TRAVERSE CITY -- The number of dead birds spotted on northern Lake Michigan shores is drastically lower than this time last year, in many areas less than a quarter as many.
But area agencies that monitor birds and fish killed by Type E botulism aren't convinced the trend will continue and are stepping up efforts to track fish and fowl deaths.
In 2007, hundreds of dead gulls and cormorants, and a few terns and endangered piping plovers began to wash ashore at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, some as early as June.
Less than 50 dead birds, though, have been found in the lakeshore this summer.
"So far, our summer die-off has been a lot lower than the last two years. There is just a couple of birds here and there," said Ken Hyde, Sleeping Bear biologist. "It's a huge difference and it was great to get through the piping plover nesting season."
Type E botulism initially was detected in 2006 in a large number of dead birds and fish along beaches in Benzie and Leelanau counties and in the Upper Peninsula. Thousands of dead fish and birds were found on more than 400 miles of northern Lake Michigan shoreline in 2007.
The first confirmed cases of botulism in 2008 were found in July at Ludington State Park, the southernmost point that the disease has spread since 2006.
Biologists believe naturally occurring bacteria thrives in Cladophora algae and is passed up the food chain through the invasive quagga and zebra mussels and round Goby fish. In turn, birds and larger fish that feed on Gobies are poisoned.
Several area environmental groups are working with state and federal agencies to boost efforts to train volunteers that will record and dispose of the dead animals.
"There (have) been over 50,000 bird deaths in the past three years and ... (it) can be overwhelming for the agencies involved in dealing with this," said Andy Knott, executive director of the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, which will host a volunteer workshop next week.
Kevin Cronk, a coordinator for Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, distributed kits to residents interested in monitoring beaches north of Antrim County.
"It was just this last week when we started to get word of more than a few dying," he said.
Experts theorize that rising lake levels or cooler water temperatures may have slowed the deaths, but said it's too early to predict this year's totals.
"The bigger die-off is typically in the later fall when the migrating diving ducks are coming through," said Mark Breederland, educator with the Michigan Sea Grant.
MORE INFORMATION
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay will host a free workshop Aug. 18 for shoreline property owners and beach walkers who want to learn to respond to expected bird die-offs in the coming months. The event will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes Campus, 715 E. Front St.
The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council provides training and kits for residents north of Antrim County who are interested in documenting the die-offs. Call Kevin Cronk at (231) 347-1181 or e-mail him at kevin@watershedcouncil.org.
For more information on the die-offs, including how to report dead birds or fish and what you can do, log on to www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases.
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