EXPANDING A SURFACE WATER MONITORING PROGRAM IN THE L`ANSE INDIAN RESERVATION AND CEDED TERRITORY

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1017514
• Grant No.: 2018-38424-28526
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $95,000.00
• Proposal No.: 2018-04196
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2018
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2020
• Grant Year: 2018
• Program Code: [ZY]- Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program

Recipient Organization
KEWEENAW BAY OJIBWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
111 BEAR TOWN RD
BARAGA,MI 49908

Performing Department
Environmental Science

Non Technical Summary
Climate change and other environmental stressors threaten the natural and cultural resources of numerous indigenous communities, including the Anishinaabe of the Great Lakes region. The area's water resources provide critical habitat for culturally-significant food sources such as brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and walleye (Sander vitreus). This projectrepresents an expansion of a surface water temperature monitoring program successfully administered since 2015 through a partnership between Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) and the KBIC Natural Resources Department (KBIC-NRD). This program has already provided valuable findings to several KBIC departments and agency partners and has engaged KBOCC faculty and students in scholarly research.Several issues illustrate the importance of monitoring temperature trends in aquatic habitats. Researchers and natural resource agency practitioners agree that the critical limiting factor in distribution of our area's fish species is water temperature. The critical water temperature threshold for brook trout is 70° F, above which habitats become unusable. Nearshore walleye habitat suitability is similarly influenced by water temperature. As temperatures reach 50° F or above, walleye move further offshore to cooler and deeper waters and are impossible to harvest using traditional Anishinaabe methods such as spearing.With the emergence of climate change concerns throughout fisheries and wildlife management disciplines, we need to better understand seasonal temperature trends in critical fish habitats. For the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, climate change and land use activities such as logging or mining threaten the sustainability of numerous critical habitats. For fish-stocking and other management programs to be effective, it is critical to monitor temperature trends in the waters of the reservation and ceded territories.There is a clear need for the continuation of this work. Findings have already helped inform tribal natural resource management strategies, and several areas of concern have been identified and require follow-up study. Many KBIC members annually partake in traditional spear-harvesting of walleye as a cultural tradition and an important source of sustenance. The timing of the harvest period, administered by the KBIC-NRD, depends on an accurate understanding of seasonal temperature trends. Similarly, KBIC-NRD brook trout stocking efforts, which require huge investments of capital and and labor, will benefit from ongoing data from target streams.We made valuable discoveries in the two years of this program. For example, In 2016-2017 we examined temperatures of two streams that pass through a local golf course and are stocked with brook trout by the KBIC-NRD. In both years, temperatures in both streams were significantly warmer downstream of the golf course than upstream, with dataloggers recording 46 temperature points exceeding the critical temperature for brook trout. Through this relatively simple examination we were able to determine that the canopy removal at the golf course is likely impacting brook trout survival and could pose a barrier to upstream migration. This finding is extremely valuable to fisheries managers and will be examined further.The proposed research is extremely relevant to the tribal community. Our community has vested economic and cultural interests in its fisheries. The KBIC-NRD owns and operates a cold-water fish hatchery facility. For over 20 years, a critical resource management component involves strategic rehabilitative and/or put-and-take stocking of various strains and life history stages of brook trout and walleye. Through our Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP), annual prescriptive stocking goals are established that include stocking a target 40,000 yearling stream and coaster variety brook trout throughout the KBIC ceded territory. As part of the IRMP process, specific system and site selections for brook trout stocking are determined through cooperative, multi-agency discussions and are based on the best available ecological data.As part of a multi-agency commitment to apply best-management practices for key fish species (site to site and system to system), commitments are made to assess habitat quality for as many stocking areas as possible. The temperature monitoring program has increased capacity to propagate and strategically stock a diversity of fish species important to the community and multiple fisheries management partners in the region, including the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Ottawa National Forest (ONF), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) in performing long-term surveying of imperiled lake sturgeon populations in Lake Superior. Additional efforts include recent significant investments in rearing ponds for culturing walleye for stocking in near-shore waters, particularly for the annual spring spear-harvest.Community members rely on productive fisheries and wetlands as a matter of cultural tradition and sustenance. Fishing also provides economic benefits to many KBIC families. The sharing of our research findings through educational materials, outreach activities, and public presentations keep community members informed on the status of the fisheries they hold sacred and rely on for their lifeways.Thisproject has demonstrated tremendous benefits to students. Sinceits inceptionin 2015, twelve student research assistants earned stipends and internship credits for their contributions. Five delivered research presentations at professional conferences, and two developed their required, independent Capstone research projects from this program. Two students who made substantial contributions to this project in 2015-2017 completed their KBOCC degrees and secured permanent employment at KBIC-NRD.Research capacity will be enhanced through a newpartnership with a 4-year institution. The primary focus for expansion involves potential impacts to water resources from logging and other land uses. SFRES personnel will lead activities examining links between forest management and water quality, particularly related to logging best management practices (BMPs).Pathways for KBOCC students to SFRES 4-year programs will be strengthened.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

100%

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
112	0210	2050	100%

Knowledge Area
112 - Watershed Protection and Management;

Subject Of Investigation
0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
2050 - Hydrology;

Keywords

aquatic habitat

cold-water fish

fisheries

migration

stream

surface water

temperature

wetland

Goals / Objectives
Our objective is to continue and expand an already-successful surface water temperature monitoring program across the L'Anse Indian Reservation and ceded territory. Several specific goals are described below.Provide valuable planning tools to develop best practices. We will deploy advanced and long-term continuous water temperature profiling devices at target locations throughout the L'Anse Indian Reservation and ceded territory, including cold-water streams, wetlands, and near-shore Lake Superior sites. Data will help guide KBIC-NRD management decisions for fisheries and water quality programs. We will also begin examining links between forest management and water quality, representing and expansion of previous work.Engage in scientific discovery through the leadership of KBOCC faculty and mentoring of student assistants. The work will lead to curriculum enhancement in multiple KBOCC Environmental Science courses, likely including Fisheries Biology and Management (BI205), Introduction to Conservation Biology (BI130), Principles of Ecology (BI206), and Introduction to Environmental Science (ES110). Co-PD Jondreau will assist with curriculum enhancement in Forest Ecosystems of the Upper Peninsula (ES204). Courses will incorporate trips to study sites and hands-on work with partners. Data could also be used in GIS-based curriculum, the expansion of which is planned in the future. Curriculum will focus on problem identification, data collection and analysis, solution development, and potential policy and legal issues. Benefits of this research will extend beyond students employed as research assistants.Address community needs. The substantial values of fisheries, medicinal plants, and water resources has been identified in previous community-based research by PD Kozich (2016, 2018). The proposed research speaks to the significance of these resources, and community members will be welcomed to provide input to the process through meetings and other outreach activities. Our work will be very visible to community members at popular gatherings such as the annual spear-harvest and Kids' Fishing Derby events. Findings will be available to the community through media outlet sources sponsored by KBIC leadership.Strengthen relationships between KBOCC, SFRES, and KBIC departments who have common goals and objectives. The collaboration with SFRES will help enhance KBOCC students' pathways to 4-year programs and could result in increased recruitment of Anishinaabe students to SFRES, meeting goals of both institutions. A key outcome of this partnership is increased focus on program alignment and course transferability between KBOCC and SFRES.Seek opportunities for future project expansion. The ongoing collection of temperature data will help us examine and better understand relationships between habitat conditions and the presence and reproduction of troublesome aquatic invasive species such as sea lamprey and Eurasian ruffe, which can be locally abundant and very problematic. Participation from other KBIC-NRD departments will result. For example, a current concern of the KBIC-NRD involves impacts to stream habitats resulting from recent improvements in road-stream crossings across the reservation. Temperature data that complements ongoing studies of effects of canopy removal, drainage culvert replacements, bridge construction, and other engineered structures that result in disturbances such as the modification of stream channels. These activities could have detrimental effects to stream habitat quality, but have not thoroughly been examined yet.Enhance research capacity. Forests represent the dominant land cover of the L'Anse Indian Reservation. The partnership with SFRES, a premier forestry school, will result in new opportunities for SFRES to collect data on regional forests and will help KBIC researchers and practitioners better-understand the delicate ecological relationships between forests and water.

