HOUGHTON COUNTY MI— A Michigan Department of Natural Resources plan to dredge the Keweenaw’s Buffalo Reef is being pushed forward until next year.
The DNR wants to remove copper mine tailings known as stamp sands from the Buffalo Reef fish spawning habitat in Grand Traverse Harbor. The sand threatens to cover spawning habitat and recruitment areas important to Lake Superior whitefish and lake trout associated with Buffalo Reef.
Harbor dredging efforts by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and others have kept the waterway open for fishing, boating, and other recreation.
The DNR says due to a poor bidding environment and potential conflict with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working on the harbor wall, the expected Buffalo Reef dredging project is being rebid to be undertaken in 2026.
