WATERSHED NEWS
Stay connected and updated with the Glen Lake Association by following articles posted here throughout the year.
We’re Hiring! Apply Today for Senior Boat Wash Manager & Boat Wash Operator
We're Hiring! We are seeking applicants for two seasonal positions – a Boat Wash Senior Manager and multiple Boat Wash Operators. The boat wash on Little Glen is our first line of defense against halting the potential introduction of harmful aquatic invasive species...
Joe Blondia: Algal Blooms are a Natural Part of Spring
There is lots happening in the spring in the Glen Lake/Crystal River Watershed. Birds are migrating, animals are coming out of hibernation, and diatoms (also known as algae) are growing in our water. You may see what looks like “clumps” floating in the water. These...
Meet the Birds of our Watershed: Bonaparte’s Gull
Birds have been called “bellwethers of watershed health.” Because they respond to basic changes in landscape and habitat conditions, birds can be excellent indicators of watershed health. Roger Tory Peterson, an American naturalist who published many books about birds...
Meet the Birds of our Watershed: Trumpeter Swan
Birds have been called “bellwethers of watershed health.” Because they respond to basic changes in landscape and habitat conditions, birds can be excellent indicators of watershed health. Roger Tory Peterson, an American naturalist who published many books about birds...
Leelanau Ticker: Meet the New Steward of Glen Lake
Our thanks to Craig Manning and the Leelanau Ticker for sharing Kate Gille’s story from Sleeping Bear Dunes park ranger to GLA’s first executive director. Her journey is truly inspiring. Learn more about Kate's vision and commitment by clicking the link below.
Big News: Meet Our First Executive Director!
The Glen Lake Association Board of Directors is thrilled to introduce Kate Gille as the organization’s first executive director. The executive search task force conducted a rigorous process to find a superb candidate, and our board unanimously selected Kate for the...
Joe Blondia: GLA Monitors Water Salinity Levels from Melting Snow Mixed with Salt & Sand
Have you ever wondered where all that road salt and sand go when the snow melts? In order to keep our roads safe, the road commission has to use sand and salt to de-ice the bridges. The salt mixes with snow and eventually drips into the Crystal River, which could...
Joe Blondia: Snow and Rain Feed our Aquifers and Help Keep Water Levels Up
As winter loosens its grip, the melting snow feeds into our watershed. We love a good snowy winter and a wet spring - the water feeds our aquifers and helps keep lake and river levels up in the drier months of the summer. Watch this video to see the transition from...
GLA Uses Drone Tech to Advance Aquatic Invasive Species Detection
In 2024, the GLA’s use of aerial drone-guided underwater Remote Operating Vehicles (ROVs) revolutionized our surveillance program and allowed aquatic vegetation mapping of the bottomlands of the Glen Lake/Crystal River (GL/CR) Watershed for the first time. While the...
Leadership Update: Executive Director Coming Soon!
The Glen Lake Association Board of Directors is thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of its Executive Director search. This extensive process began last September and was led by a search committee composed of board members Jennifer St. Julian (chair), Ron...
Meet the Birds of our Watershed: Sandhill Crane
Birds have been called “bellwethers of watershed health.” Because they respond to basic changes in landscape and habitat conditions, birds can be excellent indicators of watershed health. Roger Tory Peterson, an American naturalist who published many books about birds...
Meet the Birds of our Watershed: Green Heron
Birds have been called “bellwethers of watershed health.” Because they respond to basic changes in landscape and habitat conditions, birds can be excellent indicators of watershed health. Roger Tory Peterson, an American naturalist who published many books about birds...
Calling All Photographers!
Calling all photographers – please share your photos of the Glen Lake/Crystal River Watershed! We would like to build our media library, and one way you can make a difference and support the GLA is by sharing photos. We use our media library in our communications such...
It’s Not Too Late to Renew Your Membership!
Membership renewal was due by January 31st for the 2025 season, and over 400 of our members have already done so. If you're not among them, it's not too late! We encourage you to renew or join now by simply clicking on the following link: If you prefer not to pay by...
