2009-2010 Great Lakes Seminar Series: "Hydrographic Survey of Grand Traverse Bay" November 17, 2009

The Inland Seas Education Association will present a seminar that focuses on the on-going survey of the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay at 7:00pm on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay. The seminar, "Hydrographic Survey of Grand Traverse Bay," will be presented by Hans VanSumeren, Executive Director of Northwestern Michigan College's Water Studies Institute, and Mark Breederland, Extension Educator with Michigan Sea Grant. This seminar is free and open to the public. Northwestern Michigan College's Water Studies Institute is spearheading the first effort to map the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay in 80 years, an endeavor which already is expected to lead to the first public pictures of a 1980 shipwreck near Suttons Bay. Assisted by Michigan Sea Grant, NMC is conducting advanced hydrographic surveys of both east and west arms of Grand Traverse Bay and northern Lake Michigan. Since existing data dates to the 1920s, the survey project will provide important updated and expanded information with multiple applications, including environmental impact assessments, commercial navigation charts, and supporting fisheries. VanSumeren and Breederland will discuss the first phase of underwater research, conducted with side-scan sonar equipment aboard the NMC research vessel Northwestern. Research will continue next summer and their findings will be shared with the public. Hans VanSumeren is the Executive Director of Northwestern Michigan College's Water Studies Institute in Traverse City. The Water Studies Institute strives to engage individuals and organizations to protect, wisely use, and manage the key resources of fresh water. Mark Breederland is an Extension Educator with in Michigan Sea Grant Traverse City. Breederland works with coastal communities and businesses in northwest Michigan to apply science-based knowledge to address Great Lakes issues.