Between Land and Lake: Michigan’s Great Lakes …Between Land and Lake: Michigan’s Great Lakes...

Between Land and Lake:Michigan’s Great Lakes

Coastal Wetlands

Between Land and Lake:Michigan’s Great Lakes

Coastal Wetlandsby

Dennis A. Albert

E-2902 • New • December 2003

Michigan Natural FeaturesInventory

www.msue.msu.edu/mnfi

ISBN 1-56525-018-4

Albert, Dennis A. 2003. Between Land and Lake: Michigan’s Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands.Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Michigan State University Extension,

East Lansing, Mich.: Extension Bulletin E-2902. 96 p.

Design by Alicia Burnell, Michigan State UniversityCommunication and Technology Systems.

© 2003 Michigan State University, all rights reserved.

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Dedication and Acknowledgments

Many of us will rememberTed Cline for his tireless

dedication to conservingMichigan’s special places. Ted’saerial photography helped pro-tect important biodiversity sitesfrom Drummond Island to the tipof the Keweenaw Peninsula, aswell as in New Mexico. In thisbook, his photos provide us animportant landscape perspective.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. EdwardVoss, who introduced me toGreat Lakes marshes in 1980,allowing me to join him in hislong-term marsh studies at Cecil Bay.

This study represents the effortsof many. Individuals participatingin the field studies include LarryBrewer, William Brodowich,Patrick Comer, Tim Garlock,Chad Hess, Michael Kost, WillMacKinnon, Michael Penskar,Ursula Peterson, Gary Reese, GillStarks and Dan Wujek. LeahMinc provided data analysis andliterature review; her contribu-tion cannot be overstated.

I especially appreciate text con-tributions by Vanessa Lougheed,Sheila McNair, Rich Merritt,Greg Soulliere and Todd White.John Schafer’s photographs ofthe St. Clair flats inspire all of us.

A number of others have provid-ed valuable information, insightsand commentary incorporatedinto this work. These contribu-tors include Ted Batterson, Sandy

Bonanno, John Brazner, TomBurton, Pat Chow-Fraser, SueCrispin, Eric Epstein, MikeGrimm, Tom Hart, Bud Harris,Joel Ingram, Carol Johnston,Shari Gregory, Dave Kenyon,Janet Keough, Elizabeth LaPorte,James McCormac, Rich Merritt,Mary Moffett, Glenn Palmgren,Mary Rabe, Dave Rutkowski,Thomas Simon, SteveSutherland, Todd Thompson,Don Uzarski, Howard Wandell,Doug Wilcox, Leni Wilsmann,Earl Wolf and Gene Wright.Michael Kost, Rueben Goforth,Michael Penskar, Todd White andMichael Monvils provided edi-toral comments that improvedthe accuracy and the flow of thetext. Lyn Scrimger, Sue Ridgeand Laraine Reynolds providedadministrative assistance. CathieBallard, Dave Kenaga andMaureen Houghton helpedadminister the project forMichigan’s Department ofEnvironmental Quality,

Many thanks to numerous pho-tographers who allowed me toinclude their photos in this

publication. Konrad Schmidt’sphotos came from Minnesota’sFishes of Minnesota Web site.

The gracious staff of the MonroeArchives provided access to itshistoric photography collection.Michigan Sea Grant (www.mi-seagrant.umich.edu) providedaccess to its digital graphics col-lection, as did The NatureConservancy and the MichiganDNR. Ken Fettig, Leslie Johnsonand Alicia Burnell of MSUE’sANR Publications turned a roughidea into a finished publication.

Funding for this publication wasprovided by the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administrationthrough the Coastal ZoneManagement Program of theMichigan Department ofEnvironmental Quality.Michigan’s field office of TheNature Conservancy and theGreat Lakes Area of ExpertiseTeam of Michigan StateUniversity Extension providedadditional matching funds.

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Table of Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4The Natural Setting: The Environmental Context of Coastal Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Aquatic Environments along the Great Lakes Shoreline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Shoreline Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Wetland Site Types of Lacustrine Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Wetland Site Types of Barrier-protected Lacustrine Systems . . . . . . 12Wetland Site Types of Riverine Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Fluctuations in Great Lakes Water Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Wetland Plant Response to Water Level Fluctuations . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Bedrock Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Human Land Use and Anthropogenic Stress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The Diversity of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Zonal Wetland Vegetation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands of Northern Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Northern Great Lakes Marsh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Plankton: The Hidden World of the Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Northern Rich Fen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39St. Marys River Marshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Macroinvertebrates in Michigan’s Coastal Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Lake Superior Poor Fen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Fish in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands of Southern Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Lake Michigan Drowned River Mouths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Saginaw Bay Lakeplain Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Lakeplain Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60St. Clair Lakeplain Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Waterfowl Use of Michigan’s Coastal Wetlands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Lake Erie Lakeplain Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Case History of a Marsh: River Raisin Delta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Restoration and Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Appendix A: Marshes in Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Appendix B: Referenced Species. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Appendix C: Suggested Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Introduction

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Introduction

Imagine flying over theshoreline of western

Lake Erie and seeing amile-wide swath of grassesand bulrushes rippling inthe winds. As the planepasses, thousands ofwaterfowl rise and takeflight to a distant edge ofthe marsh. We could alsobe in a canoe, paddlingthrough shallow, meander-ing channels at the mouthof the River Raisin, glidingthrough an open bed ofwild rice, with broadmeadows of blue-jointgrass and bulrush sur-rounding us in all direc-tions. The channel splitsagain and again before wereach the open waters ofthe lake.

One hundred and fiftyyears ago, as the Michiganterritory was being settled,

nificent bird’s-foot delta ofthe St. Clair River, andmany other river mouthsand shallow bays of theGreat Lakes. Such marshescould be found on all ofthe Great Lakes, from thewestern tip of LakeSuperior to the upperreaches of the St. LawrenceRiver and its countless trib-utaries. Early surveyorsand historians described

Aerial view of St. Clair River delta.

Canoeing in a slough of the St. Clair River delta.

D. Albert

J. Schafer

broad coastal marsheslined western Lake Erie,Lake St. Clair and the mag-

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and mapped many of thelargest wetlands. Thesedescriptions invariablyinclude uncountable flocksof waterfowl or abundantspawning and feeding fish.For centuries, NativeAmerican villages had con-gregated on the shoreline,attracted by the abundantfish and wildlife. Annualspawning of lake sturgeon,whitefish and suckers andthe presence of manyother wildlife species pro-vided a bountiful harvestto these original settlers ofMichigan.

But as the number ofEuropean settlers to theGreat Lakes regionincreased, these protectedwaters took on other val-ues that conflicted withthe ecological values soimportant to the NativeAmerican settlements andthe fish and wildlife of themarsh. The river mouthsand bays provided refugeto commercial boats andships. The waters becameimportant for industrialprocesses such as steampower or cooling. Theshorelines were developed

as factory or docking sites,requiring the wetlands tobe filled. Ship accessrequired dredging,straightening and stabiliz-ing of the lower streamchannels. Rapidly theseemingly limitless marsh-es along the Great Lakesand their connecting chan-nels began to disappear.

In this book, we define anddescribe the diversity ofcoastal wetlands foundalong the Great Lakesshoreline and connectingwaterways. Throughoutthe region, a series of envi-ronmental factors con-verge to create distinctivewetland environments and

wetland types with charac-teristic assemblages ofplant and animal species.We identify the naturalprocesses that occur with-in the various types ofcoastal wetlands and makeGreat Lakes wetlands eco-logically different from thesmaller, inland wetlandsfamiliar to many of us.Finally, we discuss theimpacts of human develop-ment and land use oncoastal wetlands and dis-cuss ways in which we canprotect and restore thisimportant natural resourcefor future generations.

Rock-armored mouth of the Menominee River, previously a largewetland.

