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Northern Minnesota's Arrowhead Regional Development Council (ARDC) created the Vermilion Lake Coastal Zone Management project in 2002 to engage local citizens in a natural resource protection effort. Funded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and St. Louis County, the project used over 20 local volunteers to inventory aquatic vegetation and substrate for nearly 300 miles of shoreline around Vermilion Lake.

The project developed out of a process in which ARDC analyzed new shoreland zoning regulations with the help of residents. The organization recruited many of these same people to participate in Vermilion Lake Coastal Zone Management project. Using methods developed by ARDC staff, volunteers received maps of the lake and added hand-drawn details of where various types of vegetation occurred along mainland shore and some of the islands in the lake. Since the volunteers did not have extensive training in identifying plants or creating geographic information system (GIS) maps, there were some inconsistencies in the amount of detail and accuracy of the information collected. However, using volunteers allowed for a more extensive project because labor costs were significantly reduced. ARDC staff were able to invest more time in analyzing the data with GIS software.

Senior GIS Specialist David Yapel explains the importance of the project to the Arrowhead Region: "There are a lot of former wilderness areas on these lakes now being developed. Preserving the wilderness character of the lake needs to be bridged in the face of new development. Through appropriate land use decisions we are able to accomplish more to protect the environment and the lake."

The MDNR and Forest Service have already used the data collected in the Vermilion Lake project for enhancing fish spawning and other natural resource protections. Although the shoreland zoning process is complete for now, the data could be used to guide future land use decisions. The project had the added benefit of increasing local interest in land use planning, shore and lake conservation and work completed by the DNR. In addition, several local government groups have expressed interest in learning how to engage volunteers in similar projects.

In 2002, the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (NEMCOG) received a $53,000 grant from the EPA Great Lakes National Protection Office to develop the Misery Bay Initiative, A Plan to Protect the Coastal Ecosystems. This project grew out of the 1998 designation of Misery Bay as one of 20 Biodiversity Investment Areas on the Great Lakes at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference, a bi-annual event organized as part of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada.

The Misery Bay planning area is located in Alpena County in Michigan's Northeastern Lower Peninsula, covering parts of Alpena Township and a small area in the City of Alpena (population 11,000). Although located adjacent to a community that has seen considerable residential and industrial development over the last century, the ecosystems are in relatively pristine condition. Misery Bay remains a habitat for rare plant and animal species like the dwarf lake iris (Michigan's official wildflower), Lake Huron tansy, pitcher's thistle and common and Caspian terns. Furthermore, the forests and marshes around Misery Bay are critical stopover sites for migrating neotropical birds.

The plan was developed in partnership with the Misery Bay Initiative Steering Committee, comprising local jurisdictions, agencies, landowners, businesses and environmental groups. The committee's goal was to preserve the region's wildlands character and ecological treasures while respecting the rights of property owners. The plan identifies significant and fragile natural resources, making recommendations for conservation planning and educating landowners on best practices.

Alpena Township was concurrently updating its master plan. Information compiled through the Misery Bay Initiative influenced the township to expand resource conservation in future land use planning areas, a first step toward protecting fragile coastal ecosystems. The township secured grant funding to purchase 132 acres of undeveloped shoreland. The Nature Conservancy and Headwaters Land Conservancy are working toward purchasing other priority lands.

The Misery Bay Initiative represents a success for the region in coordinating environmental protections with land use planning efforts. However, planning challenges still remain. Rick Deuell, Deputy Director and Senior Planner, explains, "The growth in Northeast Michigan tends to be a scattered kind of rural sprawl. It's not subdivisions, but 40-acre parcels cut into five- or 10-acre parcels, taking prime forestland and farmland out of production."

He continues, "When I talk to the townships about open space preservation or cluster development, and 50-60 percent of their township is public land, they say, 'We've got too much open space.' But I always remind them of the benefits of open space and the importance of planning for their green infrastructure. There are critical resource areas on private lands that should be protected that you can't get it back once it's developed."

Arrowhead Regional Development Council 221 W. 1st St. Duluth, MN 55802 Tel: 218.722.5545 Fax: 218.529.7592 http://www.ardc.org/

Northeast Michigan Council of Governments P.O. Box 457 Gaylord, MI 49735 Tel: 989.732.3551 Fax: 989.732.5578 http://www.nemcog.org/