of the rivers, discuss the influence of human activities on the rivers, and provide a source of information on which to base future management activities, including conservation activities. Major sections of the documents include geography, geology, hydrology, channel morphology, dams and barriers, biological communities (including fish, mussels, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, other natural features of concern, and aquatic pest species), fishery management, and management options. Substantial appendices have included tables of information and maps of fish species distribution.

River ecological assessments make substantial contributions toward supporting the priority actions and conservation needs identified in Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan (Eagle et al. 2005). They include descriptions of “the importance of riparian zones to the proper functioning of aquatic systems,” “raise awareness of Michigan’s landscape features and species,” identify “volunteer opportunities for stewardship involvement at both species and landscape levels,” and “provide opportunities for meaningful public input into management actions and options” (see above for the sources of these quotations from the Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan, Eagle et al. 2005).

Preparation of river ecological assessments will benefit from GIS support, including development of spatial databases and GIS tools. With the effort available from this project, spatial databases will be prepared for new river ecological assessments, and GIS tools will be further developed.

B.Objectives:The broad objective of this project is to facilitate the conservation, protection, and management of Michigan’s aquatic habitats and SGCN by developing spatial databases, tools, and models.There are two specific objectives for this multi-year project.

  • Objective 1: Continue development of a spatial database of lake habitats using landscape and local variables that can be used to characterize lake types and the patterns of fish assemblages in inland lakes.
  • Objective 2: Support the preparation of river ecological assessments through development of spatial databases and GIS tools. These documents facilitate several priority actions and conservation needs.

C.Expected Results and Benefits:The spatial information and GIS tools developed in this project are expected to make a valuable contribution to conservation of wildlife in Michigan. The calculation of lakemorphometry and summarization of the associated landscape and local variables will enable the identification of lake types and the range of variation in inland lakes. This will also permit the identification of lake habitats used by SGCN as part of the characterization of their life history requirements, information required to prepare adequate conservation and management plans.

The spatial databases and GIS tools developed in support of river ecological assessments will enable these documents to include much additional information, thus increasing their value for conservation and management-related activities. The GIS tools developed will allow the new spatial information that is prepared for these documents to be captured in a way that will make it more easy to share and use for future analyses.

D.Procedure:The following jobs will be performed under this study.Additional detail is provided with each job.

Job 1.Provide support to the lake classification and assessment project for inland lakes and ponds.–This job will involve evaluating the delineated catchment boundaries, summarizing additional landscape variables for the catchments of lakes and larger ponds, and assembling additional information on aquatic habitats.

Job 2.Identify lakes missing from the 1:24,000 NHD.–Recent work has made it apparent that several hundred lakes may be missing from the 1:24,000 NHD.A list of missing lakes will be assembled and supplied to the DIT/CSSTP, the official steward of the 1:24,000 NHD for Michigan and the unit that is responsible for updating this spatial data.

Job 3.Digitize lake contour maps and calculate morphometric variables.–This job will work on digitizing the 1,150 remaining lake maps, including identifying the deepest point, and calculating several variables, such asvolume, mean depth, and percent of area (and volume) less than 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 feet deep.

Job 4.Link information on geographic distribution of fish speciesand other data to theNHD.–Information currently available only as figures in reports or other data formats will be converted to spatial data by indexing to stream and lake reaches in the1:100,000 or 1:24,000NHD.

Job 5.Provide GIS and database support for river ecological assessments.–This will include development and revision of spatial databases and GIS tools, including the Michigan Valley Segment Ecological Classification 2.0, which provides the ecological foundation for river ecological assessments and the river portion of the Wildlife Action Plan.

Job 6.Write annual performance report.

Job 7.Write final report.–A final report will be prepared.

G.Schedule:

Proposed work / 2010 / 2011
Job 1 / Provide support to the lake classification and assessment project for inland lakes and ponds. / X / X
Job 2 / Identify lakes missing from the 1:24,000 NHD. / X / NA
Job 3 / Digitize lake contour maps and calculate morphometric variables. / X / X
Job 4 / Link information on geographical distribution of fish species and other data to theNHD. / X / X
Job 5 / Provide GIS and database support for river ecological assessments. / X / X
Job 6 / Write annual performance report / X / NA
Job 7 / Write final report / NA / X

1NA = not scheduled

H.Geographical locations:Institute for Fisheries Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I.Personnel: James E. Breck, Research Biology Specialist; Lidia Szabo Kraft, GIS Specialist, University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources & Environment; Research Administrative personnel; editor; and other Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel.

Literature Cited:

Eagle, A.C., E.M. Hay-Chmielewski, K.T. Cleveland, A.L. Derosier, M.E. Herbert, and R.A. Rustem,editors.2005.Michigan's Wildlife Action Plan.Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Lansing,Michigan.1592 pp.