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Guidebooks, Manuals & Reports | Pamphlets | PowerPoint Presentations

Guidebooks, Manuals & Reports

A Field Guide to Invasive Plants of Aquatic & Wetland Habitats for Michigan
This field guide was developed to help managers of wetlands and aquatic resources identify invasive plant species that may pose a threat to their management goals.

Au Sable River Assessment
One in a series of documents being prepared by Fisheries Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, for rivers in Michigan. This report describes the physical and biological characteristics of the Au Sable River, discusses how human activities have influenced the river, and serves as an information base for managing the river’s future.

Cheboygan County: Local Ordinance Gaps Analysis
The purpose of this project is to give the local government official a comprehensive picture of the water resource protections now in place at the county and township levels. Also included is recommended local approaches to protect waters and suggestions to better protect your water resources.

Filling the Gaps: Environmental Protection Options for Local Governments 2nd Edition
This guidebook discusses a variety of regulated natural features within our ecosystem. It also describes planning tools available to assist local governments in implementing natural resource protection measures.

Great Lakes Better Backroads Guidebook
The overall purpose of this guidebook is to improve the water quality in the Great Lakes region by providing cost effective techniques and hands-on instructions for the design and maintenance of non-paved backroads. County road managers and crews, private road maintenance and construction companies, lake associations, and the general citizenry can all effectively use this manual.

Introduction to Michigan Watersheds for Teachers, Students and Residents
An educational publication from Michigan Sea Grant explaining watersheds, and how water quality can be affected.

Lakescaping For Water Quality
Tired of mowing grass when you head up to your lake cabin? Learn how to landscape your shoreline property to prevent shoreline erosion, restore wildlife habitat, wildflowers and clean water. This book will show you the way to design your area for increased enjoyment of your lakeside or riverside getaway.

Landscaping for Wildlife
Packed with color photos and diagrams, this guide will show you how to attract wildlife to your property using inexpensive, easy-to-follow landscaping plans. Attract everything from butterflies to deer, cardinals to wood ducks.

Leading Small Dam Removal Guidebook
This guidebook can be used as a guidance document that would lead project managers and landowners through future dam removals.

Living With Michigan's Wetlands: A Landowner's Guide 3rd Printing
This guidebook contains concise but comprehensive information to help the landowner learn more about wetlands and the value of wetland protection, basic techniques and options for wetland management, the economic benefits of various protection methods, and where to go for more assistance.

Low Impact Development (LID) Manual for Michigan
This manual provides communities, agencies, builders, developers, and the public with guidance on how to apply LID to new, existing, and redevelopment sites.Low Impact Development (LID) is the cornerstone of stormwater management with the goal of mimicking a site’s presettlement hydrology by using design techniques that infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, and detain runoff close to its source.

This report highlights the accomplishments of the Michigan's Nonpoint Source Program between the years 2007-2012. The Michigan DEQ Nonpoint Source Program is committed to achieving water quality goals by using a balanced approach of education, research, technical assistance, financial incentives and regulation. 

Michigan Wetlands Yours to Protect: A Citizen's Guide to Wetland Protection
This edition builds on past efforts and translates the experiences gained into a tool that will serve to empower citizens across Michigan to get involved in wetland protection. With chapters that focus on the range of wetland protection activities from education to reviewing permit applications, there is valuable information here to assist concerned citizens, local governments, conservation organizations, land owners, and others in their efforts to initiate and implement wetlands protection activities.

Michigan's Aquatic Invasive Species State Management Plan 2013 Update. This comprehensive AIS State Management Plan (SMP) outlines new actions for implementation in addition to maintaining and enhancing existing efforts to adequately prevent the introduction of new AIS, prevent the dispersal of established AIS, detect and respond to new invaders, and manage and control AIS to minimize the harmful effects of AIS in Michigan waters, including the Great Lakes, connecting channels, rivers, streams, inland lakes, and wetlands.

Montmorency County Groundwater Protection Manual
This was developed to address the need for groundwater protection in Montmorency County. It provides a background and framework through which groundwater protection can be achieved.

New Michigan Fertilizer Legislation Restricts Phosphorus Applications on Turf
Press release from Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development effective January 1, 2012.

Otsego County Groundwater Protection Manual
Thiswas developed to address the need for groundwater protection in Otsego County. It provides a background and framework through which groundwater protection can be achieved.

Policy Guidelines for Minimizing Environmental Impacts From Golf Course Development in Otsego County are intended to serve as a reference framework through which golf course development proposals can be reviewed and evaluated to provide for public and environmental health, safety, and welfare in Otsego County.

Presque Isle County Groundwater Protection Manual
Thiswas developed to address the need for groundwater protection in Presque Isle County. It provides a background and framework through which groundwater protection can be achieved.

The guidebook Protecting Michigan's Wetlands - A Guide for Local Governments is designed for you – the local government official or interested citizen who faces important questions about wetlands and why you should consider protecting them. The information contained in the following pages will help you understand why wetlands are important, and provide information to help you make decisions about the wetlands in your local community.

The Rural Water Quality Protection: A Planning & Zoning Guidebook for Local Officials guidebook seeks to provide local units of government in rural areas with information about how land development and other activities on the land affect water quality, and educational materials on best management practices that lower the impact of land use activities on our waterbodies. The guidebook also provides sample language for community Master Plans and Zoning Ordinances that helps ensure that future development and other land use activities occur with the lowest possible impact on the quality of the water we need for our communities.

Understanding, Living With, & Controlling Shoreline Erosion, 3rd Edition, A Guidebook for Shoreline Property Owners
This guidebook focuses on the erosion and sedimentation caused by the energy of streams and inland lakes acting on their shorelines. Its goal is not to help shoreline property owners make their shoreline unchanging, but rather to inform about shoreline processes and help guide actions to control nature in a way that is not utterly futile or environmentally harmful.

Pamplets

Battling Purple Loosestrife with Beetles Information on fighting an aggressive invasive species with a native predator.

Information on Cladophora, a green algae that can have excessive growth in Northern Michigan waters that have high phosphorous levels.

Greenbelts, examples and benefits of greenbelts on water quality with a list of acceptable native plants.

Examples of Lakescaping, provided by MSU Extension
Shoreline landscaping that restores and preserves natural shorelines for today and future generations.

Shoreline Alterations: Natural Buffers and Lakescaping
Examples of transforming your lawn lakefront property into a natural shoreline to protect water quality.

PowerPoint Presentations

Change in Rogers City Fishery
A description of the new excellent fishery in Rogers City.

Future of Lake Whitefish & Lake Trout in Great Lakes

Great Lakes Areas Of Concern
This presentation identifies Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes and explains the processes used in identifying these areas.

Making Plans for Michigan's Land & Water
This presentation highlights the importance of natural resources to Michigan's economy and quality of life.

Microplastics in the Great Lakes
This presentation explains the ecological impacts of microplastics in the Great Lakes.