Great Lakes Restoration Projects: Producing Results for People, Communities The Great Lakes are one of the world’s greatest natural resources, an incomparable freshwater ecosystem that provides drinking water for than 30 million people and supports one of the world’s largest regional economies. Spanning 94,000 square miles, these inland seas are home to some of America’s best beaches, world-class fisheries, more than 30,000 islands and one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations: Niagara Falls. It is hard to believe that, decades after environmental protections were enacted, the Great Lakes remain threatened by toxic pollutants in harbors and tributaries that threaten the health of people and wildlife; invasive species that cost the region at least $200 million per year in damages and control costs; and habitat destruction that hurts water quality, wildlife, and the region’s outdoor recreation industry. Restoring the lakes may be a formidable task but it is a goal that is achievable. As this report demonstrates, communities across the Great Lakes region are working to heal the lakes. Through federal programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, private businesses and property owners are working together to clean up toxic hot spots, restore fish and wildlife habitat and protect the Lakes from invasive species. The fruit of their labor is becoming more evident by the day. Restoration projects have: Brought back the native Atlantic salmon fishery in Lake Ontario; restored wetlands in Buffalo; improved Lake Huron’s fishery by removing dams in rivers that flow into the lake; dredged 250,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the Ottawa River in Ohio; and cleaned up part of the Grand Calumet River in Indiana — one of America’s most polluted rivers. These are just a few examples of Great Lakes restoration projects that are improving water quality, eliminating toxic hazards and improving fisheries. Restoration projects also create jobs and pump new revenue into communities. Several restoration projects in the Detroit area are featured in this report, for two reasons: Detroit is home to some of the region’s most successful Great Lakes restoration projects; and the Motor City was the site of the 2011 Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition’s Great Lakes Restoration Conference. Detroit is a leader in Great Lakes restoration, and the city’s efforts are paying huge dividends for the environment and the city’s struggling economy. The bottom line is that Great Lakes restoration projects deliver results and offer some of the best returns on the dollar in the federal budget. The successful restoration projects contained in this report can be replicated in communities throughout the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—if the federal government continues to support solutions to these urgent problems by funding important programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Now is not the time to scale back our nation’s commitment to the Great Lakes, because there is still much work that needs to be done to clean up contamination, stop sewage overflows, and restore wetlands that keep polluted runoff from farms and cities out of the lakes. If restoration efforts stall, the problems will get worse and more costly to fix. This report highlights solutions to restore the Great Lakes, protect drinking water, safeguard public health, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of people. It’s time for federal public officials to act to protect this iconic resource now and for generations to come. 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: JEFF SKELDING CHAD LORD JENNIFER HILL JORDAN LUBETKIN Campaign Director Policy Director Field Director Communications Director 202-797-6893 202-454-3385 734-887-7104 734-887-7109 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Healing Our Waters®-Great Lakes Coalition • c/o National Wildlife Federation • 213 W. Liberty Street, Suite 200, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Written by Jeff Alexander • DesignedTuan by Do Removing dams boosts brook trout population DEscRIPTION The Flowing Well Trout Farm, built in the mid-1900s, erected 12 small dams to Flowing create fish rearing ponds. The dams, built on the North branch of the Manistee River and the Flowing Well Creek, diverted the natural flow of a trout stream, Well Trout caused unnaturally high water temperatures, blocked fish passage and Farm disrupted the natural movement of sediment and woody debris in the river. APPROXIMATE COST OF PROJECT Restoration $626,000. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds helped support this project. Project RESOURCE CHALLENGES ADDREssED KALKASKA, MICHIGAN Fish passage, excessive warming of water temperatures, fragmentation of a river ecosystem, the loss of wetlands and the loss of fish spawning habitat. KEY PARTNERS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE) The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Great Lake Restoration Initiative, Elliott Donnelly Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Paul Young Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Sustain Our Great Lakes grant (administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation), U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Conservation Resource Alliance’s River Care program. The north branch of the Manistee River before the dams were removed. (Photo courtesy of Conservation Resource Alliance) PROJECT SUMMARY Removing several dams from a defunct fish farm in northern Michigan restored natural conditions in 37 miles of a trout After the dams were removed. (Photo courtesy of Conservation Resource Alliance) stream, which increased the native brook trout population. TYPES OF JOBS CREATED Biologists, ecologists, environmental engineers, civil engineers, truck drivers, excavators, project monitors and administrative support personnel. RESULTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS The project restored natural conditions in 37 miles of a trout stream, increased the native brook trout population, lowered water temperatures, eliminated sediment buildup, removed the risk of dams failing and restored 100 acres of wetlands. WEB SITE www.rivercare.org Great LAkeS restoration Projects: Producing reSults for People, CommunitieS 1 Written by Jeff Alexander • DesignedTuan by Do Reducing erosion improves a New York trout stream DEscRIPTION Brook trout historically lived in rivers and streams across New York, but their Clear Creek distribution and abundance were severely reduced by competition from other species, the loss of fish habitat, and the fragmentation of rivers. In Clear Creek, Habitat excess stream channel erosion and sediment inputs, in-stream barriers, elevated water temperatures and competition from non-native fish species restricted Restoration brook trout to a few tributaries in the watershed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other organizations used a combination of approaches to restore Project 1,200 linear feet of in-stream habitat and re-establish fish passage over a FREEDOM, NEW YORK sheet-pile grade control structure, which reconnected six miles of trout habitat in Clear Creek. APPROXIMATE COST OF PROJECT $106,211. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds helped support this project. RESOURCE CHALLENGES ADDREssED Stream bank erosion and sedimentation, the loss of in- stream habitat and deep pools that trout favor. KEY PARTNERS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE) Excess stream bank erosion and sediment U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New deposition before the restoration project. York Department of Environmental (Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Trout Unlimited – Service) Western New York Chapter, Trout Unlimited – Red House Brook PROJECT SUMMARY Chapter, Seneca Trail Resource Stabilizing eroding stream Conservation and Development banks and improving fish Council and the Great Lakes passage in New York’s Clear Restoration Initiative. Creek could improve the trout stream by reducing the amount of sediment washing into the Improved natural stability of the stream channel TYPES OF JOBS CREATED waterway. The project is part after the restoration. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ecologists, biologists, excavators of a growing effort to help Service photo) and truck drivers. New York reclaim its heritage as a state teeming with healthy RESULTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS trout streams. The project begins to restore prime habitat in a section of stream where trout were once abundant by restoring natural stream function. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation maintains 5.5 miles of easement along Clear Creek, along the project site, to support recreational fishing. An additional 1,200 linear feet of habitat will be restored immediately downstream of the completed project during summer 2012. WEB SITE http //1.usa.gov/zelDR8 2 Great LAkeS restoration Projects: Producing reSults for People, CommunitieS Nature returns to an urban creek in Cleveland DEscRIPTION A group of government agencies and private engineering firms developed a Big Creek plan to restore nearly one mile of Big Creek, which was disfigured by decades of urban development. Intense development increased the volume of polluted Watershed