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SHAPING THE LAKE HURON TO LAKE ERIE CORRIDOR’S FUTURE: YOU CAN HELP Swimming is a popular activity on beaches various citizen activities, such as It might seem like a lone individual’s efforts throughout the Lake Huron to Lake Erie wildlife monitoring and annual bird Corridor. Every summer, thousands flock counts, that help to gather important to the lakes and rivers around the region for relief from the summer heat. data for scientific research. At the same time, you will learn more about the have activities designed to monitor creatures that live in the region. and improve the health of rivers, could not affect the Lake Huron to Lake lakes and streams. • You can play a role in shaping future development in your community. • Help protect significant natural Development comes under the areas in your community by getting authority of your municipal council N O S involved with a local land N or local planning body, depending Erie Corridor’s environment, compared H conservancy or other conservation on where you live. Generally their JO N E organization. R decisions are guided by master A K • Volunteer for ecological projects in (or official) plans, policies and bylaws that are set through public processes. Students help install soil-bioengineering your area. These can include planting practices to improve coastal marsh habitat on trees, managing invasive plants, You and other citizens can have a say Grosse Ile, Michigan. with the powerful forces of nature and collecting seeds and removing litter in development decision-making by and trash from natural areas and attending public hearings and taking along waterways. Helping local other opportunities to express your nature organizations with this kind views on what you want your of work, even just once a year, can go community to look like. technology that created it over the past a long way when combined with the Whatever your age, wherever you efforts of many other volunteers. live, you can make a difference • Help scientists identify the best ways in the future of the Lake Huron of managing native ecosystems. to Lake Erie Corridor. 10,000 years. However, there are things You can do this by participating in S I C N A R F . JESSICA PITELKA OPFER JESSICA PITELKA L you can do to help restore and sustain Y et us be good stewards of the Earth we inherited. H “L The Clinton River Watershed Council engages students in monitoring water quality and DOROT learning about the aquatic life that inhabits the All of us have to share the Earth’s fragile ecosystems and river. this ecological treasure. precious resources, and each of us has a role to play in preserving them. If we are to go on living together on • Share what you have learned from • Visit your local natural areas. • If there are creeks or rivers flowing this book. Education is critical to Experiencing and appreciating nature through your community, take a this Earth, we must all be responsible for it.” understanding and maintaining the are the first steps toward protecting it. moment to look at them. Do they Corridor’s natural heritage. Talk with appear to provide a healthy your family and friends about what • If you have a garden, beautify it with environment for plants and – Kofi Annan, you have read. Pass this book along native plants. Bringing back native animals? As you have read, healthy United Nations Secretary-General, 2001 to someone you think would be plants to neighborhoods throughout aquatic ecosystems are dependent interested in knowing more. the region could do much to improve upon good water quality. Contact wildlife habitat, sustain native your local watershed council or biodiversity and enhance water quality. conservation authority. They often G. REGNIER JOHN Children explore a wetland in Essex County, Ontario, looking for insects and having fun. 126 EXPLORE OUR NATURAL WORLD: A BIODIVERSITY ATLAS OF THE LAKE HURON TO LAKE ERIE CORRIDOR | HUMAN INFLUENCE HUMAN INFLUENCE | EXPLORE OUR NATURAL WORLD: A BIODIVERSITY ATLAS OF THE LAKE HURON TO LAKE ERIE CORRIDOR 127 A FTERWARD A PPENDIX A: PROTECTED L ANDS When I first came to Michigan from my native New York, their appreciation and understanding of the beauty and I was struck by the beauty and vastness of its natural resources. variety of nature that surrounds us. Explore our Natural World I realized, too, that with this gift comes a tremendous has much to teach us about this unique region which is home responsibility to protect and preserve our environment for to so many species of plants and animals. future generations. I take this charge very seriously, as does DTE Energy and our utility subsidiaries, Detroit Edison At DTE Energy, we believe that protecting the environment and MichCon. begins in our own backyard. We appreciate the work of the Wildlife Habitat Council as they advise us in managing our At DTE Energy we believe that economic activity and "backyards" to benefit wildlife. To date, seven DTE Energy environmental protection can be mutually supportive. facilities are certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council as wildlife We are committed to promoting responsible use of sites, including three along the St. Clair and traditional and alternative energy solutions to fuel society’s Detroit Rivers, and two on Lake Erie. growth in the present, without compromising the quality of the environment for future generations. We operate our DTE Energy established the St. Clair River Waterways facilities in full compliance with environmental regulations for Wildlife Project in 1995, with the guidance of the and go beyond those requirements where feasible. We are Wildlife Habitat Council. That partnership joined businesses, reducing our impact on the environment through the municipalities, state and provincial agencies and individuals installation of innovative pollution control equipment. from both sides of the St. Clair River in a common goal We are also working towards a sustainable energy future by of enhancing wildlife habitat and protecting biodiversity investing in new technologies based on hydrogen, fuel cells, along the river. distributed generation and other renewable sources. Since then, this project has continued to grow in many Our corporate commitment to the environment is well ways – in acreage protected, in membership and in illustrated through the stewardship activities we sponsor. geographic scope. And it has fostered other successful And the environmental commitment and dedication of our international environmental partnerships. The designation employees is demonstrated daily through their actions. of the Detroit River as both a United States and Canadian We have an obligation to enhance the quality of life for Heritage River, and the creation of the International Wildlife today’s society and for generations to come. Environmental Refuge in the lower Detroit River, are examples of the stewardship is at the heart of this commitment. growing spirit of international environmental stewardship linking business, industry and our communities. This book DTE Energy has a vested interest in protecting and is the latest reflection of that spirit, and will contribute to enhancing our natural heritage. MichCon’s natural gas reserves furthering its growth. stretch from Traverse City to Taylor. And Detroit Edison’s electric generating plants are located from Michigan’s “Thumb” DTE Energy is grateful for the opportunity to participate to its southeastern border. In fact, the majority of our electric in the creation of this book. My hope is that publication facilities are along the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers. of Explore our Natural World: A Biodiversity Atlas of the Lake Huron to Lake Erie Corridor will inspire all of us to regard That’s why we’re so pleased to support the publication of this region as our own "backyard," deserving of preservation Explore our Natural World: A Biodiversity Atlas of the Lake and protection now and for generations to come. Huron to Lake Erie Corridor. We believe this publication will help all citizens of southeastern Michigan and southwestern Afterward by Anthony F. Earley, Jr., Ontario, as well as the many visitors to our region, grow in Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DTE Energy 128 EXPLORE OUR NATURAL WORLD: A BIODIVERSITY ATLAS OF THE LAKE HURON TO LAKE ERIE CORRIDOR | THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE A PPENDIX A: PROTECTED L ANDS A PPENDIX B: SPECIES AT R ISK Species at risk are plants and Special Concern–A species whose Factors that Contribute to the Decline of animals whose populations have been population is in decline, and whose Native Species declining in response to a variety characteristics make it particularly • Habitat loss and degradation of factors. Government agencies sensitive to human or natural • Environmental contamination periodically review species known to disturbances. • Genetic and reproductive isolation be rare and assign them a status that reflects the security of their future. The Extirpated–A native species no longer • Human interference with natural events, determination of a species’ status is existing in the wild within its natural such as fire based upon the best available habitat in a given region, but existing • Climate change or severe weather scientific information. elsewhere in the wild. • Disease The following are universal terms A species is protected by law if it is • Invasive species assigned to species at risk: designated as endangered or threatened. It is not legally protected if designated Several government agencies at the Extinct–a native species that no longer as special concern. Species listed as state/provincial and federal levels, as well exists anywhere. special concern signal potential losses of as non-government organizations, play Endangered–a native species at risk biodiversity in the future. This a role in identifying plants and animals of extinction imminently throughout designation gives an opportunity to for protection as well as developing all, or a significant portion of its range.