John Hartig is refuge manager at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Large Lakes Research Station
By John Hartig
What comes to mind when someone mentions Detroit?
Is it automobiles, the Rust Belt image, Motown, or one of Detroit’s professional sports teams?
Each of those is probably an accurate image.
However, there is another aspect of the Detroit Metropolitan Area that people need to think about.
Most know that the mighty Detroit River and western Lake Erie are shared resources between the United States and Canada, and through them the entire upper Great Lakes flow on their way to the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean.
However, most people don’t know that the Detroit River and western Lake Erie are quietly undergoing one of the most remarkable ecological recoveries in North America.
Yes, Detroit River’s and western Lake Erie’s charismatic megafauna are returning. Charismatic megafauna are typically large animal species with widespread popular appeal that environmentalists use to promote conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems.
The Detroit River and western Lake Erie have a long and much publicized history of pollution and natural resource degradation because of a history of human development dating back to European settlement in 1701. It is a history that includes the manufacturing of automobiles, steel, chemicals and petroleum products.
Check out this timeline of environmental challenges.
The public outcry about pollution in the Detroit River and Lake Erie catalyzed numerous pollution prevention and control efforts, and many governmental, university, and citizen monitoring programs. These monitoring programs have documented substantial environmental improvements since the 1960s, including:
- more than a 97 percent reduction in oil releases
- a 90 percent decrease in phosphorus discharges
- a 4,600 tons/day decrease in chloride discharges
- a substantial improvement in municipal wastewater treatment by upgrading all plants from primary treatment to secondary treatment with phosphorus removal
- a 65 percent reduction in untreated waste from combined sewer overflow discharges
- an 85 percent reduction of mercury in fish
- a 90 percent reduction in PCBs in herring gull eggs
- the remediation of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment at a cost of more than $154 million
Impact on wildlife
The combined effect of these environmental improvements over the past nearly 40 years has been a surprising ecological recovery in this region, including an increase in the populations of sentinel indicator species like bald eagles, peregrine falcons, osprey, lake sturgeon, lake whitefish, walleye and burrowing mayflies.
Bald eagle in Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Photo by: Karen Skrocki
Bald Eagles
For 25 years, bald eagles experienced reproductive failure throughout the region. Today there are seven active bald eagle nests in the watershed that produce young and over 50 bald eagles overwinter near the Monroe Power Plant feeding off fish in the hot water discharge.
Osprey
In 2009, a pair of osprey built a nest in a cell phone tower adjacent to the Gibraltar Wetlands Unit of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge along the lower Detroit River, representing the first time that osprey have successfully nested in Wayne County since the 1890s.
Four wild produced peregrine falcon young raised in Detroit 2003. Photo: Judith Yerkey
Peregrine Falcons
The peregrine falcon population was decimated in the 1950s and reintroduction efforts were initiated in Detroit in 1987. Today, 10 or more young are fledged each year.
Lake Sturgeon
In 2001, lake sturgeon reproduction was documented off Zug Island in U.S. waters of the Detroit River for the first time in 30 years.
In 2009, scientists documented successful reproduction of lake sturgeon on a newly constructed spawning reef off Fighting Island, representing the first time in 30 years that this threatened species has successfully reproduced in Canadian waters of the Detroit River.
First lake whitefish reproduction documented in the Detroit River since 1916. Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey
Whitefish
In 2006, lake whitefish reproduction was documented in the Detroit River for the first time since 1916. Fishery biologists have documented that the walleye population, considered in “crisis” in the late 1970s, today is in a high quality state.
Mayflies
Mayfly populations were extirpated from western Lake Erie in the 1940s and 1950s as a result of water pollution. Mayflies first reappeared in sediments of western Lake Erie in 1992-1993 after an absence of 40 years.
Today, the mayfly population of western Lake Erie is classified as being in “good to excellent” condition. Fishery managers have documented an increase in yellow perch abundance in western Lake Erie in the last decade, likely due to increased mayfly abundance.
Impact of ecological recovery
Today, the Detroit River and western Lake Erie are a major source of community pride and there is no doubt that this ecological recovery has enhanced outdoor recreation and ecotourism. Some examples:
- The Detroit River boasts the national record walleye for the Professional Walleye Trail and walleye fishing on the Michigan side of the lower Detroit River alone brings in over $1 million to local communities each spring.
- Southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario now have a bird tour called Byways to Flyways to promote 27 exceptional birding sites. The lower Detroit River is considered one of the best places in North America to watch hawks and hosts an annual Hawkfest that attracts thousands of people.
- The Detroit River Heritage Water Trail offers exceptional kayaking and canoeing around 23 islands and through many marshes.
- The Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Festival is held each September and attracts nearly 10,000 people.
- The Detroit River is the only river system in North America to receive both Canadian Heritage and American Heritage River designations, and the Detroit River and western Lake Erie are now the only International Wildlife Refuge in North America.
Humbug Marsh, part of the Detroit River Internatinoal Wildlife Refuge, was recently designated a Wetland of International Importance. Photo: James Marvin Phelps
These natural resource assets are also a key driver in attracting and retaining the next generation of employees for businesses.
So the next time you think about Detroit, I encourage you to remember that this major binational urban area and industrial heartland is undergoing one of the most amazing ecological recoveries in North America.
In fact you may want to come for a visit to go birding at one of the sites along our Byways to Flyways Bird Driving Tour, visit our Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, go kayaking on our Detroit River Heritage Water Trail, go fishing for a trophy walleye, explore our new Detroit RiverWalk, go hunting in one of the most historic waterfowl hunting areas in the Great Lakes, bicycle along our regional greenway trail system, and much more. You may be pleasantly surprised!
Tomorrow: The ongoing challenges facing the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie.