Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network

08/27/2026

We're thrilled to have Dr. Lynne Heasley as our special keynote presenter at the State of the Bay 2026 conference on October 7th in Bay City. Dr. Heasley is an environmental historian in the School of Environment, Geography and Sustainability at Western Michigan University. Her recent book, The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes, foregrounds the St. Clair River, a critical connecting water between Lakes Huron and Erie. Dr. Heasley will set the stage for a day all about Saginaw Bay by discussing the larger picture of how our bay matters in the context of the larger Great Lakes system. Learn more about Lynne here - https://lynneheasley.com/splash.htm - and register for the conference at www.stateofthebay2026.org

08/07/2026

Help send baby sturgeon on their way at release events on September 4th and September 26th at locations across the watershed! Chippewa Nature Center Michigan Sea Grant Frankenmuth Friends of the Shiawassee River Flint River Watershed Coalition Michigan Department of Natural Resources U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sturgeon For Tomorrow - Black Lake Chapter Fisheries & Wildlife at Michigan State University @

08/05/2026

Saginaw Bay WIN, along with other funding partners, including Bay Area Community Foundation and Michigan Sea Grant, are excited about a new research project on Saginaw Bay spearheaded by Fisheries & Wildlife at Michigan State University and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This effort is focused on one of the bay's most important sportfish - smallmouth bass. Researchers are implanting tracking tags into fish that will allow them to identify locations where these fish relate to certain habitat, spawn, and spend their lives - helping to build greater knowledge of their life cycle and needs. Researchers are working with bass fishing tournaments around the Saginaw Bay, including this college event out of Bay City, to collect fish and implant tags before those fish are released back into the system.

08/03/2026

A new grant from Saginaw Bay WIN supports a new access site in Midland County's Village of Sanford. The new access provides connection to the broader network of launches on the Tittabawassee.

Sanford’s new kayak and canoe launch expands public access to the Tittabawassee River behind Porte Park, near 30 acres of developing walking trails.
Click the link in the comments 👇️

07/30/2026

How are you celebrating Sturgeon Week??

07/28/2026

We're excited to be one of the funding partners of the new Hogan Road Launch on the beautiful Shiawassee River. Thank you to the Keepers of the Shiawassee River, Michigan for spearheading this project. Join us on September 1 for the official ribbon-cutting at this site!

06/12/2026

Join us today at the Dow Championship in Midland! The Conservation Fund MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club Michigan Department of Natural Resources

06/10/2026

Heading to the Dow Championship LPGA event in Midland this week? Stop by our table on Friday near the main entrance as we join our partners from MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club and Michigan Department of Natural Resources to showcase the ongoing sturgeon restoration effort. We'll have mini-sturgeon for the first 100 kids under 12 starting at 8am, and we're bringing along a couple of juvenile sturgeon for you to check out on your way to the course. Thank you, Dow Championship, for inviting us back this year!

06/08/2026

A new survey announcement from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources identifies the walleye as the new centerpiece of Michigan's Great Lakes fishery. The survey results indicate Lake Huron now accounts for more than half of all the fishing effort in the Michigan waters of the Great Lakes. This is largely driven by the recovery of the walleye population in Saginaw Bay, which is now estimated to number more than 14 million fish age 2 and older. "Within Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay now accounts for nearly 80% of the fishing effort – 42% of all of Michigan’s Great Lakes recreational fishery,” said Dr. Jeff Jolley of the MDNR. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service estimates an average expenditure of $155 per Great Lakes fishing trip. If we apply that estimate to fishing trips on Saginaw Bay, that means the fishery on the bay generated over $60 million in economic activity in 2025.” Learn more here:

Showcasing the DNR: Lake Huron walleye Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 06/04/2026 02:02 PM EDT Share or view as webpage | Update preferences Showcasing the DNR Lake Huron walleye: The new centerpiece of Michigan's Great Lakes fishery By DAVID FIELDERFisheries research....

05/28/2026

We're excited to announce that early-bird registration is open for the State of the Bay Conference to be held on October 7, 2026 in Bay City. Check this site for the regsitration link and sponsorship information!

Every two years, the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network (WIN) and its partners provide a focus on Saginaw Bay and its Watershed through the State of the Bay conference. The purpose of the conference is to highlight educational initiatives, restoration, community development and conservation ac...