Winter Water Level Back at Target
Ample precipitation brought the lake level up from the record low in October to our target level this month. The last time the Glen Lakes were in the low range we saw in October was in 2012. The pink area in the graph below is the target zone in which we try to...
Volunteer Spotlight: Grateful for GLA Member Mike Litch
The Glen Lake Association (GLA) has a long history of being a volunteer-driven organization. Volunteers serve on committees, help with water sampling efforts, monitor water levels, make dam adjustments, submit photographs for social media, serve as board members, and...
Water Quality Volunteers Needed!
To help “pass the torch,” long-time volunteers Mike Litch and Bill Meserve are trying to find another GLA member to take over the “Lead Volunteer” duties for water quality parameter sampling for the MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP). The Michigan...
45,000 Lake Trout Recently Stocked in Glen Lake
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stocked 45,000 lake trout in Glen Lake in October 2024. This annual event aims to support the lake’s ecological balance and enhance recreational fishing opportunities. Lake trout, the largest of the freshwater char...
Septic Replacement Loan Program
Well-maintained, properly functioning septic systems are critical to the health of our watershed. Each year, hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater soak into the ground within the Glen Lake/Crystal River Watershed, where harmful chemicals and damaging...
Renew Your Membership by January 31st!
Dear GLA Friends and Members, Happy New Year! As 2025 kicks off, we wanted to take a moment and thank each one of you for your generous support of the Glen Lake Association last year. The organization accomplished so much in 2024, and none of it would’ve been...
Guardian Tip: Discover Glen Lake’s Biodiversity With iNaturalist
As we all know, the Glen Lake/Crystal River watershed is a haven of natural beauty and ecological significance. With its crystal-clear waters, forested slopes, and habitats for some of Michigan’s rarest plant species, this area is a treasure trove of biodiversity. The...
Volunteer Spotlight: Thankful for GLA Member Bill Meserve
Volunteering for the Glen Lake Association has been a family affair for Bill Meserve and his wife, Susanne, who are both past board members and volunteers extraordinaire. After Bill retired from aerospace engineering in 2003, Bill and Susanne moved to Glen Arbor and...
Meet our Interns: Part 3 – Fyn Luebke
Fyn is a junior at Traverse City West Senior High School. He has grown up enjoying Glen Lake at his family’s cottage on Big Glen. He enjoys repairing small motors and selling them, riding his Jet Ski in the summer and snow skiing in the winter. You may spot him doing...
Membership Renewal for 2025 Due January 31st
You may recall that in early 2024, all GLA memberships were synchronized on a calendar-year basis. Prior to 2024, memberships expired one year from the date a member signed up, resulting in individual memberships expiring and renewing continuously throughout the year....
Special Year End Message from GLA President, Stan Kryder
To the Members and Friends of the Glen Lake Association: Since I was a child, Glen Lake has always been the most special place to me. Our family discovered this magical lake in the 1950’s, and I still look forward to returning to it each year. Because of this, I want...
Guardian Tip: Bioengineered Shoreline Solutions
The loss of natural shorelines and streambanks is one of the top threats to water quality. Natural shorelines and streambanks protect the lakes and rivers from stormwater pollution, prevent soil erosion, and provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife. Wide...
Dive into Lake Learning: Take MSU’s Introduction to Lakes Online Course
Dive into the fascinating world of freshwater ecosystems with MSU’s Introduction to Lakes Online course, offered again this January! Introduction to Lakes Online is designed for anyone interested in inland lakes, including concerned residents, decision-makers, local...
Meet our Interns: Part 2 – Suha Augenstein
We are grateful for our eighth year with terrific summer interns that exuded enthusiasm, curiosity, and a willingness to help wherever we needed them. They assisted our staff on the water, under the water and in the lab, and they helped educate our community at the...
GLA Is Hiring: New Executive Director Position
We are pleased to announce we are hiring for our new Executive Director position! The ideal candidate will be a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship with a proven track record in non-profit management, fundraising, and community engagement. They will...
Sea Lamprey Update
In early June, a local area resident sighted an invasive parasitic sea lamprey swimming upstream from the Crystal River Dam. The dam is located just northwest of where Fisher Lake flows into the Crystal River. It is used to balance the water flow of the river with the...