D. Albert

Introduction

The Natural Setting:The Environmental Context of

Coastal Wetlands

Great Lakes coastal wetlands occur along theGreat Lakes shoreline proper and in portions

of tributary rivers and streams that are directlyaffected by Great Lakes water regimes. These wet-lands form a transition between the Great Lakesand adjacent terrestrial uplands and are influencedby both. Though multiple environmental factors areat work in structuring these systems, the mostimportant factors appear to be:

• The aquatic environment. • Shoreline configuration.• Water level fluctuations. • Bedrock geology.• Climate.• Human land use.

These factors — some regional, some local — createthe context for Great Lakes coastal wetlands andprovide a broad classification framework for under-standing their diversity, distribution and speciescomposition.

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Water flow character-istics define distinc-

tive aquatic environmentswithin the Great Lakes. Inlacustrine environmentsalong the Great Lakesshoreline, water flow inthe adjacent wetlands iscontrolled directly bywaters of the Great Lakes;the wetlands are stronglyaffected by littoral (along-shore) currents and storm-driven wave action.Lacustrine habitats gener-ally experience the great-est exposure to wind andwave action and to icescour, the primary agentsresponsible for shore ero-sion and redeposition ofsediments.

Along the most exposedshorelines, wetland habitatis rare, but wetlands fre-quently form in barrier-protected lacustrine envi-ronments, where a sanddune or barrier beach sep-arates the waters of theGreat Lakes from the wet-

land. Barrier-protectedwetlands are stronglyinfluenced by the waterlevels of the neighboringGreat Lake, but the duneor beach ridge protects thewetland from storm wavesand reduces the chemicalinfluence of the lake aswell.

In addition to the lakesthemselves, multiple riversand streams flow into orconnect the Great Lakes,creating localized wetlandhabitats strongly influ-enced by the rivers.Connecting channels —the major rivers linkingthe Great Lakes — are theSt. Marys, Detroit and St.Clair rivers in Michigan,as well as the Niagara and

Lacustrine environment: along western Saginaw Bay.

S. Kogge

Barrier-protected environment: Stockton Island, Apostle Islands.

E. Epstein

Aquatic Environmentsalong the Great Lakes Shoreline

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Aquatic Environments along the Great Lakes Shoreline

St. Lawrence rivers con-necting the Great Lakesfarther east in New Yorkand Ontario. All connect-ing channels have beenmodified to accommodatelarge commercial vessels.Connecting channels arecharacterized by a largeflow and seasonally stablehydrology. Their shallow-ness and strong currentresult in earlier springwarming and better oxy-genation than in otheraquatic environments.Because of their large sizeand modified hydrology,connecting channels areoften treated as distinctfrom smaller rivers thatflow into the lakes.

Among the smaller tribu-tary rivers to the GreatLakes, water quality, flowrate and sediment load arecontrolled in large part bytheir individual drainages.Tributary rivers have amuch lower volume andseasonally more variableflow than connectingchannels, and they areinfluenced by the GreatLakes near their mouths.Where the tributaries

Connecting river: the St. Marys River joins Lake Superior andLake Huron.

Potawatomi Bayou of the Grand River, a tributary river to LakeMichigan.

G. Reese

C. McNabb

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enter the lakes, a transi-tion zone from stream tolake occurs within whichwater level, sedimentation,erosion and biologicalprocesses are partiallycontrolled by fluctuationsin lake level. This transi-tional zone can extend sev-eral miles upstream andresult in the formation ofextensive wetlands.Examples include theMaumee River in westernLake Erie, whose waterflow is affected by LakeErie more than 10 milesupstream from the lake,and the Grand River, alsowith several miles ofstream affected by LakeMichigan water levels.Potawatomi Bayou is a

well-known tributary tothe Grand River with anexcellent marsh.

ShorelineConfiguration

Today, glacial landforms,modified by lake currentsand alongshore movementof sand, are the prevalentfeatures along much of theGreat Lakes shoreline.During the Wisconsinglaciation, the most recentglacial advance, much ofthe Great Lakes Basin wascovered by ice. Advancingglaciers scoured theancient landscape andtransported rocks and soilon and in the glacial ice. Asthe glaciers retreated from

Michigan approximately10,000 years ago, these sed-iments were redeposited,forming diverse featuresincluding moraines, drum-lins, eskers, kames and out-wash plains.

The modern landscapeclosely reflects these glaciallandforms, with surfacesediments reworked bywind and water. Theircharacteristic differences insoils, slope and drainageconditions largely deter-mine both natural shore-line configuration and sedi-ment composition. These,in turn, generate distinctivecontexts or site types forwetland development thatvary in their exposure andresilience to lake stressesand in their soil chemistryand texture. The impor-tance of these glacial fea-tures for understanding thediversity of Great Lakescoastal wetlands is clear. AsCharles Herdendorf, aGreat Lakes authoritynotes, “Perhaps in no othergeographic environment isthe relationship betweenlandforms and vegetationso evident.”


Protected embayment: Duck Bay.

T. Cline

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Wetland Site Types ofLacustrine Systems

Lacustrine wetlands alongthe Great Lakes coastlinegenerally occupy sites thatoffer some protection fromthe force of wind andwaves. In contrast, wherethe shoreline is exposed tothe full erosive forces ofwind, wave and ice, highwave energies and theabsence of stable sub-strates preclude wetlanddevelopment. Protectionfrom the lake may be cre-ated by upland topographyand shoreline configura-tion, by a variety ofnearshore barriers (includ-ing sand spits, shoals andislands), or by gently slop-ing and shallow bottomtopography that attenuateswave height and reduceswave energy.

Several coastal featuresprovide protection for wet-land development alongthe Great Lakes proper.Open embayments —curving sections of shore-line open to the lake —offer some protection fromthe force of the lake inareas where shallow water

depth and gently slopingbottom topography reducewave height and energy,such as along the flat gla-cial lakeplains. On claylakeplains, the fine-texturedsoils are ideal for the estab-

lishment and persistence ofaquatic plants. They permita continuous ring of emer-gent marsh vegetation suchas that rimming large por-tions of Saginaw Bay. Incontrast, on sand lake-plains, broad and shallowembayments are createdthrough nearshore trans-port of sand. The shiftingsands discourage aquaticplant roots and generallylimit emergent wetlands toa narrow fringe along theshore.

Protected embayments,in contrast, are deepershoreline indentations cutinto resistant upland shore-line that provide significantprotection from wind and

St. Martin Bay, an open embayment of northern Lake Huron.

wave energy. Tributarystreams may flow intothese embayments carryingorganic and mineral sedi-ments derived from adja-cent uplands. The complexshoreline of the LesCheneaux Islands consistsof drumlinized groundmoraine features that cre-ate numerous protectedembayments. Protectedembayments are some-times common whereglacial scouring has carvedinto bedrock, but examples

T. Cline


12

of such wetlands are morecommon outside of Mich-igan, such as along Geor-gian Bay on northeasternLake Huron or the Thou-sand Islands of the upperSt. Lawrence River. InMichigan, a few such bed-rock embayments occuralong the northern Drum-mond Island shoreline.

Shallow sand-spit embay-ments are created behindsand spits projecting alongthe coasts. These sand spitsform along gently slopingand curving sections ofshoreline where sand trans-port parallels the shore.The spits are exposed toboth wave activity andoverwash. On their land-ward side, however, thespits generally provide

good protection from windand waves that allowsorganic and fine mineralsediment accumulationand wetland developmentin the sheltered embay-ments. Large, recurved andcompound sand spits mayalso enclose small swalesor larger lagoons that offera protected habitat foremergent vegetation. Majorsand-spit features occur atWhitefish Point on LakeSuperior. Smaller sand-spitembayments are commonalong Saginaw Bay.

Wetland Site Types ofBarrier-protectedLacustrine Systems

Dune and swale com-plexes form along rela-tively flat shoreline, such

as sand lakeplains. Thesecomplexes consist of aseries of low, sandy dunesor beach ridges 2 to 15feet high deposited byreceding Great Lakeswaters over the past 5,000years. From the air, theseridges appear as a series ofarcs extending inland upto 3 miles, generally paral-lel to the present shore-line. Wetlands form in theswales between the beachridges. Close to the lake,water levels in theseswales are directly tied toGreat Lakes water levelfluctuations, but swalesmore distant from the lake

Sand-spit embayment at Wigwam Bay, Saginaw Bay.

