Michigan’s adaptive management plan

1. The Michigan-specific level, and
2. The binational Lake Erie basin level

Michigan is following the adaptive management framework as defined by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This involves “…exploring alternative ways to meet management objectives, predicting the outcomes of alternatives based on the current state of knowledge, implementing one or more of these alternatives, monitoring to learn about the impacts of management actions, and then using the results to update knowledge and adjust management actions.”

It is an approach intended to achieve objectives in systems that are responsive to management actions where there is uncertainty. It is useful in the management of natural systems because the detailed workings of such systems may not be fully known, but many policy and program alternatives exist.

Efforts are underway to reduce nutrient loads to Lake Erie and clean up the algae blooms at the federal level, within the state and Canadian provincial jurisdictions by

• Determining uncertainties,
• Defining the actions to take,
• Implementing and then evaluating the results of those actions.

Each water year that passes offers an opportunity to learn more about system response and adjust actions if and where necessary.

What Michigan is doing

• Reducing phosphorus loads from four key wastewater treatment plants.
• Reducing phosphorus loads from nonpoint, agriculture sources in the River Raisin Watershed, and Michigan’s portion of the Maumee River Watershed.
• Forming collaborative partnerships to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers.
• Reaching out to the public and farmers to promote understanding of good conservation practices.
• Promoting wetland restoration and other land management initiatives.

Michigan's adaptive management plan

What can you do around the house

• Don’t dump grass clippings or other landscaping debris into any water body
• Never throw anything into a storm drain
• Service your septic system regularly - get SepticSmart
• Dispose of pet waste in the trash or your toilet
• Volunteer with a local conservation group or watershed council
• Consider non-toxic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides alternatives

What can you do around the farm

• Voluntarily prevent or minimize agricultural pollution risks with help from the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program
• Request a confidential farm visit by a MAEAP technician
• Reference the EGLE Nonpoint Source program’s best management practices manual

Additional information

• Executive Directive 2019-14: Implementing the Domestic Action Plan for Lake Erie to decrease phosphorous by 40% by 2025
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s U.S. action plan for Lake Erie
• Ohio’s Domestic Action Plan
• Indiana’s Domestic Action Plan for Western Lake Erie Basin
• Canada-Ontario Lake Erie action plan: Partnering on achieving phosphorus loading reductions to Lake Erie from Canadian sources
• Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie phosphorus reduction Domestic Action Plan
• Michigan’s January 2019 progress update - taking action on Lake Erie
• Western Lake Erie Basin Collaborative Agreement
• ErieStat: A Blue Accounting initiative tracking progress toward a healthier Lake Erie
• Moving Goalposts: The challenge of Lake Erie algal blooms: In this four-part blog series, an agricultural newbie attempts to explain one of the Great Lakes' biggest challenges.
• VIDEO: Investigating the effectiveness of controlled drainage at three farms
• Nutrients Annex of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement