Michigan Saginaw Bay Lake Plain and Headwaters Focus Area Focal Species Mallard, Bobolink, Lake Sturgeon and Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid Jim Hudgins, USFWS Robert H. Pos Jim Hudgins, USFWS Rachel Maranto, MNA Strategic Habitat Conservation „„Conservation Planning and UMRGLR JV Implementation Plan, Shiawassee NWR CCP, Great Lakes Design Tools: Watershed Mgt. Tool, Lake Huron Biodiversity Strategy, Saginaw Bay CISMA Strategic Plan, Upper Midwest Great Lakes LCC Strategic Plan

„„Conservation Delivery: Wetland restoration and enhancement, Great Lakes coastal marsh restoration, grassland/prairie restoration/establishment, early successional forest management, fish habitat and passage

„„Conservation Partners: Michigan DNR, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, Michigan Nature Association, Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy, Little Forks Conservancy, local governments and universities, Saginaw Bay RC&D

Comprehensive Partnerships Include Initiatives Focus Area Five-Year Targets „„Partnership for Saginaw Bay „„Monarch Initiative „„Wetland Restoration/ Enhancement/Coastal Marsh: „ „„Great Lakes „Saginaw Bay Cooperative 200 acres Invasive Species Mgt. Area Restoration Initiative „„Upland Restoration/ „ „„Michigan NAWCA „Saginaw Bay Coastal Enhancement: 150 acres Initiative Partnership „„Fish Habitat: 15 sites „„Great Lakes Coastal Wetland „„Michigan Pheasant LCD Restoration Initiative „„Fish Passage: 1 Great Lakes barrier „„Saginaw Bay WIN „„Schoolyard Habitat „„Saginaw Bay Regional „„Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership Conservation Program Program (Urban Refuge) „„Upper Midwest Great Lakes LCC „„Saginaw Bay to Lake Erie NAWCA Partnership 62 63 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Midwest Region Strategic Work Plan prairie fringed orchid. Finally, the area also has untapped potential, particularly in the northern portion, to setback forest succession to benefit the American woodcock and golden- winged warbler.

In addition to providing fish and wildlife benefits, the Saginaw Bay area provides many benefits to the local citizens. Saginaw Bay is a drinking water source for many communities and thousands still obtain their water from private wells. The projects completed through the PFW program will decrease sediment and nutrients entering the Saginaw Bay, help re-charge groundwater aquifers, help to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events Jim Hudgins, USFWS The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has provided additional opportunities to due to climate change and provide work with landowners to restore wetlands recreational opportunities for years to come. The Saginaw Bay Lakeplain and areas. These changes provide great Headwaters Focus Area includes opportunity for restoration that will a diverse mix of community not only affect the Saginaw Bay but “It’s exciting to see an effort types, current land uses, and will increase the benefit of activities that attempts to pull together habitat restoration opportunities. at the refuge. Additional habitat Presettlement conditions supported opportunities include restoration of both ecological and human interior communities from pine small wetlands particularly in the well-being values to plan barrens to floodplain forests and upper reaches of the watersheds, coastal communities from beach to establishment of grassland blocks, wetland conservation for lakeplain prairie and coastal marsh. and targeted removal of invasive the future. It truly feels like The entire area was once influenced species in coastal marshes to by the water levels of Lake Huron reestablish native vegetation. a collaborative effort and is and the connecting rivers before acknowledging the values humans began to alter these systems. All PFW program restoration Much of the topography is very flat activities are targeted to benefit of wetlands, not only for with rich soils and is highly conducive migratory birds, federally-listed wildlife, but for people too.” – to row crop farming. Additional species, and fish of the Great Lakes challenges to habitat include large including surrogate species for Barb Avers, Michigan DNR, wind farm development, urban the Upper Midwest Great Lakes PFW partner and suburban development, parcel geography – monarch butterfly, division, climate change and invasive mallard, wood duck, blue-winged The Saginaw Bay has a long history species encroachment. teal, bobolink, and lake sturgeon. of conservation partnerships and In addition, this area holds habitat the PFW program will continue Despite landscape changes, the blocks for the threatened eastern to reinforce and build upon these Saginaw Bay watershed has long partnerships. The Great Lakes had a high wildlife value. It has been Coastal Wetland Landscape identified by the State and partners Conservation Design currently being as a priority area for waterfowl, developed by the Upper Midwest waterbirds, and shorebirds. Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, Cooperative will be a new landscape an Important Bird Area as identified level partnership that will allow the by National Audubon Society, is PFW program to grow and become located at the convergence of four even more effective in the future. major rivers that combine into the It is bringing new partners to the Saginaw River and outlets into the conservation table to discuss the Saginaw Bay. The river systems and restoration and management of one watersheds have been highly altered of the largest, contiguous fresh water

by shoreline development, dams, Jim Hudgins, USFWS coastal systems in the world. channelizing, and tiling of riparian Habitat for migrating shorebirds 64 PB