Overview
The West Michigan Watershed Partners (WMWP) is a coalition of the Region’s watershed groups. WMSRDC convenes quarterly meetings to share natural resources information among participants and receive input for the WMSRDC area-wide water quality planning program. The WMSRDC West Michigan Watershed Partners Inventory provides a strategic project planning framework to help guide the development of future water quality and fish and wildlife habitat improvement projects. The framework identifies priority projects that meet the goals of the Great Lakes Action Plan III, MDNR Fisheries Management Plans, Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan, and the Region’s Watershed Management Plans.
West Michigan Drowned Rivermouth Lake Network Proposal
The West Michigan Drowned Rivermouth Lake Network is a proposal to establish a new site within the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), a NOAA-supported network dedicated to the protection, research, education, and stewardship of nationally significant estuarine ecosystems. The proposed reserve would be led by the WMSRDC in partnership with Grand Valley State University's Annis Water Resources Institute, with Muskegon Lake serving as the hub of a network of drowned rivermouth lakes along Michigan's Lake Michigan shoreline.
If designated, the reserve would provide opportunities to expand scientific research, restore and protect critical habitats, support local decision-making through training and monitoring, and increase environmental education for residents, students, and visitors. The proposal also emphasizes collaboration among local communities, state and federal agencies, universities, watershed organizations, and other partners to help preserve the ecological health and economic vitality of West Michigan's coastal resources.
