State: Crews to begin dredging Lake Superior harbor

GAY, Mich. (AP) — Crews are expected to start removing more copper mining waste rock known as stamp sands that have built up in an Upper Peninsula waterway and threaten an important fish spawning area. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says dredging in Grand Traverse Harbor should start this week and is part of a wider strategy to help protect the spawning habitat for Lake Superior whitefish and lake trout. Stamp sands were dumped along the Lake Superior lakefront during the early 20th century in Gay, northwest of Marquette. The stamp sands cover 1,400 acres of shoreline and lake bottom and are drifting toward Buffalo Reef.