Wave of mudpuppies on Lake Huron beaches puzzle scientists

By JENNIFER KALISH
Capital News Service
LANSING — A large number of unusual salamanders called mudpuppies washed ashore on many Lake Huron beaches during Superstorm Sandy. “When I was walking our dogs on the beach I counted 40 in front of our home and the two houses just south of us,” said Barbara Stimpson of Fort Gratiot Township. Five miles south of Stimpson’s home, Dave Dortman found more than 50 dead mudpuppies washed ashore within 100 feet on Lakeside Beach in Port Huron. “I’ve lived in Port Huron my whole life and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a storm like this with such huge waves,” said Dortman, a former environmental quality analyst for the Department of Environmental Quality. The waves on Lake Huron were hitting 23 feet before the weather buoys stopped reporting, Dortman said.