D. Albert

Dune and swale complex atStockton Island, Apostle Islands,Wis.

E. Epstein


13

are affected by groundwa-ter flow from the uplands.

Tombolos form whenbedrock islands are con-nected to the mainland bycurrent-deposited sands.The embayment createdon the leeward side of thetombolo offers sufficientprotection from GreatLakes wave action that a

fringe of marsh vegetationpersists. The connectingbar or ridge may alsoenclose a swale or lagoonwithin which thick organicsoils accumulate and sup-port a dense growth ofaquatic vegetation. TwoMichigan examples, bothon Lake Superior, areMurray Bay on eastern

Grand Island nearMunising and Pequamingon Keweenaw Bay.

Barrier-beach lagoonsresult when nearshore cur-rents deposit a sand orgravel barrier bar acrossthe mouth of an embay-ment. The resulting shal-low pond or lagoon is

Tombolo at Stockton Island, Apostle Islands, Wis.

E. Epstein

Northern Barrier-beach Lagoon(Lake Superior)

Upland conifer forest Old barrier beach

Barrierbeach

Lagoon

Streamsidewetland

Clay Sand


14

sheltered from the lake'swave energy; sedimentsaccumulate in the lagoonbasin and vegetation canbecome rooted. Althoughwater levels in the lagoonmay be augmented by trib-utary streams and ground-water seepage, coastallagoon wetlands are alsopartially controlled by theGreat Lakes through per-

manent or intermittentconnecting channels, waveoverwash or cross-barseepage. Barrier-beachlagoons are a commonwetland type in theApostle Islands of LakeSuperior and on LakeOntario. Tobico Marsh onSaginaw Bay andPetobego Pond nearTraverse City are two

Michigan barrier-beachlagoons.

Wetland Site Types ofRiverine Systems

Along the major connect-ing rivers that link theGreat Lakes, streamsidesites fronting the mainchannels are exposed towave action from boattraffic, and vegetation isfrequently limited to a thinfringe paralleling theshore. These channelsidewetland sites experiencestrong currents, deepwater, and little or noorganic accumulation inthe emergent marsh zone.Channelside wetlands arecommon along the St.Marys River and portionsof both the St. Clair andDetroit rivers because ofthe flat, poorly drainedglacial lacustrine topogra-phy. In contrast, shallowstreamside embaymentsalong the major connect-ing rivers provide addi-tional protection from ero-sion. Effects of channelcurrent and boat wash arereduced, organic sedi-ments accumulate, and

Streamside embayment, St. Marys River.

Channelside wetland along the St. Marys River.

C. McNabb


C. McNabb

15

wetland vegetation is moreextensive than in channel-side wetlands.

River deltas form asstream sediments deposit-ed at the mouth of a riveraccumulate and createmultiple shallow channels,low islands and aban-doned meanders thatallow for extensive wet-land development. Wet-land sites range from thegenerally sandy or gravelsubstrates and swift cur-rent of the main channelto the thick organic soilsof the more protected sec-ondary channels. Largedeltas commonly form onflat glacial lakeplains. TheSt. Clair River, a connect-ing river, forms the largestfreshwater delta in theworld as it enters Lake St.Clair. More commonly,deltas are formed by largetributary rivers as theyenter the Great Lakes.Prime examples includedeltas formed by the Pine,Rifle and Saganing riverson Saginaw Bay in LakeHuron, as well as theRiver Raisin on westernLake Erie.

Drowned river mouthsform in the zone of riverine/lacustrine inter-face along the lowerstretches of tributaryrivers. During periods ofextremely low lake levels,tributary rivers erodedbroad ravines throughbluffs bordering the GreatLakes shoreline. The sub-sequent rise in the GreatLakes to present-day levelsdrowned the mouths of

these rivers, creating anembayed estuary whosewater levels are controlledby the Great Lakes. Fairlysteep upland slopes helpshield the estuary, andreduced water velocitieslead to deep accumula-tions of organic soils. Theresult is a protected, fertile(but topographically cir-cumscribed) wetland.


Munuscong River delta.

G. Soulliere

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Drowned river mouthsthat remain open to thelake experience continualwater flows between riverand lake and are subject tothe direct impact of lakelevel fluctuations and

storm events. Alternatively,a lacustrine estuary maybe barred when nearshorecurrents deposit a partialberm or barrier duneacross its mouth. Suchbarriers create a relatively

sheltered inland “lake” orpond connected to GreatLakes water levels by anoutlet channel but protect-ed from the direct force ofwind and wave action offthe lake. Barred drownedriver mouths are a domi-nant wetland feature alongthe Lake Michigan shore-line in southwestern lowerMichigan where largedune features have partial-ly blocked riverine flows.The protected, fertile wet-land habitat extendsinland for several milesalong the Kalamazoo,White and Grand rivers.


Open drowned river mouth, Sand River in Bayfield County, Wis.

E. Epstein

Sedge peat

>8 feet thick

Drowned River Mouth

Stream emergent& submergent plants

Wet meadow & shrub swamp

1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 19911991 19921992 1993 1994 1995 1996

578

577

576

575

574

Fee

t (a

bov

e se

a le

vel)

Year

Lake St. Clair: July, 1984-1996Wet meadow, St. Clair River delta

Mean water level

1988: Average water level.

17

All of the precedingwetland environments

are influenced, to differingdegrees, by fluctuations inGreat Lakes water levels.These fluctuations occurover three temporal scales:short-term, seasonal, andinterannual or multiyear.All of these scales con-tribute to the dynamiccharacter of coastal wet-lands, although inter-annual fluctuationsimpose the greatest stress.

Short-term fluctuationsin water level are causedby persistent winds and/ordifferences in barometric

pressure. Short-term fluc-tuations are known asseiche or wind-set events.Though these fluctuationsare of relatively shortduration, their effects canbe quite extreme, especial-

ly when associated withstorms. Seiches as high as5 feet have been recordedon Lake Michigan and ashigh as 9 feet on LakeHuron. Lake Erie, theshallowest of the Great

Diagram of wind set.

1986: Extreme high water level.

MI DEQ

Fluctuations in Great Lakes Water Levels

Diagram of long-term water level changes, with accompanying photos of the wet meadow zone of the St. Clair River delta.

Wind set-up is a local rise in water caused by windspushing water to one side of the lake.

Stillwaterlevel

WindHigh levelcaused bywind set-up

18


Lakes, experiences someof the most dramaticseiches, with lake levelsurges as high as 15 feet (5 meters). Such stormsurges have tremendousimpact on coastal wet-lands and their inhabi-tants. Waves can destroywetland vegetation, elimi-nating habitat for fish,waterfowl and aquaticmammals. A spring stormin 1998 destroyed hun-dreds of muskrat lodgesalong Saginaw Bay at atime when youngmuskrats were highlyvulnerable.

Many plants and animalsof the marsh, however, areadapted to survive eithertemporary flooding or

exposure to air. On manyoccasions while samplingvegetation in Saginaw Baymarshes, we discoveredthat plants submergednear shore were complete-ly exposed to the air anhour or two later followinga wind change. Similarly,along the shores of LakeErie, spawning northernpike are temporarilytrapped in shallow isolatedpools within the marshwhen lake waters arepushed from the wetlandby strong offshore winds.

Seasonal fluctuations inlake levels reflect theannual hydrologic cycle inthe Great Lakes basin.Water levels in the GreatLakes are characterized by

low water levels in thewinter and spring andhigh water levels in sum-mer and early fall. Highestwater levels are typicallyseen in early August. Theeffects of these seasonalchanges on marsh plantsand animals have not beenstudied in detail but maybe significant for germina-tion of many plants. Manyaquatic plants germinatebest on moist soils or invery shallow water, eventhough they thrive asadults in completely flood-ed conditions.

Interannual or year-to-year fluctuations inlake levels are the result ofvariable precipitation andevaporation within Great

Interannual fluctuations: wave erosion of wet meadow in 1986 high water.

