Looking out over the pristine headwaters of the Upper Saint Mary’s River, the main campus of theBay Mills Community College(BMCC) is located between the sole outlet of Lake Superior and Waishkey (Waiska) Bay in the heart of theBay Mills Indian Community. The Bay is an important recreational and cultural resource for members of the Bay Mills Indian Community and its neighbors, as well as for the many tourists who visit the area.

BMCC recently was awarded $216K to help fund research of Waishkey Bay. BMCC’s project will study contaminants in the Bay, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and micro plastics. The project will also study the biodiversity of the bay including surveying all mussel species present. Mussels, like clams and oysters, are good indicators of a water bodies health and many mussels in Michigan are threatened or endangered.

该项目将在BMCC吸引学生sisting with the research as well as several partner organizations. These partners includeLake Superior State University’s Environmental Analysis LabandWayne State University’s Lumigen Instrument Center, which will be performing chemical analysis on samples collected.Bay Mills Indian Community’s Biological Services Departmentwill assist with training and sample collection andMichigan Sea Grant, a program of Michigan State University Extension and the University of Michigan will serve as coordinators for education and outreach to the local community.

Michigan Sea Granthelps to foster economic growth and protect Michigan’s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research and outreach. A collaborative effort of theUniversity of MichiganandBOB体育and itsMSUExtension, Michigan Sea Grant is part of theNOAA-National Sea Grantnetwork of 33 university-based programs.