The report looks at restoration options for the St. Clair River to slow water losses from Lakes Michigan-Huron. These options seem a bit limited, however, as they all include placing some kind of multi-million dollar structure on the river bed or in the river itself.

Not sure why the Study Board didn’t examine options for ecological restoration especially at a time when there is such a strong dedication to restoration projects throughout the Great Lakes region.

Jennifer Aitkens\Flickr

The end goal is important: to compensate for years of dredging for shipping traffic in the St. Clair River causing erosion of the river bed and thus water losses through the river, drying out wetlands upstream and causing the water tables of Lakes Michigan-Huron to drop.

Structural options presented in the report could reduce habitat for wildlife such as the threatened lake sturgeon population and could also become hot beds for invasive zebra mussel population growth. Also, many of these options require someone at controls, deciding “appropriate” water levels.

We need to encourage more creativity rather than limit options solely to pricey, politically-complicated structures.

nmoira\Flickr

Ecological restoration options could involve restoration of shoreline wetland habitat in areas of hardened shorelines or old industrial sites along the river. The Study Board could also look at building up the river bottom in a way that doesn’t disrupt wildlife by using naturally-occurring sediment.

Shoreline wetlands would restore a closer-to-natural flow of the river and provide benefits to human communities, wildlife and overall water quality of the Great Lakes. Plus according to a Brookings Institution finding every $1 spent on restoration projects in the Great Lakes gives a $2 return on investment.

The Study Board plans to host public meetings to present the findings of the study.

As soon as dates have been set, take action and attend a meeting. Your voice is important to the overall health and function of the Great Lakes.

Call upon the Study Board to examine options for ecological restoration that are not only less expensive but also help, rather than hinder, wildlife.

The International Joint Commission, the bi-national body with a role to manage these waters wisely and to protect them for the benefit of today’s citizens and future generations, commissioned this ongoing study.

I had been reading for months how lake levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron were declining due to a “hole” in the St. Clair River, an artery of the Great Lakes system carrying water from Lakes Michigan and Huron into Lake Erie and onward. This “hole” was created from years of pulling gravel from the stream bed in order to make space for big ships. Even worse, more water level declines are likely expected due to climate change. And as these water levels decline shoreline habitats in Lakes Michigan and Huron have the potential to dry out and cause impacts to the wildlife such as turtles, frogs and birds that depend on them. “Plugging the hole” or restoring the stream bed to natural levels could help keep lake levels where they need to be for wildlife.

Considering these facts a resounding “yes, that’s the plan” came from this bright-eyed planet saver.

But it’s not that simple.

Meet my new fish friend, the northern madtom – a globally rare endangered species in the St. Clair River. To the knowledge of wildlife managers madtoms are not found in any other part of the Great Lakes.

Photo Credit Ken-ichi Ueda

This little fish enjoys deep swift riffles of large rivers. The St. Clair River is quite habitable for them.

Options proposed at a meeting today by the International Upper Great Lakes Study Board, as a potential way to “plug the hole” would require movement of or blocks placed on the river bottom. Options which might be good for wildlife upstream in Lakes Michigan and Huron. Options that might disrupt or even change northern madtom habitat in the St. Clair River.

The long-term impacts to the madtom are unclear.

So what to do? This is a good example of environmental trade-offs. Saving some species has the potential to make it more difficult for others.

As people who care about wildlife it is important to stay informed on these issues and attend public meetings whenever possible. I urge you to follow the International Upper Great Lakes Study. These bi-national studies do not happen often and have the potential to lead to major changes. Learn for yourself about Great Lakes water loss issues and voice your opinion.