Meet Our Interns: Part 1 – Sam Morawski
We are grateful for our eighth year with terrific summer interns that exuded enthusiasm, curiosity, and a willingness to help wherever we needed them. They assisted our staff on the water, under the water and in the lab, and they helped educate our community at the...
Guardian Tips for Fall: Yard & Pet Waste
Grass clippings, leaves, and animal waste all contain phosphorus. Follow these guidelines to keep excess nutrients from entering the lakes and rivers: Refrain from blowing debris into the water Never burn yard waste! Ashes and smoke particles concentrate nutrients...
Clint’s Recipe for Beer-Battered Perch
The GLA monthly creel report regularly shows that Glen Lake anglers’ most-caught fish is yellow perch. They are often caught in Little Glen or in the drop-offs around Big Glen. The best perch recipe starts with perch that you, your child, or your grandchild has caught...
Guardian Tip: Loss of Natural Shorelines and Stream Banks is the Number One Threat to Water Quality
Did you know that the loss of natural shorelines and stream banks is the number one threat to water quality? Fall is the perfect time to schedule a shoreline or streambank consultation with the Glen Lake Association. We will listen to your questions and concerns and...
Watershed Trivia: What do These Things Have in Common?
Watershed Trivia Question: What do pH, temperature, turbidity, electrical conductivity, phosphorus, chlorophyll a, and dissolved oxygen all have in common? Watershed Trivia Answer: These are all physical characteristics of Glen Lake, which are regularly monitored and...
It’s Not Styrofoam! Algal Blooms on Glen Lake
You may have noticed what appear to be large white objects floating in Little Glen Lake. This foam is a product of seasonal algal blooms that typically occur in August & September. The more we keep excess nutrients out of the lake, the fewer algal blooms and the...
Eurasian Watermilfoil Found Growing in Little Glen Lake
Back in September 2023, Glen Lake Association (GLA) Boat Wash Manager Victoria Velting found a few strands of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) floating in the lake near the Day Forest Road boat launch. The discovery prompted the GLA to establish an EWM Task Force to...
Sustained Lack of Rain Causes Lake Level to Continue to Drop
Ongoing below average rainfall this summer has continued to cause both Glen Lake’s water level and Crystal River's flow rate to drop. We have had only three measurable rains since the first week of July. The last time the water level was this low in mid-September was...
SepticSmart Week 2024
This week, September 15-21, 2024, is designated SepticSmart Week for the state of Michigan because nearly 1.3 million septic systems across the state treat wastewater from homes and businesses. That's a significant part of Michigan's wastewater infrastructure. As an...
Attention Anglers! Keep Our Waters Great – Don’t Dump Your Bait
It seems like such an innocent thing to do: After a day of fishing, dump your leftover bait into the water before heading home. However, this seemingly harmless act is actually quite harmful. Bait dumping is one of the many ways invasive aquatic species and dangerous...
Thank you to Melissa Duke and David Tepoorten!
Thank you to Melissa Duke and David Tepoorten for opening their home on Little Glen to a breakfast gathering on August 24th! This was the GLA’s second official neighborhood gathering, where friends and neighbors had an opportunity to socialize and learn more about the...
Culvert Replacement Work Begins in Glen Arbor
In 2019, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) initiated a project to replace three undersized stream crossing structures on the Crystal River and the Tucker Lake Outlet culvert along Leelanau County Road (CR) 675 (also known as Dunns Farm Road...
Lack of Rain Causes Lake Level to Continue to Drop
Have you noticed the lake seems lower than normal? Below average rainfall this summer has caused both Glen Lake’s water level and Crystal River's flow rate to drop precipitously. In fact, the last time that the lake level was this low was in 2016, and the last time it...
2024 Annual Meeting Highlights
Thank you to everyone who attended the GLA’s 2024 Annual Meeting! We hope you enjoyed celebrating our award recipients, receiving an update on the health of the watershed, and socializing with other members. GLA President, Stan Kryder, kicked off the meeting by...
Invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Found in Leelanau County
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has confirmed a new infestation of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on a private property in Leelanau Township. The Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network identified the infestation,...