Project Methods
Beginning in the Fall 2018 semester,student research assistants will be recruited and trained under the guidance of PD Kozich and KBIC-NRD personnel whohave extensive expertise in water quality program management and have received professional training through agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey. Rigorous procedures will be followed, including thorough documentation at each study site (e.g., date/time of deployment, GPS waypoints, photographic documentation, notes involving site conditions, and so forth). Site documentation will be kept by the PD and KBIC-NRD Water Resources personnel.We will convene two meetings before field work begins. An informational meeting will be promoted through various channels to invite public participation in the research plan. Questions will be answered and recommendations will be noted. We will then convene a meeting of all research team members, including students, to discuss objectives, procedures, and responsibilities and identify target sites for an abbreviated fall 2018 deployment cycle. New supply purchases will be made and existing supplies will be cleaned and prepped for use.Due to the timing of initial funding, the initial deployment will be limited to stream sites to allow us to examine the timing of seasonal changes. Loggers will be retrieved in early winter. Over the following two years, full logger deployment will involve a minimum of 45 submersible temperature logging units in stream, wetland, and near-shore Lake Superior sites. HOBO® model Water Temp Pro V2 logging units will be used. The logging units perform continuous water temperature monitoring, with self-contained data storage in each unit. Data loggers will record water temperatures hourly throughout the deployment cycle. Logging units will be affixed to weights and held in place in streams using construction materials such as rebar, bricks, and metal ties. Suitable depths and channel locations will be identified by research team leaders, and students will assist with all aspects of deployment and data recording. Logging units will be periodically checked throughout the data-collection seasons to ensure they remain submerged. Dislodged loggers will be re-set.During the summer season while loggers are in the water, students will assist KBIC-NRD Fisheries and Water Resources personnel in related field and laboratory work. Internship tasks will be linked to parallel KBIC-NRD work such as water quality sampling and fish population research. Students will contribute to KBIC hatchery and walleye pond operation and community events such as the Kids' Fishing Derby. Summer 2019 interns will participate in a multi-day workshop hosted by SFRES emphasizing hands-on field research in forests. Students will also learn about opportunities available to them at 4-year SFRES programs.Loggers will be retrieved each year in early winter throughout the funding period. Data will be uploaded using HOBO® model U-DTW-1 data shuttles and stored and analyzed with proprietary HOBOware Pro v.3x software. Data will be stored on computers and back-up hard-drives kept in KBOCC Room 210, which has a research lab that remains locked and can only be accessed by KBOCC Environmental Science faculty and building maintenance staff.Data analysis will be jointly led by the PD, KBIC-NRD Fisheries and Water Resources personnel. Findings will be synthesized into a report delivered to the funding agency, KBIC Tribal Council, and agency partners. Findings will be communicated to the community through events such as KBIC powwows and the numerous fishing-related events that occur annually.Quality assurance: This research involves no collection, handling, transport, preservation, analysis, or disposal of any kind of physical samples, including water. Thus, no decontamination procedures or support facilities are necessary. The PD will be responsible for the secure storage in KBOCC Room 210 of all supplies and data throughout the research process. Logging units will be delivered to field locations and deployed by team leaders and student assistants who have received rigorous training in equipment handling and use prior to deployment. Retrieved loggers will be delivered promptly to Room 210 with the assistance the PD. Students will assist in the uploading and analysis of project data but the data will remain stored on secure devices in Room 210. The collected data will merely be a large set of temperature profiles (i.e., spreadsheet data) for all at least 45 loggers.

