August 8, 2008

Avian Botulism “Beach Ranger” Workshop Announced

Response to Botulism Outbreaks on Northern Lake Michigan

The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay will host a free workshop on Monday, August 18, on avian botulism. The target audience for the workshop is Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay shoreline property owners and beach walkers who want to learn how to respond to expected bird die-offs in the coming months.

Beach walkers and shoreline property owners can volunteer to be “Beach Rangers” to help assess the extent of bird die-offs and learn proper disposal practices for dead birds. Information on bird die-offs gathered by Beach Rangers will be forwarded to Michigan DNR and other agencies.

The workshop will be from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on Monday, August 18, in Room 112 of the Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes Campus, 715 East Front Street, Traverse City.

Bird die-offs from Type-E avian botulism have dramatically increased in recent years on Northern Lake Michigan. Last year, for the first time in several years, botulism was also confirmed in bird deaths on Grand Traverse Bay north of Elk Rapids.

In response to these concerns and to better inform the public about how they can help manage these outbreaks along the more than 400 miles of Northern lake Michigan shoreline, The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay is leading the Grand Traverse Bay Botulism Network. The purpose of the network is to monitor beaches along Northern Lake Michigan and respond to avian botulism outbreaks. The work of the network actively supports scientists conducting botulism research.

The Botulism Network includes The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan Sea Grant, Inland Seas Education Association, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan Loon Preservation Association, Common Coast Research & Conservation, White Pine Associates and Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

Botulism is a serious neuromuscular illness caused by a toxin that is produced by the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. Migratory birds such as threatened common loons, endangered piping plovers, mergansers, long-tailed ducks, grebes, scaup, cormorants and gulls are the bird species most commonly affected by Type E botulism.

Botulism spores (the resting stage of the bacteria) are naturally occurring in soils and aquatic sediments of many lakes and in the gills and digestive tracts of fish living in those lakes. The spores can remain in the ecosystems for long periods of time, even years, and are quite resistant to temperature changes and drying. The spores, themselves, are harmless until the correct environmental factors and anaerobic conditions prompt them to germinate and begin growing. Botulism can only grow in a nutrient- rich substrate, such as areas with large amounts of decaying plant growth, which is free of oxygen (anaerobic). Fish that die for any reason and that contain the bacterial spores in their tissues are also suitable substrates for the growth and toxin production of botulism.

The Beach Ranger Training Workshop will cover the Basics of Type E Botulism, Beach Ranger Responsibilities, protocols for Bird Sampling and Disposal (developed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Michigan Department of Community Health and Michigan Sea Grant) and protocols for Beach Monitoring (developed by Common Coast Research & Conservation).

To register for the workshop, please call: The Watershed Center- Grand Traverse Bay at 231.935.1514, ext 0.

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