Register Now! Free “Septic Systems 101” Webinar
Proper use and routine maintenance of septic systems are vitally important to watershed health. It is especially important that people who live or rent out their home within the watershed’s boundary regularly inspect and maintain their systems in order to protect the...
Swimmer’s Itch Prevention
50 years of trial and error, plus the latest research have shown our best and most cost-effective defense against Swimmer’s Itch is prevention, not control. What can you do to prevent the itch? Cover your skin with full-body swimwear, such as a “rash guard” suit...
Invasive Species Update: Sea Lamprey
Thanks to the eyewitness account of a local riparian, an invasive parasitic Sea Lamprey was recently identified swimming upstream from the Crystal River Dam. This observation is highly unusual because historically, the dam has prevented lamprey migration from the...
Guardian Tip: Shoreline Consultations
The health of the Glen Lake / Crystal River Watershed heavily depends on the condition of our shorelines and stream banks. You can contribute to the protection of the watershed by maintaining your natural shoreline or stream bank. The Glen Lake Association offers...
Last Discovery Boat Tour on July 26
You won't want to miss the last Discovery Boat ride on July 26! Plan a memorable time with family, friends, or neighbors by booking a Discovery Boat tour. Tours are family-friendly (ages 8 and up), fun, and educational! As you cruise along the water in a pontoon...
Discovery Boat Tours – Now Booking
Plan a memorable time with family, friends, or neighbors by booking a Discovery Boat tour. Tours are family-friendly (ages 8 and up), fun, and educational! As you cruise along the water in a pontoon boat, our watershed biologist will teach you how area lakes and...
Eurasian Watermilfoil Update
Eurasian watermilfoil (“EWM”) is an invasive aquatic plant which grows and spreads quickly and can have devastating impacts on lake ecology and recreational activities. Last October, GLA boat wash staff identified two fragments of EWM on watercraft trailers exiting...
Koi Fish Eradication Update
The GLA is just as committed to eradicating invasive animal species from the watershed as it is invasive plant species, and the Koi fish is no exception. Unfortunately, a number of Koi have been spotted in Little Glen Lake in recent years. The word "koi" comes from...
Notice of 2024 GLA Annual Member Meeting
The Glen Lake Association is proud to boast more than 75 years of preserving and protecting the Glen Lake/Crystal River Watershed. Our Annual Meeting serves as a platform to showcase our accomplishments, address business matters, and reconnect friends and neighbors...
Guardian Tip: Upcoming Hazardous Waste Collection Dates
Oil, gasoline, antifreeze, and old paint are just a few examples of household hazardous waste products (“HHW”) which may be found in just about every home or garage within the Glen Lake area. Throwing out these items with regular household garbage (or worse, pouring...
Wishing Tricia Denton All the Best
You may have met Tricia at a table outside the Glen Arbor Farmers’ Market, where she has raised awareness of the GLA’s mission and encouraged everyone to become a member. Maybe you received a consultation at your waterfront property, where Tricia offered strategies to...
Guardian Tips: Michigan Boating Laws & Guidelines
We all share the water! Have fun in our watershed, but remember these state regulations for boating: Maintain at least 100 feet from shore or structure when boating. With the exception of the dock at Old Settlers Park, docks, rafts, and swim platforms are privately...
Important Announcement: Activity on Little Glen Lake in May
The GLA embraces a policy of “early detection, early response” when it comes to any type of invasive species. We are committed to eradicating both plant and animal-based invasive species when possible, and the Japanese Koi is no exception. Commonly used in landscaped...
Important Announcement: Little Glen Nighttime Activity Coming in May
If you see unusual activity on Little Glen in early May, please do not be alarmed. The GLA has partnered with a team from Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club of Mesick, Michigan, to eradicate invasive Japanese Koi. A team will be working on the water at night, using...
Invasive Coltsfoot: Be On the Lookout
We need your help! Unusually warm early-season temperatures mean now is the time to spot the blooms. Coltsfoot was first identified along the shores of Big Glen in 2008 and is believed to have hitchhiked here with other landscape material. Coltsfoot is comparable to...
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