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:There are two key audiences for our work. First, we regularly reported our progress and research findings to important local persons and entities. Our project was directly linked to KBIC Tribal fisheries management programs, and ultimately to Tribal leadership. Findings were further shared locally through student presentations as part of the Capstone research projects in April 2020. Three students completed Capstone projects based on their research internships, and their presentations were viewed by KBOCC faculty, staff, and classmates and shared by Zoom conference to interested members of the public. Secondly, our target audience includes the sceintific community at large. During this reporting period, reserach findings were shared at two national conferences, one hour-long webinar (now viewableon YouTube), and one publication in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. Changes/Problems:Minor changes were necessary due to the COVID issues of 2020. Michigan was among the states that experienced an early wave of infections and susequent shut-downs, affecting our work during the spring months. We were unable to conduct our expected research in the Portage Waterway in April/May due to mandatory stay-at-home orders. However, we were able to exceedremaining goalsoutlined in our original proposal. In summer 2020 we expandedoriginal project plans by deploying temperature dataloggers at a total of 58 study sites. To accomplish this workDr. Kozich assumed the bulk of the necessary field work, along with substantial contirbutions fromcontracted KBIC fisheries personnel. This re-allocation of responsibilities was necessary because of a KBOCCadministrative decisionto postpone student internships until September 2020 due to COVID. Additionally, the preliminary study of riparian cedar habitats in fall 2019 was more extensive than originally conceived, reaulting in a journal publication. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training for student assistants was provided by Dr. Kozich andcontracted KBIC Natural Resource Dept. fisheries personnel. Dr. Kozich trained students on basic research protocols and served as the mentor on students' surveys, capstone projects, and conference presentations. KBIC fisheries personnel provided all training and oversight of field and lab activities, including datalogger preparation, deployment, retrival, data uploading, and supply storage/maintenance. Dr. Kozich and three student assistants gained professional experiences through conference presentations and publications. For most students, these experiences were their first, which will provide many benefits in their future academic and professional endeavors. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through two conference presentations, two peer-reviewed journal publications, and three student capstone research project presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All project goals were met or exceeded except one: we were unable to collect water temperature data from the Portage Waterway system in spring 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions imposedby local and state governments. In all other aspects, tasks were completed on-time and within the overall budget. During this reporting period we successfully completed data collection from streams in fall 2019. In early summer 2020, after COVID restrictions were lifted, we deployed temperature dataloggers in 58 stream sites (exceeding goals). These loggers are currently deployed and are scheduled for retrival in fall 2020. We also successfully executed the proposed sub-theme from our propsal involving exploratory research into links between riparian cedar habitats and stream temperatures. This accomplishment led to a successful student Capstone project in April 2020 and a peer-reviewed article that will be published in November 2020. All data collectedduring this period has been synthesized with previous years' datasets and shared with relevant natural resource personnel. Scientific discovery resulted in curriculum enhancement in the targeted KBOCC courses, although two of the courses have not been offered since we acquired data from this reporting cycle (KBOCC follows a 2-year course rotation). The engagement of students was greater than proposed, with seven contributing as paid research assistants. Three successfully completed their required Capstone projects based on their contributions, with two subsequently transferring to 4-year programs for fall 2020 and the other having found full-time employment.Two student assistants delievered conference presentations, and four were credited as co-authors on peer reviewed journal publications. Community needs were addressed through three community surveys conducted by graduating students who completed Casptone projects around this work. Each student employed a survey for Tribal members soliciting their perspectives our research and the stewardship of the natural resources involved. Survey findings were incorporated into the two peer-reviewed journal articles that resulted. However, somecommunity events we originally planned to attend to provide project information were canceled due to COVID restrictions. Relationships were strengthened between KBOCC and partners. The KBIC Natural Resource Department has been provided updated water temperature data we collected during this period, specifically including the fisheries department and the water quality department. A new relationship was forged with a SFRES wetlands researcher who subseqently became the co-PI on a recently funded USDA-NIFA grant to build on this project in 2020-2023. We sought opportunities for project expansion and executed two examples of it. We began preliminary research linking stream temperatures with riparian cedar wetland habitats, and at some of our study sites we linked our temperature data to invasive species population data collected by the KBIC Natural Resources Department. Research capacity was enhanced through our new relationship with Dr. Rod Chimner, an esteemed wetlands ecologist at SFRES. Dr. Chimner joined our research team for our 2020 USDA-NIFA proposal, which has been funded, and will play a key role in the next three years of this project. He will serve as a technical advisor on wetlands ecosystems and willhelp facilitate collaborative field sessions for students of KBOCC and SFRES.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kozich, A.T., V.S. Gagnon, G. Mensch, S. Michels, and N. Gehring. 2020. Walleye ogaawag spearing in the Portage Waterway, Michigan: Integrating mixed methodology for insight on an important Tribal fishery. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education 169:101-116.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kozich, A.T., C. LaFernier, S. Voakes, P. LaPointe, and G. Mensch. 2020. Understanding relationships between non-human relatives in riparian cedar swamp ecosystems of Baraga County, Michigan. Accepted/in review at Tribal College and University Research Journal.