D. Albert

19

Lakes drainage basins.Interannual fluctuationscan be as extreme as 3.5 to6.5 feet (1.3 to 2.5 meters);they occur with no regularperiodicity. In general, aswater levels rise and fall,vegetation communitiesshift their location — land-ward during high-wateryears and lakeward duringlow-water years. However,fluctuating lake levelseffect not only a change inwater depth but a broadrange of associated stress-es to which plants mustrespond, includingchanges in water current,wave action, turbidity(clarity or light penetra-tion), nutrient content oravailability, alkalinity andtemperature, as well as icescour and sediment dis-placement. Individualspecies display differenttolerance limits along oneor more of these dimen-sions of stress, so speciescomposition within amarsh or marsh zone canchange dramatically inresponse to water levelfluctuations. Wetland ani-mal species, including

muskrats, demonstrate anequally dramatic response.During high-water condi-tions in 1986 and 1987,muskrat lodges were veryabundant in flooded sedgemeadows and cat-tailbeds. When water levelsdropped in 1988, exposingmost of the sedge meadowand cat-tail beds, muskratlodges became much lessnumerous. Similarchanges affect waterfowlbreeding success and fishspawning, as well as distri-bution of invertebratessuch as dragonflies andmayflies.

Conversely, the absence ordampening of natural lakelevel fluctuations altersplant species composition

as well. Coastal wetlandsystems are adapted toand require periodic inun-dation. Where regulationof water levels has signifi-cantly reduced the occur-rence of extreme high andlow water levels, disrup-tion of the natural cyclefavors species intolerant ofwater depth change andassociated stresses, and/orexcludes species requiringperiodic exposure of fertilesubstrates. The result maybe a reduction of speciesdiversity. A reduction inthe amplitude of naturalwater level fluctuationshas been suggested as thereason for reduced speciesdiversity in many LakeOntario marshes.


Wave erosion of bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus) stems in 1986high water.

D. Albert

20

Multiyear studies ofMichigan’s Great

Lakes wetlands haveshown us how vegetationresponds to interannualwater level fluctuations.When water levels rise,sedges, grasses and cat-tails along the shore areeroded by wave action.Some species of theemergent marsh zoneshift inland, such as cat-tails and bulrushes.Small bladderworts,including Utriculariaintermedia, appear assoon as shallow watercovers the wet meadow.

But when the water leveldrops, changes on the

newly exposed mud flatsare often more dramatic.It is common to see alawn of minute annualspike-rushes. Softstembulrush may explode incoverage, often forming adense band with hun-

dreds of stems persquare meter. Anotherconspicuous arrival is thesedge Carex cryptolepis,resembling small pin-cushions, locally carpet-ing a band several feetwide just above thewater’s edge. Each sedgeplant bears dozens ofseeds that will ripen anddrop onto the soil, wherethey may rest dormantfor years until conditionsare again right for theirgermination. The abilityof seeds to remain dor-mant in the seed bank isan adaptation that hasproven successful formany plant species in thefluctuating environmentof coastal marshes.

Wetland Plant Response to Water Level Fluctuations

A dense band of sedge (Carex cryptolepis) occupies the dried-downstrand zone following a drop in Great Lakes water level.

D. Albert

Seeds of Montevidens’ arrowhead (Sagittaria montevidensis), anannual, germinate from the seed bank when water levels drop.

D. Albert

21

Probably the most amaz-ing response to the dry-downs is seen on LakeErie marshes. Noddingsmartweed, an annual,uses the surge of newlyavailable nutrients toform dense stands ofheavily fruiting plants 6 feet tall. A year later,

with reduced nutrientsand competition fromother plant species, nod-ding smartweed is only afew inches high. Somesubmergent plants flowerand fruit abundantly dur-ing low-water conditionsas well. Water star-grass,typically growing in 1 to3 feet of water, flowersprofusely only when it is

stranded along the shore-line. When water levelsare high, water bulrush(Schoenoplectus subter-minalis) forms slender,limp leaves that shiftwith each passing wave.But when water levelsdrop, it produces short stems, each with a singlefruit, sometimes called“bug on a stick”.

Most aquatic plants inthe coastal marshesexhibit changes in struc-ture, dominance or fruitproduction in responseto water level fluctua-tions. This seems onlynatural in an ecosystemwhere water level changeis so prevalent.

Wetland Plant Response (continued)

Nodding smartweed (Polygonum lapathifolium) growing on silt-rich mud following a drop in water level. Erie Marsh, Lake Erie.

D. Albert

Both forms of water bulrush (Schoenoplectus subterminalis):low-water emergent form with fruit and high-water limp,submergent form.

A. Reznicek

Water star-grass (Heterantheradubia) flowers abundantlywhen stranded during low-water periods.

D. Albert

22

The physical and chem-ical characteristics of

various bedrock types canaffect both wetland loca-tion and species composi-tion. The major bedrockdistinction in the GreatLakes Basin is betweenigneous and metamorphicbedrock (including gran-ite, basalt and rhyolite) ofthe Precambrian periodand younger (Paleozoic)sedimentary bedrock(including sandstone,shale, limestone and

dolomite). Igneous andmetamorphic bedrocksform the southern shore ofwestern Lake Superior,where they co-occur withyounger sedimentary rock,primarily sandstone. Incontrast, only softer sedi-mentary bedrock typesunderlie lakes Michigan,Huron, St. Clair, Erie andOntario.

As a major determinant ofcoastline configuration,the physical structure ofbedrock type limits the dis-

tribution of coastal wet-lands at a regional scale.The rugged Lake Superiorshoreline of sandstone andigneous and metamorphicrock lacks the shallow pro-tected waters and fine-textured substrates thatsupport broad coastal wet-lands. Here almost allcoastal wetlands occurbehind protective barrierbeaches or are localized atstream mouths. In con-trast, the horizontallydeposited marine and near-shore sedimentary rockthat underlies lakesMichigan, Huron, St. Clair,Erie and Ontario providesbroad zones of shallowwater and fine-texturedsubstrates for marshdevelopment.

Bedrock chemistry canaffect wetland speciescomposition as well. Soilsderived from much of thePrecambrian bedrock aregenerally acid and favorthe development of poorfen or bog communities.In contrast, soils derivedfrom marine deposits,including shale and

Bedrock Geology

23

Bedrock Geology

marine limestone,dolomite and evaporites,are typically more calcare-ous (less acid), nutrient-

and moisture-rich loamsand clays. Where thesebedrock types are at ornear the surface, their

alkalinity creates the pre-ferred habitat for manycalcium-loving plantspecies.

Flat-lying limestone bedrock. The flat landscape and nutrient-rich sediments derived from the limestoneproduce ideal conditions for the formation of large coastal wetlands.

Steep volcanic conglomerate bedrock along Lake Superior provides few sites for wetland development.

D. Albert

P. Comer

24

Variation in climatewithin the Great

Lakes Basin is largelydetermined by latitude,with the modifying influ-ence of the lakes (i.e., lakeeffect) operating at a morelocal level. The strong lati-tudinal gradient fromsouthern Lake Erie tonorthern Lake Superiorcreates marked differencesin length of growing sea-son and annual input ofsolar energy across the

region. These differences,in turn, are reflected in theregional distributions of anumber of species com-mon to Great Lakes wet-lands.

Though most aquaticplants are widely distrib-uted, species with knownsouthern affinities maketheir appearance, as dothose of the far-northernboreal forest. Lake Eriewetlands, for example, arerich in southern marsh

In Michigan, Sullivant’s milkweed(Asclepias sullivantii) is found inlakeplain wet prairies along thesouthern lakes from Lake Erie toSaginaw Bay.

Cotton-grass (Eriophorum spp.),characteristic of northern bogwetlands, here is seen growing in a coastal dune and swalecomplex.

Climate

A southern species, Montevidens’arrowhead, grows only as farnorth as Lake Erie’s shoreline.

D. Albert

species that rarely occuralong the other GreatLakes; species representa-tive of southern wetprairie are locally abun-dant there as well. Both ofthese southern floras differsignificantly from thecomplex of boreal, subarc-tic and arctic speciesfound in the northern por-tions of lakes Huron,Michigan and Superior.

