The Manistee Lake Association contracted with Progressive AE to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Manistee Lake shoreline to evaluate the quality of our shoreline relative to the standards of the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership. The report of this survey is now available on this website to MLA members who are registered to use the site. The document, entitled Manistee Lake Score the Shore Report 2017, is available under the MLA Important Docs tab in the Members Menu on the left side of this page.
The report contains the entire survey, photos and scoring, explains the basis of the various scores and what they mean. It also includes all of the individual rating forms as well as lots of useful information on how to improve our shoreline to help protect and improve the quality, and the fishery on Manistee Lake. This report will provide the basis of additional efforts to bring about shoreline improvements on our lake. Be sure to read Appendix D for important recommendations in response to the findings.
Summary of the Results (from the report):
The Score the Shore Survey of Manistee Lake was completed on August 30, 2017 in accordance with
MiCorps guidelines. Prior to the field survey, a Score the Shore Survey Map was created in which GPS
reference points were established at 1,000-foot intervals around the shoreline (excluding the canals). In
total, 30 individual survey sites were established around the lake that encompassed about 5.7 miles of
shoreline (Figure 1). Two passes were made around the lake via boat and field observations were recorded on the Score the Shore data forms for each survey section (Appendix B). Score the Shore calculations were then made for each individual survey assessment site (Figure 2) and these data were used to calculate the Development Density and Overall Shore Score for Manistee Lake (Tables 1 through 5). Geo-referenced digital photographs were taken within each survey section (Appendix C).
With the exception to the low-lying wetlands along the northwest end of the lake, much of the Manistee Lake shoreline is developed. Currently, 248 homes and 246 docks border the lake proper, which equates to an average development density of 16.5 structures per 1,000 feet. Manistee Lake has an overall Shore Score of 55 with about 50% of Manistee Lake shoreland rated poor, about 33% fair, and 17% good (Figure 3). Not surprisingly, most of the disturbed shoreland areas occur along developed shoreline areas. These data suggest that there is a need to both preserve and restore natural shoreland habitat around Manistee Lake. Shoreland management guidelines for Manistee Lake residents are included in Appendix D. It is recommended that these guidelines be mailed to all Manistee Lake property owners as part of a long-term lake protection strategy focused on restoring natural shoreland habitat.
Manistee Lake has an overall Shore Score of 55 with about 50% of Manistee Lake shoreland rated poor,
about 33% fair, and 17% good.
A brief booklet with recommendations for improving our shoreline is in Appendix D or can be read separately by clicking on the Score the Shore Booklet item in the Latest News From the Board at the top of the home page.