History and Environmental Setting of the Grand Calumet River, U.S
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1999/2000. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 108/109:3–10 HISTORY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING OF THE GRAND CALUMET RIVER Meredith Becker Nevers, Richard L . Whitman, and Paul J. Gerovac : U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station, 1100 North Mineral Springs Road, Porter, Indiana 4630 4 ABSTRACT . The Grand Calumet River lies in an area of great ecological diversity, a result of the convergence of three biomes during glaciation . Over thousands of years the region and the river hav e changed ecologically due to ice retreat, lake level declines, settlement and industrialization . Settlement and industrialization have greatly accelerated the rate of change, and the Grand Calumet River and it s basin are now subject to the added effects of years of direct pollution . For years, industries directly discharged into the waterway; and those contaminants remain locked in the sediment a century later. In order to preserve the remaining surrounding natural areas and to improve the Grand Calumet River, burie d contaminants would have to be dredged from the river. Restoration needs to be implemented as part o f the clean-up process, and recontamination should be prevented . Keywords: Grand Calumet River, Calumet region, settlement, industrializatio n Only 13 miles (21 km) long and with al- area and a large variety of hydrological re- most no natural surface drainage, the Gran d gimes (e.g., streams, lakes, wetlands) all Calumet River flows through one of the more helped make the Grand Calumet River Basin industrialized areas in the United States. Once , biologically diverse. Although it would seem the downstream section of the Calumet Rive r that biodiversity should be low due to th e system dominated most of northwestern In- elimination of local communities by scouring diana (Fig. 1). Today, the highly modifie d action of the Laurentian ice sheet (12,00 0 Grand Calumet River forms one of the small- years ago), the present-day diverse commu- est watersheds in the region (Fig . 2). Despite nities are the result of recolonization from out - intensive urban and industrial development , side sources . the Grand Calumet River Basin still contain s The habitat destruction seen today is not extraordinary vestiges of once highly rich an d due to glacial ice but to industrial and urba n varied natural communities . These communi- development and the introduction of non-na- ties, along with other remnant natural areas tive, invasive species . The natural and wetland preserved and protected by both public an d ecosystems have been cleared, drained, frag- private groups, may still possess the potentia l mented and cut by roads and railways durin g for at least partial recovery . Any plan for re- commercial and municipal development . Hu- covery of the Calumet Basin from past dam- man enterprise dominates the landscape and age will require a geologic/ecologic frame - controls the region . The Grand Calumet River work within which mitigation targets can b e has been a dumping site for industrial and mu- developed . nicipal wastes . Little natural flow exists any- Changes over the course of Lake Michi- more due to channeling, deepening and flow gans geological history strongly influenced augmentation. the landscape of the present Calumet region . Establishing a bond between the industrial , Wind, erosion, and fluvial and lake recessio n urban and natural areas is necessary to pre - helped produce dune and Swale ecosystems; serve the habitat that remains without destroy- and climate and hydrology encouraged the ing the livelihood that supports the Calumet formation of wetlands, forests, savannas an d basin region. Only by revitalizing some of th e prairies . The convergence of three major bi- more heavily-damaged areas can the ecologi- omes (eastern deciduous forest, boreal forest cal integrity of the basin be restored to ap- and tall grasslands), succession over a small proximate its historical natural appearance an d 3 4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE INDIANA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Figure 1 .-Aerial photograph, taken in 1938, of a portion of the Grand Calumet River Basin study area, with Lake Michigan to the north . Compare with Figure 2 (facing page) . function . The remaining natural areas tha t Several questions need to be answered be- were created over thousands of years by geo- fore carrying out this experiment in restora- logic and biologic forces must be preserved tion. What is the status of the existing natura l from further degradation, or the systems nat- areas in the Grand Calumet River Basin? Ca n ural integrity might be irretrievably lost. The the remaining natural areas and present-da y resiliency of nature is clearly illustrated by th e cultural pressures co-exist? Can sustainabl e biological recolonization and ecological re- natural communities be re-established? What covery since the retreat of the last ice sheet . is the most effective approach for re-estab- While this much time is not available for eco- lishing these natural communities? Finally , logical restoration, natural restoration dem- can enough social, economic, and political onstrates the feasibility of a parallel human support be marshaled to attain these objec- experiment . tives? In an attempt to answer some of these NEVERS ET AL.