Michigan TU Chapter Updates

Fred Waara Chapter

Coldwater fisheries opportunities abound in the Upper Peninsula! In August, the Fred Waara Chapter partnered with the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve and Superior Outfitters to host a two-day fly fishing workshop for beginners (shown in the photo above). There were 21 happy participants, ranging in age from 11 to 80. By popular demand, the event is planned again for this August.

The chapter also added three new schools to its Salmon in the Classroom program, bringing it up to 12 sponsored schools. As a result, members are looking forward to a lot of fun fishrelease festivities in May.

The chapter has continued to expand and refine its communication tools and online presence throughout the past year. In October, it held an in-person social event to build community and gather ideas. Currently, members are in the process of upgrading their “outreach booth.” The list of such events is steadily growing as the chapter continues to partner with numerous organizations for coldwater fisheries conservation and education events.

Upcoming projects for the chapter include work on the Two Hearted River, continued temperature logger installations in a few different watersheds, and working with the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy to protect water quality in the new Dead River Community Forest.

Besides some generous donations to help fund its many initiatives, the chapter recently conducted a successful online auction. In addition, the Fred Waara Chapter will finally be able to host its spring celebration and fundraising banquet after a few-year pandemic-induced hiatus. Members are looking forward to reuniting with old friends and meeting some new ones as they celebrate conserving the abundance of coldwater resources they are blessed with in the Upper Peninsula.

Miller-Van Winkle Chapter

In northwest Michigan, the Miller-Van Winkle Chapter has been busy over the past several months with a number of projects, some familiar and some new. New efforts include last October’s Women’s Clinic, organized in conjunction with the Little Traverse Conservancy. Twenty participants learned about

Compiled by Joe Barker

fish biology, entomology, and casting basics. The event was so successful that another 20 women made up a waitlist, with plans already underway for another event this spring. There are also plans for a women’s fly-tying series.

Another partnership with LTC included the chapter’s annual Youth Clinic on the Maple River in July. A dozen young anglers, guided by chapter members, learned about the river’s habitat while casting for rainbow and brown trout under clear summer skies. This annual outing is a regular part of LTC’s summer youth program.

In addition to this new event, the MVWTU is again hosting weekly Tie One On nights at the Conservancy offices. In recent weeks, groups of experienced and new fly tiers have gathered to tie and learn about useful patterns for wet and dry flies. The chapter provides materials for each pattern, tools for those new to fly tying, guided practice, and a chance to socialize through the cold winter months.

Another annual feature of the chapter’s efforts is the winter speaker series. The series kicked off in January with a presentation on the history and design of Au Sable riverboats by Tim Riley of River Valley Adventures. Other scheduled speakers include Josh Greenberg of Gates Au Sable Lodge and Michigan TU leaders.

Copper Country Chapter

The Copper Country Chapter has been hosting weekly flytying workshops at the Portage Lake District Library on Tuesday evenings at 6 pm. The chapter has had participants ranging from kids trying fly tying for the first time to experienced tiers who have been able to help teach the craft to others.

CCCTU completed a second year of temperature monitoring to establish long-term stream temperature data sets in watersheds with varying geologic and hydrologic attributes. Data has been collected at six locations, and the chapter plans to expand this effort to other streams in Western Upper Peninsula.

The chapter also continues to support research at Michigan Technological University to learn more about migratory coaster brook trout populations in Western Upper Peninsula. Recently, this has included deploying acoustic tags in large brook trout to track their movement in Lake Superior. Preliminary results indicate that brook trout (14 inches and over) have migrated from a tributary where they were tagged into the Portage Waterway in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Michigan Tech is also collaborating with a Michigan State University geneticist to investigate the possible introgression of splake into coaster populations, a concern highlighted in Michigan TU’s recent position statement written and presented to the Michigan DNR.

Mershon-Neumann Heritage Chapter

The Mershon-Neumann Heritage Chapter is almost back to normal. Its first in-person annual meeting in a few years was held on February 10. Two presentations by Kevin Feenstra, as well as a delicious buffet, drew a crowd of almost 100 people. Kevin’s presentation on birds of Michigan waterways attracted a more diverse audience than just anglers, although the fishermen in the group enjoyed his presentation on matching baitfish enormously. Although the occasion was primarily social, members elected four new board members. The chapter welcomes Matt Pollard, Rob Tunney, Randy Hayward, and Duane Essenmacher.

On April 8, the chapter will hold its annual Women n Waders event at the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center in Frankenmuth. This popular program is truly a complete introduction to fly fishing, all done in a day.

On March 24 and 25, members will participate in the Project F.I.S.H. program, designed to give educators a curriculum to provide hands-on activities related to all aspects of fishing. The program is open to anyone interested in learning how to teach beginning anglers. Presented by Mark Stephens from the MSU Extension, this is a fantastic opportunity to expand programs beyond casting and fly tying, including habitat, fish identification, ethics, macro-invertebrates, and even how to clean and cook a fish.

May will be busy with Women on the Water, a Mother’s Day weekend planned with the Schrems Chapter. It will be an entire weekend of fishing and fun from when participants arrive at Pere Marquette River Lodge on Friday afternoon until the women leave Sunday morning. The highlight of the weekend, in addition to just being with like-minded women, is the full-day float trip on Saturday. The cost of $500 includes food, a two-night stay at the Pere Marquette River Lodge (double occupancy), and most meals. Links to the registration can be found at https://swmtu.org/ product/2023-women-on-the-water.

The chapter’s spring meeting will consist of training for the upcoming DNR Rapid Watershed Assessment, conducted by DNR Fish Biologist April Simmons. The chapter is eager to be able to help her achieve her goal of assessing the entire Rifle River Watershed within the next two years by doing some of the simpler assessments of habitat and macroinvertebrates. This is an opportunity for members to help improve the Rifle River on their schedule, following established protocols to obtain needed data.

The final event of the spring will be a picnic. A food truck at a pavilion makes this event casual and welcoming to families and people passing by. It gives the chapter’s board a chance to pass out awards, thank members for their support, and celebrate all they’ve accomplished before spreading out to enjoy the fishing over the summer.

Charles A. Fellows Chapter

Last fall, the chapter’s board sat down at the table and took a hard look at where it is as a chapter and where it would like to be in one year. Members set goals for increased engagement for the board, social media, and involvement. This winter, the chapter added two active board members, one of whom has volunteered to take over social media and webpage design.

The chapter plans to continue donations and sponsorship as it has in the past for the Michigan TU Aquifer Fund and Midwest Reeling and Healing, a women’s cancer retreat. The Charles Fellows Chapter currently supports five salmon in the classroom tanks, three in Lapeer schools, one in Grand Blanc schools, and one in Romeo schools. In the coming year, members plan to continue the Chapter Youth Fishing event, F.A.M. (Future Anglers of Michigan). During the event, the chapter hosts one youth and one parent at no expense to the family. The hope is to pass on the love of fishing the outdoors and conservation to the next generation while bringing families together in the outdoors.

The chapter’s spring fundraising banquet will be held on April 14th at the Redwood Steakhouse & Brewery in Flint beginning at 5:30 pm. This event has been its most successful fundraising event and will be the third year hosting beer tasting paired with dinner.