Buffalo Reef Task Force Set to Remove Stamp Sands from Vital Lake Trout Spawn Site

The Buffalo Reef Task Force will pick work back up on removing stamp sands from the Buffalo Reef this summer. The Buffalo Reef located between Gay and Traverse Bay on the east side of the Keweenaw Peninsula is one of the most vital spawning areas for Lake Superior Lake Trout and Whitefish. The reef over the years has become filled with stamp sands as Lake Superior has washed and eroded the tailing beaches left by the processing of copper ore by the Mohawk Mining Company. The task force anticipates the full scope of removing the sands and transporting it to a location nearby will cost a least one billion dollars. 

“Find an entity to own and maintain the jetty. That’s going to be a pretty big issue. Implement phase one dredging and the building and then move to phase two and beyond. So the risks to the project moving forward are really real estate acquisition is an issue. Some of the lands are owned by railroads that are no longer in existence. So it’s been really hard to track down ownership. Road easements for the same reason, to get to that upland site.” – Bill Matters, Great Lakes Section Leader, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission

In the last year, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community has helped financially support the dredging efforts due to a lack of funds provided by the federal government. The U.S. Army Corps of engineers will continue to request funds however it is likely that harbor maintenance funding will remain inconsistent. As work continues to progress crews will remove more stamp sands from the location.