—HISTORY OF THE CALUMET REGION 5 Figure 2.—Aerial photograph, taken in 1975, of a portion of the Grand Calumet River Basin stud y area, with Lake Michigan to the north . Compare with Figure 1 (facing page) . questions, the U .S. Army Corps of Engineers Michigan to the Valparaiso terminal moraine . developed a remedial action plan with re - After the Wisconsin glaciation, the Lake search and consultation conducted by scien- Michigan lobe of the Laurentian ice sheet be- tists intimately familiar with the ecosyste m gan to retreat, and the Valparaiso terminal mo - and its components . The following papers are raine marks the point of the ice sheets furthes t the culmination of these efforts and an attempt southward advance before receding . The mo- to answer the first four questions ; the las t raine also serves as the continental divide and question can only be answered after imple- the southern boundary of the Lake Michiga n mentation of a restoration plan. watershed. Drainage from areas to the north REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY of the moraine enters the Atlantic Ocean vi a The natural watershed of the Grand Calu- the Calumet River, Lake Michigan, Lake Hu- met River is located between Toleston Beac h ron, the St . Clair River, Lake Erie, Lake On- and the present-day shore of Lake Michiga n tario and the St . Lawrence River. Drainag e (Fig . 3). The watershed lies within the Calu- from areas south of the moraine typicall y met lacustrine plain, or lake plain, which ex - flows to the Gulf of Mexico via the Missis- tends from the shore of modem-day Lake sippi River. The Calumet Basin lies on the 6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE INDIANA ACADEMY OF SCIENC E I North LAKE MICHIGA N .GARY .. ..... .. ' Toleston Beach e Valparaiso terminal morain e Figure 3 .-Diagram of Grand Calumet River study region, with geological features highlighted. northern side of the Valparaiso Moraine an d 6 m above contemporary Lake Michigan lev- is drained by the Calumet River system. els (mean = 176 m above sea level) . Many The last glacial retreat from the Great Lake s ridges were built by wave activity and wind - occurred about 18,000 years ago (Chrzas- blown dune deposits ; and the valleys between towski Thompson 1992) . As the glacier re- them collected water, allowing the formatio n treated, isostatic rebound caused lake levels t o of marshes, ponds and swamps . decline on three separate occasions . The ar- Changes in the drainage pattern of the lak- chaic beaches—the Glenwood, Calumet and eplain led to the formation of the Grand Cal- Toleston Beaches—remain today at 20, 12 and umet River. The Little Calumet River was lo- NEVERS ET AL .—HISTORY OF THE CALUMET REGION 7 cated south of Toleston Beach, and drained region, where they hunted, fished, foraged an d into Lake Michigan near the current-day cultivated ; then, they moved south for th e mouth of the Grand Calumet River. As lake winter. Food was abundant for the Potawato- levels fell, the Little Calumet began to create mi. Wild currants, cranberries, whortleberries , a basin moving east toward lower land levels gooseberries, huckleberries and wintergreen where it could continue to drain into the lake berries were plentiful between the dunes an d (Chrzastowski Thompson 1992) . This swales. Other abundant foods were grapes , stretch of river eventually reached an outlet pawpaws, wild plums, crabapples, hazel nut s near the present-day Grand Calumet Lagoons , and sassafras . Honey and maple syrup were and with changes in drainage patterns and th e collected . Wild game included whitetail deer, increased size of the new river basin, it wa s black bear, wild turkey, prairie chickens, gees e designated as the Grand Calumet River. Pres- and ducks . Early European settlers traded to- ently, the Little Calumet River continues t o bacco and food with the Potawatomi for fur, maintain a confluence with the Grand Calumet cranberries, venison and beadwork. River to the west, in Illinois . The United States government bought After retreat of the ice sheet, many habitat s much of the Potawatomi land between 1826– were created in the new, warmer environment . 1832, and then extensive European settlemen t The cold climate biota (Arctic disjuncts, suc h began. In 1832, most of the Potawatomi were as spruce and fir) followed the glaciers retrea t removed to a reservation in Kansas, though northward as ambient temperature increased a t some remained in the area (Meyer 1956) . The a rate of 1–2° C every 1000 years (Schneider settlers eagerly cleared the dense forest an d 1989) .