D. Albert

D. Albert

25

Differences in land use— whether urban,

agricultural or forested —create regional differencesin the extent and quality ofcoastal wetlands, as wellas in their species compo-sition. To a large extent,land use is a compositevariable reflecting climate,physiography and soils.The tension zone, a roughclimatic boundary separat-ing the forested northfrom the more agriculturalsouth, closely followsregional differences in summer mean daily air

temperature. Urban devel-opment, in contrast,reflects the early locationof good harbors and thedistribution of naturalresources such as timberand mineral ores. Bothurban and agriculturaldevelopment have resultedin severe degradation andloss of coastal marshes.

Impacts of UrbanDevelopment:

• Armoring of the shore-line and dredging ofchannels to create har-bors eliminate marshand wetland habitat.

Human Land Use and Anthropogenic Stress

No island within the delta is viewed as too small for development.

J. Schafer

26

• Dumping of waste mate-rials such as sawdustand sewage and a widevariety of chemicalsincreases turbidity,reduces oxygen concen-trations and alters thepH of the shallow-watermarsh environment.

Grand River sewage spill results in dense growthof duckweed.

Commercial vessels can contribute to erosion ofcoastal wetlands.

C. McNabbD. Albert

• Shipping traffic and asso-ciated wave action erodeshoreline vegetation.

• Water level control of theGreat Lakes and con-necting rivers reducesshort-term and inter-annual water level fluc-

tuations and alters natu-ral wetland dynamics.

• Marina development andbeach grooming by lake-side residents removesaquatic vegetation; with-out roots to stabilize bot-tom sediments, lake cur-rents erode adjacentshoreline, resulting inwetland loss ordegradation.

On Lake Ontario, cat-tail-choked wetlands along stream margins arepartially the result of water level control.

Beach plowing on Saginaw Bayreduces bulrush regeneration androoting.


R. Cole

J. Haas

27


Historic wetland change on Saginaw Bay.

Drainage of lakeplain prairiealong Saginaw Bay with drainageditches and tiles.

D. Albert

Curly-leaved pondweed(Potamogeton crispus), an aggres-sive exotic plant, tolerates turbidwaters by concentrating leavesnear water surface.

Lois Wolfson

Duckweed in drainage ditchcarrying water and sedimentsfrom agricultural lands alongSaginaw Bay.

D. Albert

Impacts of AgriculturalDevelopment:

• Field drainage haseliminated large areas of marsh and coastalwetlands.

• Erosion and sedimenta-tion from plowed fieldshave greatly increasedwater turbidity and elim-inated aquatic plantsrequiring clear water.

• Nutrient loading haslocally reduced oxygenlevels, prompted algalblooms, and led to thedominance of speciessuch as cat-tails that

28

thrive on high nutrientlevels.

• Heavy agricultural run-off has led to the deposi-tion of rich organic mudin the wet meadows andalong the shoreline,favoring the dominanceof early successional andweedy species.

• Introduced aggressiveexotic plants havecrowded out native plantspecies and reduceddependent insects andbirds.

Mats of filamentous algae along Frenchman Creek, Lake Erie.

An exotic variety of reed(Phragmites australis) is a large,aggressive emergent species thatexpands into disturbed habitat.


D. Albert

D. Albert

G. Soulliere

Stream carrying nutrient-rich sediments from agricultural fields.

The Diversityof Great Lakes

Coastal Wetlands

30

Great Lakes coastalwetlands usually con-

tain several distinct zonesof aquatic and wetlandvegetation. Moving fromdeeper water to the shore,typical zonation includesthe submergent marshcontaining submerged(underwater) and/or float-ing vegetation such aswater-lilies; the emergentmarsh, characterized byshallow water or saturatedsoils and typically domi-

nated by bulrushes, cat-tails and other speciesemerging above the water,but also containing sub-mergent and/or floatingvegetation; and a narrowbut diverse shoreline orstrand zone at or justabove the water line whereseasonal water level fluctu-ations and waves causeerosion, usually dominat-ed by annual herbs.Inland from the water'sedge, additional zones canbe identified: the herba-

ceous or wet meadowzone characterized by sat-urated or periodicallyflooded soils and dominat-ed by sedges, grasses andother herbs; and the shrubswamp and swamp forestzones, both characterizedby periodic standing waterand dominated by woodyspecies adapted to a vari-ety of flooding regimes.Not all zones are presentor well developed in everywetland.

Zonal Wetland Vegetation

0 300 600 900 1200 1500 1800

Distance (feet)

0

-3

-6Dep

th (

feet

)

31

Zonal Wetland Vegetation

The development of dis-tinct vegetation zones,species composition andquality of Great Lakescoastal wetlands directlyreflect the controllinginfluence of specific

environmental factors dis-cussed above. Through acombined analysis of thevegetation and the environ-mental context, we canidentify several types of

Submergent vegetation such as wild-celery(Vallisneria americana) can occupy clear watersmuch deeper than emergent plants.

Wet meadow dominated by broad blue-joint grass(Calamagrostis canadensis) and sedge (Carex stricta)with speckled alder (Alnosa rugosa) and willows(Salix spp.) closer to shore.

Submergent and floating types of vegetation oftengrow densely in the protected inner emergent marsh.

The outer emergent bulrush beds are quite sparse asa result of strong wave activity.

D. Albert D. Albert

D. AlbertD. Albert

Great Lakes coastal wet-lands in Michigan, eachwith distinctive floristiccharacteristics and arestricted geographicdistribution.

32

T. Cline

Aerial photo of Duck, Peck and Voight bays on Marquette Island.

Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands of Northern Michigan

NorthernGreat LakesMarshThe clear, cool waters ofnorthern Lake Michiganand Lake Huron are hometo some of the least dis-turbed Great Lakes coastalwetlands in Michigan.Their intactness, resultingfrom relatively low levelsof agricultural, industrialand residential develop-ment, allows us to betterunderstand the naturalwetland zonation anddynamics of Great Lakeswetlands.

The Les Cheneaux Islandson northern Lake Huroncontain prime examples ofnorthern Great Lakesmarshes. Among theseislands there are countlesssmall bays, some protectedbetween the island and themainland and others opento the full wind of LakeHuron. Two nearby marsh-es on Marquette Island —Duck Bay and Peck Bay —illustrate the strong con-

trast in wetland vegetationresulting from the differ-ent degrees of exposure tothe open lake.

Bays protected from thefull energy of storm wavessupport broad bands of

emergent marsh and wetmeadow along theirshores, such as thoseencountered at Duck Bay.Submergent plants growto depths of 6 feet in theclear waters of Duck Bay,

33

Comparison of Plant Communities at Peck Bay and Duck Bay,

Marquette Island

Peck Bay(open embayment)

Duck Bay(protected embayment)

Submergentmarsh

Northern fen

Northernwhite-cedar

swamp

Shrub swamp/wet meadow

Submergent/emergentmarsh

Northern white-cedar swamp

Northern hardwoodsforest

Northern hardwoods (sugar maple) forest


0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500Distance (feet)

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500Distance (feet)

34

Marsh pea (Lathyrus palustris) in wet meadow.


well beyond the outermargin of the emergentzone. Low densities ofhardstem bulrush andspike-rush characterize theouter emergent beds.Vegetation becomes denserclose to shore, where waveaction becomes lesssevere. Diverse emergent

beds of water bulrush,water horsetail, arrow-head, pickerel weed andbur-reed form near shore,providing additional pro-tection for floating water-lilies and spatterdock, aswell as submerged beds ofpondweeds, naiad, water-weed, water-milfoil and

wild-celery. The protectedwaters of the inner bayaccumulate silt and finedecomposing organicmaterial important to theecology of the wetland.

Inland from the water’sedge, a zone of grassesand sedges several hun-dred feet wide begins, con-tinuing until conditionsbecome dry enough tosupport swamp or uplandforest. Among the mostcommon wet meadowplants are blue-joint grassand tussock-formingsedges (Carex stricta andC. aquatilis). Marsh fern,marsh bellflower, marshpea and marsh cinquefoil,along with many otherforbs, are scatteredthroughout the meadow.

