Elk Rapids Almanac, February 2022
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February 17
Grand Traverse Bay ice cover records of freeze and thaw dates reach all the way back to the 1850s, something The Watershed Center has been recording over the last several decades. The bay freezing is defined to occur when there is solid ice cover over west bay from the southern shoreline to Power Island. At the time of writing (Feb 17, 2022), ice has formed along the shoreline and shallow waters of both west and east bay and skim ice has occasionally formed over the open water, but the bay has yet to completely freeze.
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Ice cover is an exciting local topic - who doesn’t love ice fishing or skating on the beautiful bay – but it also affects biological activity in the waters under the ice. Researchers and practitioners keep close tabs on the extent and duration of ice cover because it is an indicator of climate. Ice cover in the Great Lakes has been on a steady decline over the last several decades, which is predicted to have significant impacts on lake ecology.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory uses satellite imagery to predict real-time ice cover on the Great Lakes. As of February 16, ice cover in Lake Michigan is approximately 24 percent, while total Great Lakes ice cover is around 40 percent. For updated ice cover predictions, or to learn more, visit GLERL’s Ice Cover page:
www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice.
For more information on ice cover in Grand Traverse Bay, check out this recent Traverse
City Ticker article: www.traverseticker.com/news/state-of-the-bay-what-2022-holds-for-
ice-cover-water-levels-invasive-species-and-boating/
Thanks to: Heather Smith
Grand Traverse BAYKEEPER
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay
13170 S. West Bay Shore Drive, Ste 102 ǀ Traverse City, MI 49684
231.935.1514 x3
www.gtbay.org
www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice.
For more information on ice cover in Grand Traverse Bay, check out this recent Traverse
City Ticker article: www.traverseticker.com/news/state-of-the-bay-what-2022-holds-for-
ice-cover-water-levels-invasive-species-and-boating/
Thanks to: Heather Smith
Grand Traverse BAYKEEPER
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay
13170 S. West Bay Shore Drive, Ste 102 ǀ Traverse City, MI 49684
231.935.1514 x3
www.gtbay.org
February 18-21
The Great Backyard Bird Count on the first day received more than 50,000 eBird checklists and more than 60,000 Merlin website submissions,
resulting in more than 5,000 species identified worldwide. This effort tracks the rise and decline of bird populations around the world, also reflecting habitat
change/ climate impact. It is also is a great opportunity to participate as a citizen scientist.
The Great Backyard Bird Count on the first day received more than 50,000 eBird checklists and more than 60,000 Merlin website submissions,
resulting in more than 5,000 species identified worldwide. This effort tracks the rise and decline of bird populations around the world, also reflecting habitat
change/ climate impact. It is also is a great opportunity to participate as a citizen scientist.
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Consider the Merlin Bird ID app, which can identify birds by their song. For more information, and to consider participating in the Christmas Bird Count, see www.audubon.org.
NOTE: Elk Rapids was declared the First Certified Bird Habitat Community in the World in 2015, based on the audit of number and types of native plants considered necessary to support an abundance and diversity of insects, which in turn support a variety of birdlife. See Savingbirds.org |
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