Grayling Back In Michigan?

[Redbrook]

For those of you who don't know but may be interested the state of Michigan will be re-introducing Grayling sometime in the future. This has been tried before in Michigan several times in the past but without any success. The DNR and other folks involved with the project believe they have some new ideas that just might work this time around. At this point they believe somewhere in the Manistee river shed will be the starting point. One thing I found interesting is that they will "not chemically reclaim streams" to help establish the new Grayling population.
This webside provides a lot of information about the project: https://www.migrayling.org/

 

[rockriver]

I don't think they ever left. You just have to know where to look for them.

 

[myt1]

Interesting.

I lived in Michigan for over 17 years and it never crossed my mind until just know that the town of Grayling is probably named after the fish.

 

[stenacron]

I lived in Michigan for over 17 years and it never crossed my mind until just know that the town of Grayling is probably named after the fish.

Yeah, this really makes me wonder how the town of Intercourse, PA got it's name!

The Village of Intercourse | Intercourse, Pennsylvania | Shop, Dine, Explore

 

[GrtLksMarlin]

Yeah, this really makes me wonder how the town of Intercourse, PA got it's name!

The Village of Intercourse | Intercourse, Pennsylvania | Shop, Dine, Explore

Wonder no more! Didn't you read their answer?

Great town, great name.
It's okay, you can giggle! We know our name gets us lots of attention, but we're proud that who we are keeps folks coming back again and again. So how did we get our name? There are a few theories.

First, our town used to sit at the edge of a race course, right where visitors would enter the racing festivities. The entrance was coined "Entercourse" and may have evolved into Intercourse.

Or, the name may have come from the Intersection of two major roads, or courses. The Old Kings Highway which traveled from Pittsburg to Philadelphia and the route from Wilmington, Delaware to Erie, Pennsylvania. One final theory suggests the town was named after a phrase commonly used at the time of the town's founding. In early English, Intercourse was used to refer to fellowship and social interaction shared in a community of faith, a description still relevant to our town today.

Myself living in Hell, Michigan, I know it got its name from how my wife acts when she's mad, well or happy, sad, excited, well, all the time. No it has nothing to do with horns, though the devil does have horns, just more her demeanor. Man I hate it when her head spins around, it's just creepy :shocking:

B.E.F. :shades:

 

[GrtLksMarlin]

The actual action plan. I find it interesting that Arctic Grayling are only native in two of the lower-48-states. Montana and Michigan.

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/b4a52d_ae024bdf8c2843c98d12ee81ba38446f.pdf

B.E.F.

 

[Redbrook]

What I found fascinating regarding Michigan Grayling is that they were in several lower peninsula rivers but only one river in the UP. I would have figured they were all over the UP but not so. I'm guessing those UP rivers had brookies in them and for whatever reason the Grayling didn't take in those streams. For some reason(s) they found their niche in the lower peninsula rivers in Michigan. Now let's hope the new initiative meets with success.

 

[rockriver]

They are in the U.P.

 

[ddb]

A noble intent but I guess I'll just have to watch how the proposal evolves before giving off serious cheers.

I know of several rivers in Europe where grayling and major predators -- like browns and huchen (mladitsa) in the former Yugoslavia-- and grayling coexist. The MI folks might want to widen their research beyond Montana for some tips on if and how those waters are managed.

The Manistee system is infested year round with major predator species and seasonally with even bigger invaders from the big lake. It is hard to see how they can prevent the effort from becoming a "school lunch" program w/o major efforts to liquidate the browns and corral runs from Lake Michigan -- eitehr of which would run into a big howl from current users.

DDB

 

[JDR]

I was just wondering about the progress/success with bring Grayling back to Michigan? Is there any more news this Spring?

 

[dennyk]

To catch & release a Grayling it definitely on my bucket list!

denny

 

[dreihl9896]

The Manistee system is infested year round with major predator species and seasonally with even bigger invaders from the big lake. It is hard to see how they can prevent the effort from becoming a "school lunch" program w/o major efforts to liquidate the browns and corral runs from Lake Michigan -- eitehr of which would run into a big howl from current users.

I'm fairly sure the effort will be focused in the upper reaches of the Manistee, which is inaccessible to Lake Michigan predators, for whom Tippy Dam is the end of the line. There are some large resident Browns though.

 

[Redbrook]

Last I heard was at a TU meeting this winter and only that the program was continuing to move forward. It was also noted that will take a few years to raise brood stock to reproduce and then get actual Grayling planted in the streams. I know that stream predators (primarily Brown Trout) is a big concern and I have no idea how they plan to over come that if they are not going to poison streams.