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Great Lakes Restoration Projects Producing Results for People, Communities

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Great Lakes Restoration Projects Producing Results for People, Communities Great Lakes Restoration Projects Producing Results for People, Communities FEBRUARY 2015 Great Lakes Restoration Projects Producing Results for People, Communities Prepared for the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition by Andrew Whelan, Anna Brunner, Jeff Alexander, and Dave Gershman This report was made possible through the generous support of the Erb Foundation, Great Lakes Fisheries Trust, Joyce Foundation, and Peter Wege Foundation. The Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition is solely responsible for the content of this report. The views expressed in this report are those of the Healing Our Waters–Great Lakes Coalition and do not necessarily represent the views of financial supporters. Cover photo credits clockwise from left (ending in the center): U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds, Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Department, Ducks Unlimited, and Gail Heffner. © 2015 Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition. All Rights Reserved. Healing Our Waters® – Great Lakes Coalition http://www.healthylakes.org/ More than 120 organizations representing millions of people are uniting to restore one of America’s greatest natural wonders — the Great Lakes. The coalition seeks to stop sewage contamination, shut the door on invasive species, and restore wetlands and other damaged habitat, each of which is an essential component of restoring the health of the Great Lakes. For more information, contact: TODD AMBS CHAD LORD JENNIFER HILL JORDAN LUBETKIN CELIA HAVEN Campaign Director Policy Director Field Director Communications Program Coordinator 608-692-9974 202-454-3385 734-887-7104 Director 734-887-7123 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 734-887-7109 [email protected] [email protected] Table of Contents ILLINOIS Program helps communities restore health of Lake Michigan ravines Northeastern Illinois .............................................................................. 3 Dead Dog Creek restoration reduces runoff, erosion into Lake Michigan Winthrop Harbor, Illinois .......................................................................... 4 Reducing erosion in ravine will improve Lake Michigan Village of Lake Bluff, near Chicago, Illinois ............................................................. 5 INDIANA Naturalizing stormwater retention basin improves water quality Valparaiso, Indiana ............................................................................... 6 MICHIGAN Former golf course transformed into wetlands and green space Holland, Michigan................................................................................ 7 Liberated creek no longer a source of mercury pollution Ishpeming, Michigan .............................................................................. 8 New map helps communities plan their green infrastructure projects Lower Grand River Watershed, near Grand Rapids, Michigan ................................................ 9 Restoring connectivity in the Two Hearted River watershed Luce County, Michigan ........................................................................... 10 Dam removal liberates a long-harnessed river Dexter, Michigan ................................................................................ 11 Restoring local creek brings diverse communities together Grand Rapids, Michigan .......................................................................... 12 Dam removal boosts river’s water quality and fish passage Nashville, Michigan.............................................................................. 13 Lake’s contaminated sediment cleaned up by poplar trees Muskegon, Michigan ............................................................................. 14 Native species return to a fen along the Kalamazoo River Kalamazoo, Michigan ............................................................................ 15 River habitat restoration leads to increase in trout population Coldwater River, near Grand Rapids, Michigan .......................................................... 16 Reconnecting lagoon to river restores habitat for fish and wildlife Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan ........................................................................ 17 Belle Isle’s fishing pier attracts fish and fishermen once again Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan ........................................................................ 18 GREAT LAKES RESTORATION PROJECTS PRODUCING RESULTS FOR PEOPLE, COMMUNITIES 1 MINNESOTA Northern Minnesota river has stronger riverbanks, less erosion Near Hovland, Minnesota ......................................................................... 19 NEW YORK Restoring fish habitat at Lake Shore Marshes Lake Shore Marshes Wildlife Management Area in Wayne County, New York ................................... 20 Protecting the Indian River Lakes wetland benefits people, wildlife Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties, New York ......................................................... 21 OHIO Marsh restoration paves way for return of native wildflowers Cleveland, Ohio................................................................................. 22 Project transforms farm field into a coastal wetland Oak Harbor, Ohio ............................................................................... 23 With dams removed, an urban stream creek recovers Berea, Ohio .................................................................................... 24 Restored Ohio creek reduces flooding Hudson High School, Hudson, Ohio .................................................................. 25 PENNSYLVANIA Fish passage project bolsters a steelhead fishery Lawrence Park Township, near Erie, Pennsylvania ....................................................... 26 WISCONSIN Program limits spread of four invasive weeds through Wisconsin Ozaukee County, Wisconsin ....................................................................... 27 REGION-WIDE Preventing spread of invasive species through bait trade Region-wide (samples were taken from every Great Lakes state) ............................................. 28 2 HEALING OUR WATERS® – GREAT LAKES COALITION • HTTP://WWW.HEALTHYLAKES.ORG/ Program helps communities restore health of Lake Michigan ravines NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS Groups in Northeastern Illinois are focused on restoring ravine habitat by working with private landowners to reintroduce native plants. These plants will help to decrease erosion, thereby preventing sediment build- up in Lake Michigan and protecting valuable fish and wildlife habitat. THE G BY RE A D T DESCRIPTION: Northeastern Illinois, along E Ravines, like the one here, drain into Lake Michigan. Minimizing sediment loss is D L A N K the shore of Lake Michigan, was histori- important for the health of the ravine ecosystem and for Lake Michigan. (Alliance for the U E F S Great Lakes photo) R E cally the site of deep ravines that ranged E V I S T T A O I T R from 10 feet to 75 feet high, but over time I A N I T I N O the growth of cities has destroyed many of the Great Lakes by reducing the sediment that flows into these natural drainage areas. By filling in these areas in Lake Michigan, while providing a varied habitat that will the landscape, communities have put more of a strain on benefit wildlife around the lakes. the remaining drainage areas, funneling the same quantity of water through fewer and fewer streams, increasing APPROXIMATE COST OF PROJECT: $ 297, 332, w it h erosion. The ravines are also home to locally rare plant $150,000 coming from Sustain Our Great Lakes—an species, including paper birch and star-flower. Of the organization partially funded by the Great Lakes remaining ravines, sixty percent are on residential Restoration Initiative property and due to this high level of development effective ravine protection involves educating public and RESOURCE CHALLENGES ADDRESSED: erosion, increased private landowners on how to care for these important stormwater runoff, loss of native species ecosystems. Individual decisions by these landowners that might seem simple—like removing plants from the edge KEY PARTNERS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE): Great Lakes of the yard or climbing up and down the hill leading into Restoration Initiative through Sustain Our Great Lakes, the ravine—could unintentionally increase erosion and Alliance for the Great Lakes, Lake County Forest Preserve sediment build up in the ravine and in Lake Michigan. To District, Chicago Botanic Garden, Conservation Research help educate landowners on behaviors and decisions that Institute, Illinois Natural History Survey, Northwater support the health of the ravine, as well as to understand Consulting, Openlands, and National Fish and Wildlife the current state of ravine health, local groups have Foundation established the Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership. Over the past four years the partnership TYPES OF JOBS CREATED: contractors to plant seedlings, worked to develop guides to help assess the state of ravine local nurseries, ecologists, biologists, and digital map- health quickly—helping the group understand what work ping technicians needs to be done to support each ravine and how land- owners can contribute. Protecting these ravines will help WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/1lucast RESULTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Since 2011, vegetation already existing in the ravine ecosystems has been assessed and 13 rare species are being monitored. With the results of the ravine assessment in hand, the Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership
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