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary, local target audience is theKBIC Tribal fisheries management personnel, who report toTribal leadership. Various findingswere also deliveredthrough presentations of student assitants as part of their Capstone research projects; three students completed their reserach, required for graduation, based on this project. Secondly, our target audience includes the broader sceintific community nationwide. During this 2-year project period, findings were published in 2 articles in peer-reviewed journals,one hour-long webinar (viewable on YouTube), and sixconference presentations. Changes/Problems:The only unanticipated change involvedimpacts from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic andmandatory stay-at-home orders. When these orders were lifted, we resumed work in time to proceed with planned summer tasks.However, for the remainder of the summer we were not allowed to employ students because of institutional restrictions on student employment that were in effect until August. To complete needed tasks, the PD and two contracted NRD Fisheries personnel assumed an increased workload to sustain the project. This strategy worked, and all 2020 goals were still met or exceeded. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Nine KBOCC student research assistant gained valuable skills in field methodology, data analysis, and presentations.Several students gained theirfirst conference research presentations of our findings, and three completedindependent capstone projects based on their work as interns on this project. Four students served as co-authors on published articles of our findings.The PD gained experience in delivering an online presentation during the COVID period. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been dissemeninated locally through three student capstone project prsentations that were open to the pulbic. We prepared a management recommendation for Tribal leadership on ways to improve the annual walleye spear-harvest for community members. Findings were shared with the broader scientific community through two publications, six conference presentations, and one webinar. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Planning tools: All goals were accomplished. Our database from the two year period exceeded original project goals. We produced a recommendationforKBIC Tribal leadership on ways to improve walleye harvests for Tribal members by revising harvest-season management of the Portage Waterway system. We also expanded out project into riparian wetland ecosystems, beyondwhat weoriginally planned; findings in this sub-theme of our project were expansive enough to result in a manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal, scheduled for publication in late 2020. Scientific discovery: All goals were met. We incorporated the research project into course curriculum as planned, and were able to employ more student research assistants (9) over the two-year period than originally planned. Three students successfully completed capstone research proejcts based on their contributions, two of which provided the foundations for publications. One student's presentation at a national conference was recognized with a first-place award among all student presentations. Community needs: Our research included three community surveys that were successfully employed to add richness to the ecological data we collected. Survey findings were incorporated into publications,presentations, and student capstones as well as our management recommendation for the Portage Waterway system. We successfully gained community insight and shared the synthesis of participants' views in many products and venues. Outreach efforts at some community events, ordinarily to be held in 2020,were canceled due toCOVID-19. However, we were able to compensate by delivering a presentation in a publicly-viewable webinar in July 2020. Relationships: This project clearly strengthened our relationships with relevant partners, particularly involving the KBIC Natural Resources Department (NRD). Substantial contributions were made by NRD contractor