Michigan budget adds $2 million to wetlands conservation efforts

Black tern in flight. Photo credit: David Fuller.

By AKIA THROWER, Capital News Service

LANSING — Michigan’s new annual budget includes $2 million for wetland conservation efforts by the Department of Natural Resources, funding critical work for endangered bird species.

“Wetlands serve a lot of different ecological functions and are an important part of the landscape,” said Steve Chadwick, the senior Great Lakes wetlands advisor at the DNR. “Wetlands help keep our waters clean, provide places for wildlife and fish to live and create opportunities for people to recreate.”

John Darling, a wildlife technician at St. Clair National Wildlife Area, which is part of the largest freshwater delta in the United States, added that wetlands are essential for landscape management.

“Wetlands are incredibly important for water quality, flood control, and damage mitigation from high storm events,” Darling said.

According to Chadwick, the $2 million comes from $1 million in ongoing general funding and $1 million from the sale of waterfowl licenses throughout the state.

For the DNR, partnerships with conservation organizations were integral to winning the increased funding, which was $1 million last year, according to Chadwick. Two of these organizations were Ducks Unlimited and Audubon Great Lakes, a chapter of the National Audubon Society.

“Ducks Unlimited worked with various projects and lined up different funding sources so that we can stretch those general fund dollars a lot farther, and Audubon Great Lakes advocated to legislators and ensured that wetlands were at the forefront of talks with representatives,” Chadwick said.

Brian Vigue, the freshwater policy director for Audubon Great Lakes, said that Audubon advocates, coalitions that it partners with and Michigan Audubon members were critical in the legislative process.

“Advocates reached out to the legislature and governor to let them know about the importance of wetlands and how important this investment is,” Vigue said. “Coalitions helped us pool our knowledge and resources to work together to adequately inform lawmakers at the capital.”

Vigue said that Michigan Audubon members were the most important piece to advocate for the investment in wetland conservation by reaching out to their local representatives to represent their support.

“This is a big deal because people back home are essentially the officials’ boss, so when constituents are directly involved with their representatives, it opens some doors and ears, and people listen.”

Wetlands are a critical habitat for numerous bird species, including marsh birds and migratory birds. A critically-endangered bird species that depends solely on wetlands is the black tern.

“Black terns rely on floating wetland vegetation for their nesting and have pretty specific nesting requirements that they rely on,” Darling said.

Wetlands are a volatile environment to live in, with high probability of switching between high and low water levels due to the season and climate of the area. Damage to wetlands occurred over the last several decades.

“Over the last 20 to 30 years, we have seen a rapid expansion of invasive phragmites which have degraded a lot of wetlands and habitats for black terns,” Darling said.

“If you go further back, widespread dredging, filling and seawalling of most of our wetlands are probably the biggest drivers in habitat loss for black terns.”

Detroit Bird Alliance, an organization dedicated to the protection of birds, has conducted research in the St. Clair Flats near the St. Clair River to conserve and improve the wetland for black terns. That investment in wetland conservation funds initiatives that help control invasive species and provide homes for black terns.

“We need funding to figure out how to either remove or work with invasive species so that animals can still thrive with this new vegetation. It also helps with protecting the land from urban development,” said Ava Landgraf, the conservation and research coordinator for the Detroit Bird Alliance.

A current initiative by Detroit Bird Alliance volunteers that directly benefits the black tern species is building floating platforms for birds to build their nest on.

“Black terns in St. Clair Flats don’t have optimal vegetation, such as bullrush, so we are putting out platforms to supplement their habitat and give them more nesting areas. Funding is allowing us to test whether these nesting platforms can increase the nesting success of these birds,” Landgraf said.

According to Landgraf, volunteers have found that the birds do like to nest on the top of the platforms.

Continued support for funding ensures that initiatives working to conserve wetlands can still occur, especially with political participation, advocates say,

Darling said, “It’s worth a call or a letter to your legislators expressing support for increased wetland conservation. It’s expressing that we want increased wetland acquisition and preservation.”

Akia Thrower writes for Great Lakes Echo.

Black tern nest on a nesting platform. Credit: Ava Landgraf

Ava Landgraf installs a nest camera at St. Clair Flats near the St. Clair River. Photo credit: David Fuller.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.