Lake Superior State University fisheries students Brianne Lunn of Bellaire (left) and Corey Jerome of Hamilton sample biodiversity by gill netting sections of a lake. University researchers noted the abundance, composition, and condition of fish they collected as part of a collaborative study with Hiawatha Sportsman's Club. (Photographs by Nick Vitale) Good things happen when the interests of scientists and sportsmen overlap. At least that's what the Hiawatha Sportsman's Club (HSC) and Lake Superior State University's fisheries and wildlife management program have discovered with a collaboration that's going into a sixth year.

The two are working to improve the quality of the club's land and water holdings across 35,000 acres in Mackinac County. The private club, formed in 1927, boasts three trout ponds, a wilderness-secluded golf course, exclusive access along Lakes Michigan and Millecoquins, as well as a nature and historical museum. It approached LSSU's biology department in 2003 for advice on how to inventory and best manage their resources.

Lake Superior State University fisheries students and faculty team up with the Hiawatha Sportsman's Club to survey a lake on a 35,000-acre reserve in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula. The university and the club are in the sixth year of an agreement that allows students to conduct research there. The club also endows a scholarship for biology students. The partnership has blossomed into an ongoing hands-on learning opportunity for university students doing senior thesis projects, class field trips, and practical experiences for the university's Fisheries and Wildlife Club. In 2006, the Hiawatha Sportsman's Club created a scholarship for students who display academic excellence and participate in projects on club lands.

In September of this year, Professor Geoff Steinhart's fisheries management class met with club officials in Engadine to conduct a three-day expedition that examined more than 3,000 fish in three lakes. The data they collected will assess the status of fisheries on club properties and develop management plans to improve the lakes' fisheries.

Twelve students noted the abundance, composition, and condition of fish, along with several other aspects of the lakes, including water quality and aquatic insect communities. The class will spend the rest of this semester analyzing data and developing management plans for improving the fishing and lake quality. Once the class develops these plans, they will be reviewed, debated, and revised before being presented to the club this winter.

Projects like these that tap the university's faculty and student expertise have exceeded the club's expectations, members say.

"Their work is of excellent quality and very helpful to the Hiawatha Club. They are helping us solve some problems we are having with our lakes and also helping us develop management plans for these lakes," said retired educator John MacFarland, a club governor and director of the club's fish program.

Club manager Lester Livermore considers the whole arrangement to be an investment that will pay dividends for everyone who enjoys the outdoors.

"Time and time again they have proven to me that they have the skill, knowledge, and desire that future wildlife managers will need to deal with the challenges ahead," he said.

- Geoff Steinhart, Brianne Lunn, and Cory Jerome contributed to this report.