specialists, particularly adding value to this project during summer 2020 when KBOCC prohibited student employment as a measure of COVID-19 safety precautions. The PD and NRD partners were able to sustain the project to successfully meet project-end goals. Relationships between KBOCC and SFRES have expanded to include a wetland ecologist for further project expansion in 2020. Future expansion: We were able to expand this project in the key area of riparian wetland ecosystems, as planned. Many of the streams involved in our study are linked to cedar swamps, for instance, where we successfully launched a key sub-component of this project in 2019-2020. Since then, we took firther steps in this direction, in summer 2020, by examining herbivory onriparian cedar treesby white-tail deer. Expansion in this area will continue in 2020-2023, effectively linking relationships between terrestrial mammals, wetland trees, and aquatic habitats shaded by those trees. Research capacity: One example of enhanced research capacity involves new and innovative methods we employedfor using temperature dataloggers in the 2019-2020 expansion into riparian cedar swamps. We also began increasing our understanding of the hydrologyof riparian cedar swamps associated with our study sites. The partnership with SFRES resulted in a new collaboration with a SFRES wetlands ecologist who will be a co-PD on our funded expansion of this project for 2020-2023.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kozich, A.T., V.S. Gagnon, G. Mensch, S. Michels, and N. Gehring. 2020. Walleye ogaawag spearing in the Portage Waterway, Michigan: Integrating mixed methodology for insight on an important Tribal fishery. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education 169:101-116.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kozich, A.T., C. LaFernier, S. Voakes, P. LaPointe, and G. Mensch. 2020. Understanding relationships between non-human relatives in riparian cedar swamp ecosystems of Baraga County, Michigan. In press at Tribal College and University Research Journal (Vol. 5).
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kozich, A.T., V.S. Gagnon, G. Mensch, S. Michels, and N. Gehring. 2020. Walleye ogaawag spearing in the Portage Waterway, Michigan: Integrating mixed methodology for insight on an important Tribal fishery. Presentation at Water in the Native World Special Issue Webinar Series. July 2020.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Michels, S. and A.T. Kozich. Using community-based research to enrich Tribal fisheries management in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michigan. Presentation at the First American Land Grant Consortium conference. Denver, CO. October 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kozich, A.T. Surface and groundwater research in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Presentation at the Sixth Annual Tribal College and University Research Convening. Denver, CO. July 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Jondreau, M., A.T. Kozich, and D. Chosa. Concerns about cultural impacts of climate change in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Poster presentation at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Oshkosh, WI. June 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Michels, S., N. Gehring, G. Mensch, and A.T. Kozich. Investigation of temperature trends in the Portage Waterway, Michigan: Best management for an important Tribal walleye fishery. Poster presentation at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Oshkosh, WI. June 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Michels, M., N. Gehring, G. Mensch, and A.T. Kozich. Investigation of temperature trends in the Portage Waterway, Michigan: Best management for an important Tribal walleye fishery. Poster presentation at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium annual conference. Billings, MT. March 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kozich, A.T. Anishinaabe perspectives on Great Lakes water resources. Presentation at the State of Lake Superior Conference. Houghton, MI. October 2018.

