Buffalo Reef is a 2,200-acre natural cobble feature beneath the waters of Lake Superior, located off the eastern edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula, about 20 miles northeast of Houghton. The reef is vitally important for lake trout and lake whitefish spawning. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission has determined that Buffalo Reef contributes approximately 30% of the lake trout harvested within 50 miles of the reef.
Subscribe to Buffalo Reef updates:
News Releases
- Task force updates efforts to protect Buffalo Reef fish habitat
- High water levels force continued dredging at Grand Traverse Harbor in Keweenaw County
- Task force designing alternatives for protecting Buffalo Reef
- EPA provides $3.7 million to remove stamp sands from Michigan's Grand Traverse Harbor; dredging is part of ongoing effort to save Buffalo Reef in Lake Superior
- Public comments response summary available; dredging work set to begin at Buffalo Reef
- Army Corps of Engineers awards stamps sands dredging contract
- Dredging work gets green light
- The century-long journey from Mohawk to Buffalo Reef
Additional Information
- MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY'S SCIENTIFIC WEBSITE ON BUFFALO REEF
- Flooding and ice shove reporting form
- Buffalo Reef Alternatives Report (July 10, 2019)
- Buffalo Reef Task Force Responsiveness Summary
- Draft Buffalo Reef Alternatives Report (Feb. 4, 2019)
- Task Force/Steering Committee
- Public meetings and events
- History of Buffalo Reef
- Native American connections
- Dredging
- Media resources (photos, video, audio)
