{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-peters-stops-in-traverse-city-on-day-4-of-10th-and-final-motorcycle-tour", "PHOTOS: Peters Stops in Traverse City on Day 4 of 10th and Final Motorcycle Tour", "2026-08-27", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "TRAVERSE CITY, MI \u2013 U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) visited FishPass in Downtown Traverse City during his annual motorcycle tour across Michigan. Peters highlighted the $22.7 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding he secured to help make the FishPass project possible. FishPass replaced the deteriorated Union Street Dam and will reconnect the Boardman/Ottaway River with Lake Michigan\u2019s Grand Traverse Bay. Once open, FishPass will sort and selectively pass native fish while blocking harmful invasive species, such as sea lamprey. FishPass is the capstone of a 20-year project to restore more than 100 miles of the Boardman/Ottaway River, strengthening local ecosystems and fisheries.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s an honor be here to see the progress and final touches made to FishPass before this exciting, long-term project is officially open,\u201d said Senator Peters. \u201cFishPass is a reminder of the passion and commitment that Michiganders have for protecting our Great Lakes and natural resources. It shows that we are creating new and innovative solutions for that work. As long as I have the privilege of serving the state of Michigan, I will continue working to protect the Great Lakes, manage invasive species, and safeguard our state\u2019s precious waterways.\u201d\n\nAs construction of FishPass nears its completion, Peters toured the site with Traverse City Mayor Amy Shamroe, Angelina Raphael, Vice Chairwomen of the Grand Traverse Band of Chippewa Indians, and Dr. Marc Gaden, Executive Secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. During the visit, Gaden, a fellow motorcycle rider and annual participant in Peters\u2019 motorcycle tour, ceremoniously dedicated a new pedestrian bridge in honor of Peters. The bridge will be on display in Rotary Square and installed over the Boardman/Ottaway River in the coming months.\n\n\u201cWe are fortunate to have such incredible freshwater resources here in Traverse City, and our community has long understood the importance of protecting them,\u201d said Traverse City Mayor Amy Shamroe. \u201cWe are grateful to Senator Peters for fighting to secure robust federal funding for FishPass, an investment that will strengthen our waterways while creating exciting new opportunities for research and economic growth in Traverse City.\u201d\n\n\u201cInvasive species remain one of the most serious threats facing the Great Lakes. FishPass demonstrates how innovative solutions can protect native fish while restoring the health of our waterways,\u201d said Marc Gaden, Executive Secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. \u201cThis project is a major priority for our Commission, so we\u2019re thankful for Senator Peters\u2019 efforts to secure the federal resources needed to move FishPass forward.\u201d\n\nTo view photos from Senator Peters\u2019 stop in Traverse City, click HERE.\n\nSupporting FishPass is part of Peters\u2019 legacy of protecting the Great Lakes and Michigan\u2019s precious waterways for future generations. FishPass received federal funding from the GLRI, which has provided over $4.7 billion to fund more than 9,000 projects to combat the greatest threats to the Great Lakes, including invasive species, harmful algal blooms and loss of fish and wildlife habitats. Peters has consistently led the charge to fund the GLRI, including by securing $1 billion for the program \u2013 the largest investment in GLRI ever \u2013 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Today, he is leading the effort to reauthorize the program for another five years at increased funding levels, which would put GLRI on solid footing for years to come.\n\nPeters also created the U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes Oil Spill Center of Expertise. Collocated in Ann Arbor and Sault Ste. Marie, the center is actively working to develop best practices for effectively responding to an oil spill in freshwater environments like the Great Lakes.\n\nAs Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, Peters plays a key role in uniting Great Lakes lawmakers to coordinate legislative initiatives, funding priorities, and oversight efforts to address the most important issues facing the Great Lakes, such as invasive species, environmental contamination, shoreline erosion, water quality, infrastructure needs, and more.\n\nPeters \u2013 an avid and longtime motorcycle rider \u2013 kicked off his \u201cThank you, Michigan\u201d tour in Bay City. He then made stops in Alpena, Marquette, and Traverse City, before he will make stops in Grand Rapids and East Lansing. He will ride more than 1,000 miles across the state on this year\u2019s tour \u2013 which is Peters\u2019 10th and last official motorcycle tour.\n\n\u201cI've always said the best way to travel across our state is on a motorcycle,\u201d Peters said. \u201cRepresenting Michigan in the U.S. Senate has been the absolute honor of my lifetime. So, this year\u2019s tour is about saying thank you to all of the amazing people and communities I\u2019ve been able to partner with during my career to help make Michigan an amazing place to work, live, and raise a family.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-28T17:11:49Z", "2026-08-28T17:13:14Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-peters-stops-in-traverse-city-on-day-4-of-10th-and-final-motorcycle-tour"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8886372670531273, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}