written by Susan Daniel
Researchers from the Great Lakes Center returned to sampling as a part of the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) Biology Monitoring Program. The Great Lakes Center has been participating in this annual survey since 2013, so this year was our 10-year anniversary! This was the first survey in two years that was completed without unexpected engine trouble, sampling all five Great Lakes in the order of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario and lastly Superior. GLC scientists Susan Daniel and Angela Tulumello set sail out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 1, 2023. Everything went by the book with great weather, wonderful fellow scientists, and a great crew.
Part way through the survey, the ship hosted tours in Detroit, Michigan during the Brownfields 2023 conference, which focuses on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment. Susan and Angela were asked to provide information on our work and talk with stakeholders about the importance of monitoring the Great Lakes. During the first tour, Susan had the opportunity to speak with Debbie Dingell, the U.S. representative for Michigan’s 6th congressional district. During the second tour, Rashida Tlaib, the U.S. representative for Michigan’s 12th district, was present.
The second half of the survey left the Port of Rochester on August 18th and headed back towards Lake Superior. Lillian Denecke joined Susan, while Angela went back to the labs with samples to process. Lake Superior is the largest lake by surface area and can be so picturesque. One morning towards the end of the month-long survey, we were able to see the sun rise over Isle Royale. Susan visited the Isle for the first time in June while on a backpacking trip, and to see it from the water at a monitoring station created a memory to last a lifetime. Isle Royale is the least-visited national park in the U.S. but is the most revisited. Unfortunately, no moose or wolves were seen during Susan’s backpacking trip or while “on-station”- maybe next year!
In total, GLC scientists were able to collect samples from 56 stations throughout all five Great Lakes. Due to truly astounding teamwork, we are already nearly finished sorting the samples collected during this survey! Although sorting out our targeted organisms is the first step, it often takes the most time. We expect to be finished with all the samples by the end of October. The team enjoyed beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and prepared meals, but most of all they enjoyed being out on the water.
Image caption: Susan (right) gives a tour to guests including Representative Debbie Dingell (fourth from right).