In the narrow band ofnorthern shrubs that bor-ders many of these wet-lands, one regularly seesspeckled alder, sweet gale,meadowsweet and shrub-by willows, all surroundedby blue-joint grass andtussock sedges. As condi-tions become drier, theshrubs are replaced by

J. Schafer

35


northern white-cedar or otherswamp trees.

Conditions inthe wet meadowand shrubswamp are wetenough thattrees seldomsurvive to adult-hood. Duringthe wettestyears, the entirewet meadow can be cov-ered with shallow water,which kills any treeseedlings that might haveestablished. Continuouslywet conditions in themeadow result in accumu-lation of partially decom-posed vegetation, often tothe depth of 2 or 3 feet.

In the nearby open embay-ments at Peck and Voightbays, intense wave actioncreates very different con-ditions. Here, the broademergent marsh is absentand there are few submer-gent plants, with theexception of scatteredpondweed and muskgrass.During high-water years,bulrushes in such open

bays are subjected to largestorm waves that oftenbreak stems at the plantbase. If all of the stems ofa bulrush plant are bro-ken, adequate levels ofoxygen may not reach the

plant’s rhizomesand the plant willdie. It can thentake several yearsfor bulrushes toreestablish in theemergent zone ofthe wetland.Without theirtenacious rootstructure toanchor sedimentsand reduce wave

action, storms erodeorganic material, leaving asurface of cobbly clay. As aresult, the zones of theopen embayment at Peckand Voight bays are muchnarrower and less welldeveloped than those ofprotected embayments.Where organic materialshave been completelyremoved, a distinctiveassemblage of plantsknown as northern fengrows directly on the clayor marl substrate.Northern fens will be dis-cussed in more detail inthe following section.

Nutrient enrichment fromagricultural fertilizers andsewage effluent havealtered most marshes

Yellow perch (Perca flavescens).

Perch spawn deposited on bulrush stems.

M. Blouin

Michigan Sea Grant

36


along the southern GreatLakes, but few of thesenorthern wetlands haveundergone significantalterations. This hasallowed for some interest-ing comparisons atCedarville, where a smallflow of nutrient-richwastewater enters acoastal wetland fromPearson Creek. While theemergent zone of mostprotected embaymentscontains only open beds ofsubmergent plants, thenutrient input fromPearson Creek has resultedin dense submergent andfloating plant beds. Theeffect is quite localized —a few hundred yards fromthe source, nutrient levelshave been reduced by lakecurrents and the plant

beds cannot be distin-guished from those inother nearby protectedembayments.

The extensive emergentmarshes of the LesCheneaux islands are con-sidered by many to be crit-ical for maintaining thefamous perch fishery ofthe islands. This depen-dency begins as the fishspawn, commonly attach-ing their egg masses tobulrush stems; later theweed beds provide protec-tive cover for newlyhatched and juvenileperch. The young perchfeed heavily on abundantplankton in May and June,but as plankton numbersbegin to decline and fishgrow into their larger juve-nile stage, they begin feed-ing on larvae of midgesand other macroinverte-brate fauna.

The importance of marshinvertebrates in maintain-ing a healthy fishery haslong been recognized.Another surprising andimportant ecological rela-tionship was only recently

discovered: that betweenmidges and migratorysongbirds, especially thespring migration of war-blers. Warblers migratenorth during late April andearly May when there arefew insects or other high-calorie foods to reenergizethese long-distance travel-ers. During these firstwarm spring days, swarmsof midges emerge from theshallow waters along theshoreline, alighting by themillions on shorelinetrees. Warblers feast onthese minute insects andare fueled up to completetheir long journey.

Midge (Chironomus spp.)

T. White

Black-throated blue warbler(Dendroica caerulescens).

B. D. Cottrille

37

The broad northernmarshes provide

food and habitat for adiverse and complexgroup of animals, includ-ing insects, amphibians,fish, mammals and wet-land birds. At the base ofthe food chain are themicroscopic aquaticorganisms, phytoplank-ton and zooplankton.Phytoplankton include abroad group of algae liv-ing in open waters of thelake, dependent on sun-light and nutrients in thewater for their survivaland reproduction. Mostphytoplankton have nopower of locomotion andare distributed by watermovement. Other algae,commonly called peri-phyton, form thick layerson the submerged por-tions of plants growingwithin the marsh andprovide an abundant andimportant food sourcefor aquatic invertebratessuch as caddisflies,mayflies, water boatmen,segmented worms,midges and snails.

Collect a bottle of waterfrom a wetland and youcould see well over 1,000tiny animals per liter orhundreds of small plantsliving in a single drop.Although invisible to thenaked eye, these micro-scopic organisms play acritical part in the ecolo-gy of Great Lakes coastalmarshes. Both micro-scopic plants (algae) andanimals (microinverte-brates) are found in largenumbers throughoutthese diverse ecosystems.In the water column andattached to various sur-faces, algae form thebase of aquatic foodwebs. They are used asfood by microinverte-brates, which may thenbe eaten by other inverte-brates or fish.

Specialized microscopiccommunities becomeestablished in the varioustypes of open-water andvegetated habitats foundin wetlands. In the open-water areas, planktonicorganisms, includingboth plant (phytoplank-ton) and animal (zoo-

plankton) forms, floatabout or swim weakly inthe water column. Inshallower areas, plantsand sediments provide asurface for a uniquecommunity of attachedalgae and substrate-associated microinverte-brates. Certain organ-isms may even be adapt-ed to living on a specifictype or species of aquaticplant.

Organisms have specialadaptations that allowthem to thrive in theseshallow, plant-dominatedhabitats. Many algae areable to attach to the sur-faces of plants (epiphy-ton) or to submergedwoody debris, fenceposts

Plankton: The Hidden World of the MarshSheila McNair and Vanessa Lougheed

Highly specialized microinver-tebrate (Cladosceran, 0.3 mm)uses fine hairs (bottom ofpicture) to attach firmly toundersides of leaves.

V. Lougheed

38

or other hard surfaces(periphyton) using spe-cialized structures such asmucilage pads, mucoustubes or specializedattachment cells. Otherforms live on and withinthe sediment or attachedto hard pebble or stonesurfaces. Some algae areperched on stalks thatallow them to competefor space, light and nutri-ents by extending out intothe water from the pointof attachment.

The microinvertebratecommunity is generallydominated by poor swim-mers that live attached toplants or close to them.Animals are adapted tocling firmly to the under-

sides of leaves, burrowinto soft sediment or sur-vive in conditions of lowoxygen. Specialized bodyparts are used to collectfood by scraping algaefrom attached surfaces orby selecting particles thathave sunk out of thewater column.

Scientists are just start-ing to use invertebratesand algae as indicators ofwetland quality. Theseorganisms reproducequickly and are relativelyshort-lived, so they oftenrespond to chemical andphysical stress beforelonger lived organismssuch as fish and vascularplants. In addition,because they are at thebottom of the food web

and their movements areusually restricted to afairly small area, theyquickly reflect changes intheir immediate habitatand may thus be used asan early warning signalof environmental change.For example, microscop-ic algae are often incon-spicuous unless elevated

nutrient inputs to thewetland produce a “nui-sance bloom” that maybe more visible.Similarly, with reducedwetland quality, plant-associated microscopicorganisms may becomereplaced by more toler-ant, smaller bodied open-water species.

Plankton: The Hidden World (continued)

Floating algae mat, made upof floating vascular plantsand filamentous green algae.

Stalked diatoms magnified400 times.

The submergent vegetation inthis coastal wetland is coveredby clouds of attached algae(epiphyton).

S. McNair

S. McNair

S. McNair

39

NorthernRich FenCoastal wetlands of thistype are concentrated nearthe Straits of Mackinac inopen embayments whereclay, limestone bedrock orlimestone cobbles are at ornear the surface. Somewell-known fens in publicownership are WildernessState Park, ThompsonsHarbor State Park, ElCajon Bay near Alpenaand Voight Bay onMarquette Island. Many ofour northern fens are geo-

logically interesting, con-taining sinkholes orsprings sometimes fed bystreams that disappearedbelowground miles fromthe lakeshore. Both sink-holes and springs occur atEl Cajon Bay.

