Great Lakes wetlands restoration efforts paying off as acreage grows

Honking geese soar overhead in a V formation, buffeted by bitter gusts off nearby Lake Erie, while flocks of mallards bob along the shore. Even blanketed in snow, the sprawling wetland south of Monroe is a magnet for water birds one reason a public-private project is under way to improve it.

Crews are building levees, canals and pumps that will regulate water levels and upgrade fish passageways in a 946-acre section of Erie Marsh, making it a better home for wildlife and limiting the spread of invasive plants.

Its an example of decades-old efforts by government agencies and private groups to rebuild Great Lakes coastal wetlands such as swamps, bogs and marshes that have been depleted by development. A federal report released in November suggests the work is beginning to pay off.

The eight-state Great Lakes region extending from western New York to eastern Minnesota was the only section of the U.S. where coastal wetland acreage increased during a five-year period when scientists took extensive measurements with satellites and field photography.

The gain was modest 13,610 acres, an area not quite as large as the New York City borough of Manhattan. Yet it happened as the rest of the nations coastal wetlands shrank by 360,720 acres. The loss amounted to less than 1% of the U.S. total but continued a longtime negative trend.

Wetlands dont have the cachet of spectacular natural features that oceans and mountains do. Theyre sometimes dismissed as worthless, especially by those wanting to cover them with shopping centers or highways. But they help prevent floods by absorbing excessive rainwater. They are known as natures kidneys, filtering out pollutants that otherwise would wash into lakes and rivers, and also provide vital wildlife habitat nesting grounds for ducks and geese, temporary refuges for migratory birds and spawning areas for fish.

Scientists say the continental U.S. has lost roughly half of the wetland acreage that existed before the European settlement era. Wetlands have been relentlessly filled and drained for farms, housing and cities.

The biggest losses from 2004-09, the period covered by the study, were along the Gulf of Mexico, where coastal wetlands form a crucial buffer against storm surge during hurricanes. They have been battered by decades of erosion and salt water intrusion caused largely by flood-control projects and development. Atlantic coast acreage also dropped substantially.

Replacing wetlands is a primary goal of an Obama administration program called the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that is focusing on the regions biggest environmental problems. Separately, the U.S. and Canada signed an agreement last year to upgrade the lakes water quality that calls for boosting wetlands.

If theres a cure-all for the Great Lakes, wetland restoration is just about the highest on the list as anything gets, said Cameron Davis, a senior adviser with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Great Lakes wetlands restoration efforts paying off as acreage grows