Photo: The Good Harbor Bay Watershed: Shetland Creek connects Lime Lake to Little Traverse Lake and Shalda Creek connects LTL to Lake Michigan
If you're lucky enough to live on one of our inland lakes here in Leelanau, you might be very invested in being a good steward of the health of your shoreline and the waters you swim in and admire with your morning tea. But like all living things, our lakes are interconnected in many ways.
The well-being of any one of our lakes really does depend on what is happening around it. Lime Lake is part of the Good Harbor Bay Watershed, a 29,020 acre area that includes Little Traverse Lake, the shore of Good Harbor Bay, many smaller lakes, streams, and wetland and forested areas, Shalda Creek that travels from Little Traverse Lake through the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, and Shetland Creek that connects our lake with Little Traverse Lake, as shown in the image above.
Shetland Creek is the main outlet of Lime Lake. It leaves Lime Lake on the north end, meanders under M22, and drains into Little Traverse Lake. Lime Lake is the most upland body of water in our watershed. This is important because what we do on Lime Lake matters. Anything we put into our water can drain into Little Traverse Lake and then into Lake Michigan.
Photo: The mouth of Shetland Creek as it enters Little Traverse Lake
Last week our lake biologist, Kelsey Froelich and her daughters Adley (7) and Lainey (5) took it upon themselves to spend an afternoon removing debris from the first half of Shetland Creek. Actually, the family had gone out simply to explore the creek. They soon noticed the trash that was accumulating and sprang into action. "Once we realized we were on a clean-up mission, Lainey became very adamant that we get every piece of garbage," said Froelich who has included her daughters in her work as a lake biologist since they were toddlers. They help with monitoring for invasives, collecting water samples, and now keeping our watershed trash-free.
Photo: Some of the trash collected from Shetland Creek. Anything left in Lime Lake and the watershed can stay there, ultimately affecting the biodiversity and health of the lake.
"For the girls, the clean-up became quite an adventure, and they loved the surprises along the way, like finding a leach and a crayfish living in cans. It's interesting that these living organisms are doing the best they can with what we give to them (such as making a home out of a discarded container) but this is certainly not natural and healthy," Froelich reminds us.
It's a beautiful thing to see someone modeling care and responsibility for the next generation of stewards of our very special part of the world. It's also true that more of us need to be taking action. You may not have time to do a creek cleanup, but all of us can take the time to be mindful about what we allow into our lake. The next time you're out on the lake or exploring any part of our Good Harbor Watershed and peninsula enjoy the beauty that we're a part of, keep an eye out for what doesn't belong there, and be mindful not to leave anything behind other than your wonder and appreciation.
Lake Biologist, Kelsey Froelich, with her daughters, Adley and Lainey, and the trash they removed from Shetland Creek
Mark Your Calendar
Come learn more from Kelsey about all of our Lime Lake stewardship projects at our annual meeting taking place on July 27th, 9 am, at the Cleveland Township Hall!
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