Unlike most of the otherGreat Lakes coastal wet-lands, the northern richfen sites have calcareoussoils with pH values high-er than 8.0. The open,exposed conditions of theopen embayments do notallow organic materials toaccumulate, so the

exposed lime-rich mineralsoils are maintained. As aresult, submergent andemergent types of vegeta-tion are often sparse anddiversity is low in the shal-low waters of the openbays. Muskgrass some-times forms an under-water “lawn” in shallowwaters, and sparse standsof hardstem bulrush forman open emergent zone.

Along the shore, however,algal precipitation of calci-um carbonate in the rela-tively warm, carbonate-saturated waters formsdistinctive marly flats thathost a diverse and colorfulflora of calcium-lovingplants. Within the mead-ow zone, an interestingindicator plant of thenorthern fen is walkingsedge, a spike-rush thatarches over and roots atthe tip of its stem, produc-ing a loop that can trip acareless visitor. One of theearliest plants of theshoreline, bird’s-eye prim-ula, brightens the shore-line in mid-May, to be rap-idly joined by Indian


Open northern fens along the shoreline of Horseshoe BayWilderness Area.

T. Cline

40

paintbrush. As the sum-mer progresses, Kalm’slobelia, calamint andgrass-of-Parnassus appear,followed by Ohio golden-rod, fringed gentian andseveral late-floweringasters.


Northern fen at El Cajon Bay, near Alpena.

D. Albert

D. Albert

D. Albert

D. Albert

Walking sedge (Eleocharis rostellata) growing on marl flat. Notice stemsrooting from their tip.

One of the earliest flowers of themarsh, bird’s-eye primula(Primula mistassinica).

Calamint (Calamintha arkansana)blooms in late summer.

41

The carbonate-rich watersof the northern fens donot provide all of thenutrients needed by someplants. Bladderworts,which get some of theirnutrients from insects thatare captured in tiny blad-ders and then slowlydigested, are one of severalcarnivorous plants foundin the fen. When moistureconditions are right in thefen, thousands of bladder-worts can be flowering.Other carnivorous plants

of the fen that supplementtheir diet with insects arebutterwort, pitcher-plantand sundews. Butterwort,a rare plant along theshoreline, tracks moistureconditions closely, alwaysstaying near the moistwetland edge.

Two other rare plants asso-ciated with the fens areHoughton’s goldenrod,found at the edge of moistswales, and dwarf lake iris,found along the uplandedge of the fen and some-times within the fen itself.Two shrubs characteristicof the fen are sweet galeand shrubby cinquefoil.

Tamarack and northernwhite-cedar are the mostcommon trees.

Wildlife habitat values ofnorthern fens are not aswell studied as those ofmany other Great Lakeswetland types. Minnowsand crayfish are abundantwhen water levels arehigh, but during low-waterconditions shoreline habi-tat is very restricted.Whitefish and suckers canbe found in shallow watersduring both the spring andfall.


Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassiaglauca), Ohio goldenrod (Solidagoohioensis) and fringed gentian(Gentianopsis procera) floweringin mid-September.

D. Albert

Bladderwort (Utriculariaintermedia) growing densely inshallow water.

D. Albert

Houghton’s goldenrod (Solidagohoughtonii) grows along moistmargins of swales.

S. Crispin

42

St. MarysRiverMarshesThe St. Marys River, whichjoins Lake Superior toLake Huron, is one ofthree connecting channelsin Michigan, along withthe Detroit and St. Clairrivers. All of the connect-ing channels were origi-nally characterized byclear and fast flowingwater, and all havedredged channels to allowfor commercial shipping.Wetlands remain relativelyintact along the St. MarysRiver, but most of the wet-lands along the Detroitand St. Clair rivers havebeen eliminated by exten-sive residential or industri-al development.

The St. Marys River flowsthrough flat clay lakeplain,a landscape supportingextensive inland wetlands.Along the St. Marys, a nar-row fringe of wet meadowand emergent wetlandcontinues almost unbro-ken for miles. Beds of sub-

mergent vegetation,including muskgrass, quill-worts and pondweeds,continue into water asdeep as 10 or 12 feet, espe-cially in the upper reachesof the river, where waterclarity is good. Muchwider marshes occupybroad bays within theriver, including ShingleBay, Duck Bay andMunuscong Lake.Tributary rivers such asthe Munuscong Rivercarry high volumes ofnutrient-rich silt and clayeroded from the extensiveagricultural lands upriver.During the late 1800s and

early 1900s, much of themixed conifer swampadjacent to the coast wascleared for agriculture,and drainage by surfaceditching allowed these clay plain wetlands to bemanaged as productivehay and pasture lands.

Great Lakes water levelchanges cause dramaticchanges in the wetlandvegetation along the St. Marys River. Duringtimes of low water levels,dense beds of cat-tailsexpand rapidly. When thewater level rises, however,wave action erodes thecat-tail root mats, creating


Freighter traffic is restricted to the dredged shipping channel. Emer-gent vegetation is concentrated in shallow water along the shoreline.

C. McNabb

43

large openings within thewetland. These newly cre-ated openings are quicklycolonized, and the muckysubstrate may becomechoked with naiad oraquatic mosses within asingle growing season.Muskrats, especially abun-dant in the marsh duringhigh-water conditions, usecat-tails as both food andnesting material and cre-ate small open ponds inthe cat-tails. Submergentplants then establish in themuskrat ponds, increasinglocal plant diversity.

The diversity of habitats inthe marsh create idealhabitat for a wide range ofinvertebrates; a winter nav-igation study documentedmore than 170 taxa ofinsects in St. Marys marsh-es. This invertebrate diver-sity provides an importantfood source for both the


Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are quite abundant in the MunuscongRiver delta and other marshes along the St. Marys River.

J. Schafer Openings created by feeding andlodge-building muskrats providehabitat for submergent plantssuch as bladderwort (Utriculariaspp.) and pondweeds(Potamogeton spp.).

D. Albert

44

fishery and for waterfowlduring fall migration. Incontrast, waterfowl nestingis concentrated in nearbyinland wetlands. Inlandwetlands warm up fasterand begin producing abun-dant invertebrates earlierin the spring, allowingmore successful broodproduction.

The importance of the St. Marys River wetlandsfor waterfowl has longbeen recognized. As earlyas 1905, wealthy sports-men from the Dodge fam-ily established a privateduck-hunting club atMunuscong Bay. Around1920, heirs donated theland to the state ofMichigan, creating thecore of the MunuscongState Wildlife Area.

A major concern along theentire length of the St. Marys River has beenthe effect of winter naviga-tion and resulting icescour on the marsh bedsalong the river. Passingfreighters cause the river’swater level to rise, liftingthe ice along with vegeta-tion and attached roots

and soil. A multiyear studydocumented that winternavigation resulted in the


Ice floes can be broken loose by wakes of freighters, removing plantswith their roots and soil.

destruction of vegetationwithin the shorelinemarshes.

C. McNabb

Munuscong diked wetland.

G. Soulliere

45

Agreat diversity ofmacroinvertebrates

— spiders, insects, snails,mollusks and aquaticworms — thrive in GreatLakes coastal wetlands.Coastal marshes producelarge quantities of vege-tation during the grow-ing season, but by latesummer, plant growthstops and plants of themarsh begin to decom-pose. Invertebrates play a key role in nutrientcycling by breaking downcoarse vegetation andmaking it available toother animals.

Aquatic macroinverte-brates have several feed-ing mechanisms. Someshred live vegetation orfragments of decompos-ing vegetation. Oneshredder is the scud(family Gammaridae), ashell-less crustacean thatfeeds by shreddingcoarse plant detritus.Larvae of case-makingcaddisflies (orderTrichoptera), such as theLeptocerid andLimnephilid caddisflies,also shred coarse vegeta-tion. These case-makingcaddisflies use bits ofleaves, twigs or pebblesto build their cases.

