TRAVERSE CITY —
A botulism outbreak blamed for killing hundreds of loons and other waterfowl on Lake Michigan may be on the wane, but experts don't yet know if the epidemic has run its course.
By Monday, the remains of more than 900 birds had been located along the shoreline of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 378 of which were loons, said Dan Ray, a biological technician and the lakeshore's coordinator for the avian botulism monitoring program.
This week's count of dead birds has been much lower than last week's tally, though it may not tell the whole story, Ray said Wednesday.
"The good news is, it has gone down markedly," he said. "A lot of that has to do with wind direction and weather condition. If we did have a bird that was dead, it would blow away from the lakeshore rather than into our beach. It doesn't mean they're not there, though it appears the bulk of the mortality has dropped drastically."
Experts believe botulism tied to invasive mussels is responsible for bird deaths. Outbreaks have been common in recent years, but concerns mounted because numbers this year are higher than normal.
"Last year, we only had about 30 loons," Ray said. "This is by far the worst year we've had here since 2007, beyond that."
Dead birds likely will continue to wash ashore in northwestern lower Michigan into November. But much will depend on the weather and its impact on tainted mussels and fish.
"Really cold weather triggers migration; that drives birds on their migration route," said Mark Breederland, a Michigan Sea Grant extension educator. "The birds are here in October."
Officials continue to search for clues in what caused so many bird deaths this year.
"We know a little bit about the food web," Breederland said. "I do think there was some weather-related events in the lake, like sustained winds churning up some of the bottom, making it potentially available in the food web. We see bigger die-offs after larger storm events. There seems to be a correlation that we observed, but we haven't gotten it figured out."
Other factors — from higher water temperatures and low lake levels — could play a role in bird mortality.
"We're still in the midst of what's going on here this season," Ray said. "It's easier to sum up once we reach the end of the year in December (and) fine tune our assumptions."
Region
Related Photos
-
A botulism outbreak is killing hundreds of loons along Lake Michigan. Special to the Record-Eagle/Robert Lowing
Fewer dead birds found this week
-
-
Powerball ticket buyers hopeful as jackpot swells
Garrick Opie hasn’t purchased a Powerball ticket in more than a decade. But a jackpot that swelled to $600 million — the world’s second largest lottery prize — by Friday afternoon convinced Opie to throw in $20 toward the $2 tickets at the 7-Eleven store on 14th Street.
Continued ... -
Co-worker of fired tribal employees: ‘They should have known better’
A co-worker of the six tribal employees who shot a .22 rifle off their office building deck alleged they endangered a nearby residence, potentially polluted Lake Michigan with lead bullets, and violated human resources policy.
Continued ... -
Jury: Local attorney committed fraud
A jury ruled a local attorney committed fraud and malpractice in a case of a business deal gone bad.
Continued ... -
Man facing sex charges
A Traverse City man who faces child abuse and criminal sexual conduct charges also is accused of attempting to assault authorities who tried to arrest him.
Continued ... -
Model airplanes take off today in Thompsonville
If you’re in Thompsonville today, look up. Model airplane enthusiasts say you’ll be in for a treat.
Continued ... -
Trial scheduled for sex crime suspect
A Kalkaska man who faces 16 counts of criminal sexual conduct is scheduled to appear in court.
Continued ... -
Ex-local resident on 'Wheel of Fortune'
A former Frankfort resident will appear on the national game show “Wheel of Fortune.”
Continued ... - Friday, May 17, 2013
-
Parking garage rates to rise
The Downtown Development Authority authorized an increase in transient parking rates at the city’s two municipal parking decks.
Continued ... -
Ex-Traverse City Manager Lewis to head St. Joseph
The city of St. Joseph picked Traverse City's former Manager Richard Lewis as their next city manager.
Continued ... -
Heroin overdose kills man
Benzie County's struggle with fatal heroin overdoses continues. Authorities confirmed Justin Smith, 23, of Benzonia, was found dead Wednesday night of a heroin overdose. Law enforcement officials arrested a suspect in Smith's death, the fourth heroin-related fatality in the county since 2011.
Continued ... -
No food truck buffet rolled out on first day
Diners who hankered for food truck fare on the first day the mobile restaurants were allowed downtown came away hungry.
Continued ... -
Firings anger Grand Traverse Band members
Tribal officials fired six of their Natural Resources Department employees for shooting a rifle off their office’s deck, a move that’s angered some Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa members who said the punishment is too severe.
Continued ... -
Low-flying helicopters are coming
Don’t worry: the low-flying helicopters buzzing through northern Michigan are not from the United Nations or some secret government agency.
Continued ... -
Nursing home promises to repay Benzie $484K
The Maples nursing home officials told Benzie County leaders they will repay $484,000 the county loaned the facility by March 2014.
Continued ... -
Traverse City Light & Power joins SUN project
Traverse City Light & Power board members approved the final step in implementing a community solar project in partnership with Cherryland Electric Cooperative.
Continued ... - Thursday, May 16, 2013
-
Shananaquet to prison for 25-50 years
Tyler Shananaquet expressed remorse for hitting a woman who sought a ride home after a Williamsburg bonfire party, but he maintained he didn't rape her.
Continued ... -
Traverse City eyes bond to fix roads
Winter 2012-13 laid bare Traverse City's street problems and some city officials want to consider jump-starting a 20-year road repair program with a bond program of up to $20 million.
Continued ... -
Memorial ceremony a tribute to TC's Sgt. Finch
It was a quiet, sunny day when Traverse City Police Sgt. Dennis Finch responded to a call about a man with a gun outside a Wellington Street home.
Continued ... -
Farm bill would help fruit growers
Both pending versions of the 2013 Farm Bill would make crop insurance available to cherry farmers, northern Michigan's federal legislators said.
Continued ... -
United Way launches iPhone app for volunteering
iPhone users who want to find local volunteer opportunities through the United Way now can get information at the tips of their fingertips.
Continued ... -
Inland Seas' Kelly to weigh anchor
Tom Kelly, who launched the first sailing schoolship program on the Great Lakes 25 years ago, will retire at year's end.
Continued ... -
Traverse City manager to make $100K a year to start
Traverse City’s likely new city manager will earn $100,000 a year to start and could raise that to $110,000 by the end of a proposed three-year contract.
Continued ... - Wednesday, May 15, 2013
-
Leelanau will pay to settle lawsuit
Leelanau County will pay $55,000 to settle a lawsuit stemming from allegations county sheriff’s deputies illegally detained a man.
Continued ... -
NMC may hike tuition for some
Northwestern Michigan College board members took their first look at next year’s draft budget, which included a nearly 32 percent tuition hike for the nursing, automotive, and audio-tech programs.
Continued ... -
Home foreclosure could be 'windfall' for Benzie
Tax foreclosure on a lakefront home valued near $800,000 could be a “windfall” for Benzie County.
Continued ...
-