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Several target audiences were reached during this period: KBIC Tribal leadership, including local natural resource management personnel,represent the primary target audience of our project. With each year of our research, we are providing valuable insight fordecision-makers to impmlement better fisheries management. National and regional natural resource agency personnel represent another target audience. We are collaborating with several agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlfie Service, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. We are sharing our findings with these agency partners. The wider scientific community is an additional target audience. Research findings have been presented by the PD and student assistants at several conferences, and an article has been accepted for publication in a scholarly journal. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training opportunities focused on engaging student assistants in standard proceduresin fisheries and water quality management. Six students made significant contributions to the project during this period, with three accruing enough work hours to earn internship credits. Students received training and oversight with field and laboratory techniques, data analysis, and equipment handling/maintenance. Students gained professional development skills by attending two national conferences and delivering presentations. Two students contibuted to our upcoming journal publication and will receive co-author credits. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated to KBIC leadership through recommendations for revisions to the Tribe's spring walleye harvest. We believe that the timing of the harvest season needs to be adjusted in response to trends we found in spring surface water warming. Results have been disseminated to the scientific community through four conference presentations and an article in a scholarly journal that has been accepted for publication in 2020. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The next reporting period will feature a repeat of this year's data-logger deployment in streams and the Portage Lake waterway. In addition, the next period will feature the majority of co-PD Jondreau's contibutions (particularly in the Forest Ecosystems course), focusing on links between forest management and water resources and further strengthening ties between our institutions. We will also be seeking more student assistants to reach theproject-end goal of having four studentsaccrue enough work hours to earn internship credits.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All majaor project goals were met or exceeded during this period. This project has made significant impacts in several areas, particularly related to professional development (conference presentations/publications) and natural resource management recommendations. The findings detailed in our pending journal publication will represent the first such publication on KBIC fisheries management since its inception in the 1980s. Planning tools & best practices (goal exceeded): We deployed 55 temperature data-loggers in streams and 13 in the Portage Lake waterway. This combined total exceeds our original goal of 45. We also met our goal of developing management recommendations for KBIC leadership with the objective of improving the community walleye harvest. The exmination of links between forest management and water resources will begin in earnest during the fall 2019 semester, in conjunction with our Forest Ecosystems course that co-PD Gerald Jondreau will assist with. Scientific discovery (goal exceeded): Curriculum enhancementis complete or in progress for three courses: Fisheries Biology and Management (fall 2018), Forest Ecosystems (fall 2019), and Wildlife Biology and Management (fall 2019).Student research assistantsdelivered presentations at two national conferences;one received a first place award for student presenetations. Students contibuted to a journal article that has been accepted for publcation in 2020 in theJournal of Contemporary Water Research and Education. Two student assistants are developing their required Capstone research projects based on our findings. Address community needs (goal exceeded): The Tribal community provided management opinions at the annual KBIC spear-harvest of 2019. Their insights were reflected in our pending journal article. We also enhanced our project byconducting an online community survey to assess community perspectives on fisheries management. Strengthen relationships (goal met): Ties between KBOCC and management of theKBIC Fisheries program have been greatly enhanced. KBIC Fisheries Biologist Gene Mensch, akey contibutor to our project, has established an auxilary office at KBOCC to have a greater presence at the college. He and student assistants have also established one of our science labs as the headquarters for the proejct (for data analysis and equipment storage). Co-PD Jondreau has been involved in several KBOCC events and will take on a greater role in fall 2019 in conjunction with our Forest Ecosystems course. Future project expansion (goal met): To date, we have identified two potential areas for expansion that will be reflected in a 2020 proposal for continued funding. We are interested inexamining links between water temperature and fish populations inoffshore Lake Superior sites byaffixing temperature loggers to nets that are used for fish population sampling. We are also interested in ongoing collaboration with SFRES as well as the U.S. Forest Service to examine potential links between stream temperatures and themanagement of the Ottawa National Forest. Research capacity (goal met): In addition to co-PI Jondreau participating in KBOCC events, PD Kozich delivered a guest presentation at SFRES in 2019 that was attended by over 50 MTU students and faculty members. Several attendees followed up by reaching out to Dr. Kozich for opportunities to be involved in future events across the KBIC. Also, aSFRES doctoral student in attendance pursued an opening for a KBOCC adjunct instructor in the Environmental Science Department. He was hired to teach the fall 2019 Environmental Justice and Ethics course.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: A.T. Kozich, V.S. Gagnon, G. Mensch, S. Michels, and N. Gehring. Investigation of Temperature Trends in the Portage Waterway, Michigan: Best Management for an Important Tribal Walleye Fishery. In review at Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: M. Michels, N. Gehring, G. Mensch, and A.T. Kozich. Investigation of temperature trends in the Portage Waterway, Michigan: Best management for an important Tribal walleye fishery. American Indian Higher Education Consortium annual conference. Billings, MT.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: A.T. Kozich. The role of Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College in Tribal water resource research and management. Water in the Native World Symposium. Pablo, MT.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: A.T. Kozich. Surface and groundwater research in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michigan. 6th annual Tribal College and University Research Convening. Denver, CO.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: M. Jondreau, A.T. Kozich, and D. Chosa. Concerns about cultural impacts to water resources in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Oshkosh, WI.