Douglas Lake (MI) South Fishtail Bay Secchi Depth dataset

Secchi depth readings for South Fishtail Bay, Douglas Lake, MI taken by associates of the
University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS). First reading is from 1925 but sampling
intensity increases in the 1970's. Values range from 2.25 m to 7 m. In the early 1970s the
University of Michigan Biological Station initiated a series of research projects concerning the
quality of the lakes in Northern Michigan under the support of the National Science Foundation
through the Research Applied to National Needs (RANN) program. Dr. John Gannon joined the
Biological Station's staff in 1972 and directed this program for six years. This research had
significant impacts on water quality management of lakes throughout Northern Michigan. The
Biological Station continued to receive grants for water quality research for several years
after the RANN program had terminated. The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council has coordinated and
sponsored the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program for over 20 years. Presently, volunteers monitor
35 lakes spread throughout Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, and Montmorency Counties (map
below). The objectives of the program are to collect baseline data, characterize lake
ecosystems, identify specific water quality problems, determine water quality trends, and, most
importantly, inform and educate the public regarding water quality issues and aquatic ecology.
Monitoring water quality does not ensure clean water, but rather provides valuable information
to help protect and improve water quality in the lakes of northern Lower Peninsula of
Michigan.