Other invertebrates arecollectors of fine organicmaterial. Mayfly nymphsof the family Caenidaefeed chiefly on algae anddetritus. Midges of thefamily Chironomidae(order Diptera) arescavengers that live indecomposing organicmaterial of the marsh.

Still other invertebratesscrape periphyton fromvegetation or other sub-strates. These scrapersinclude the coiled-shellsnails of the familyHydrobiidae. Small clamscalled fingernail clams(family Sphaeriidae) feed

Macroinvertebrates in Michigan's Coastal Wetlands

Limnephilid caddisfly larva.

M. Higgins

Asellidae: A shell-lesscrustacean (Isopoda).

T. White and R. Merritt

Limnephilid caddisfly(Trichoptera) larva.


Midge (chironomid), a memberof the fly family.


Caenid: Mayfly nymph.


Caenid: Mayfly adult.

R. Merritt

on much finer particlesof organic material byfiltering them throughtheir gills.

But by far the greatestnumber are predatorsthat prey on othermacroinvertebrates.Nymphs of damselfliesand dragonflies feed onother aquatic insects; asadults they feed on flying

insects such as midgesand mosquitoes. Phantommidge larvae also feed onmosquito larvae. The lar-vae of Hydrachnid watermites are parasitic onaquatic insects, includingdragonfly nymphs; asnymphs and adults, watermites are predators. Thelarvae of another familiarinsect, the whirligig bee-

tle (Gyrinidae), prey on avariety of small aquaticinsects; adults scavengeinsects on the water sur-face. Larvae of the marshfly (family Sciomyzidae)feed on snails and snaileggs.

The high diversity ofinvertebrates in turn pro-vides food for fish andwetland birds.

46

Macroinvertebrates (continued)

Water mite (Hydrachnid) larva.


Libellulid dragonfly nymph.

M. Higgins

Adult Libellulid dragonfly.

R. Merritt

Narrow-winged damselfly(Coenagrionid) nymph.

M. Higgins

Coiled-shell snail.

D. Albert

Clams (Sphaeriid).


Marsh fly (Sciomyzidae) larva.


Whirligig beetle (Gyrinidae).


Phantom midge(Chaeoborus) larva.

M. Higgins

47

LakeSuperiorPoor FenWetlands seldom developalong unprotected stretch-es of Lake Superior'sharsh shoreline. Instead,they occupy sheltered sitessuch as barrier-beachlagoons, drowned rivermouths and river deltas.These coastal wetlands arecharacterized by acidic,sandy soils and an extremenorthern climate, condi-tions that cause slowdecomposition of wetland

vegetation and result indevelopment of deeporganic soils.

Wetland vegetation mir-rors this acidic condition,and the broad herbaceouszone that characterizesmost Lake Superior wet-lands could be classifiedas either poor fen or bog.The rhizomes of twosedges, Carex oligospermaand C. lasiocarpa, typicallyform a dense floating matin which several species ofsphagnum mosses grow,along with other bog herbssuch as buckbean, bogaster, pitcher-plant, sun-

dews and beak-rushes. Theblossoms of two showyorchids, rose pogonia andgrass-pink, are scatteredthroughout the wetland.Both shrubs and trees aredwarfed. Among the com-mon bog shrubs are smalland large cranberries(Vaccinium oxycoccos andV. macrocarpon), bog rose-mary, leatherleaf and bog-laurel. Low mounds pro-vide habitat for dwarfedtamarack and black spruceon the open mat, with amore dense treed zonesometimes forming alongbetter drained wetlandmargins.


Pequaming tombolo during 1987 high water levels.

M. Penskar

48

The nature of the bogchanges with the waterlevel. During low-waterconditions, the wetlandmat can be quite stable,possibly grounded on theunderlying mineral sub-strate. In contrast, duringhigh-water times, the matcan be treacherous, withopen channels separatingislands of vegetation. As inmany of the coastal wet-lands, changing moistureconditions result in majorchanges in the plants aswell.

The emergent marsh zoneoften forms only a narrow,open fringe of plants asso-ciated with clear, well-aerated waters. Theseinclude spike-rush, bur-

reed and water bulrush.Common floating-leavedspecies include yellowpond-lily, water-shield andwater marigold; thepondweed Potamogetongramineus is the most fre-quently encountered sub-mergent species. Wild riceis a common plant alongthe margins of Wisconsin’sriverine marshes, but nonewas encountered in ourMichigan marsh surveys.This lack of rice may havebeen because of unusuallyhigh water levels duringour Lake Superior surveys.

Most fish species are notwell adapted to the weedy,boggy lagoons and slowflowing streams associatedwith many of these wet-lands. A few species cantolerate these conditions— among them the nativebullheads and mud-minnows and introducedcarp. All of these speciesare tolerant of oxygen-depleted waters. Mud-minnows are secretive fishthat flee into dense vegeta-tion or soft, mucky sub-strates when pursued.

Several excellent LakeSuperior coastal wetlandsoccur on public lands. Twoof these are tombolos,Pequaming on KeweenawBay and Murray Bay onGrand Island, nearMunising. Bald eagles nestin the pines of the exten-sive Murray Bay wetland.Two other coastal wet-lands formed in riverineenvironments: PortageRiver marsh occupies ameander loop in the rivernear the Portage Riverharbor of refuge; Au Trainmarsh occupies a largedune and swale complexnear the mouth of the Au Train River in AlgerCounty.


D. Albert

Bur-reed (Sparganium fluctuans)is a narrow-leaved floating plantof clear Lake Superior deltas.

Tufted loosestrife (Lysimachiathyrsiflora) growing in the wetmeadow zone.

J. Schafer

The Great Lakes sup-port nearly 200

species of fish. Of these,more than 90 percent uti-lize coastal marshes dur-ing some part of theirlives. Many fish spawnwithin coastal wetlandsin early spring. Theseinclude familiar game-fish such as northernpike, muskellunge, yel-low perch and large-mouth bass, and alsoless familiar species,including bowfin andcentral mud-minnow. In the spring, one ofMichigan’s favorite sportfish, yellow perch,drapes its egg massesover aquatic vegetation,

preferring bulrush stemsof the open emergentzone. Northern pike sim-ilarly spawn in the shal-low waters of the marsh;the female deposits thou-sands of adhesive eggsinto decaying vegetation,where the eggs are

immediately fertilized bynearby males. Centralmud-minnows, anothermarsh spawner, also haveadhesive eggs. Newlyhatched pike and mud-minnows are adapted tothe low-oxygen condi-tions resulting from

49

Adult northern pike (Esox lucius).

A school of juvenile black bullheads (Ictalurus melas) feeds inprotected shallow water of the marsh; an adult male is probablynearby.

D. Albert

Fish in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

K. S

chm

idt

decomposition of largeamounts of aquaticplants in the marsh.Decomposing vegetationprovides both refuge andan abundant supply ofprey in the form ofminute crustaceans.When the eggs of north-ern pike hatch, the youngfish immediately beginfeeding on small aquaticcrustaceans, progressingto a diet of small fishwithin a week.

Marshes serve as impor-tant nursery habitat,with diverse inverte-brates providing anabundant diet for imma-ture fish. This dietchanges as fish developand increase in size.Yellow perch, for exam-

50

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), an exotic introduction to the Great Lakes.

E. S. Damstra

Fish in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands (continued)

Mic

higa

n S

ea G

ran

t

51

ple, feed on small crus-taceans until they areroughly 1/4 inch (60 mm)long. These immaturefish then begin eatingaquatic insects andcrayfish. As adults, theirdiet consists largely ofcrayfish, along with bur-rowing mayflies andsmall fish.

Young fish of manymarsh-spawning speciesremain in the marshuntil they are quitemobile. These includenorthern pike, yellowperch, smallmouth bass,bowfin, longnose gar,black and brown bull-head, common carp andcentral mud-minnow.Others, including lakesturgeon and alewife, uti-lize the marsh duringearly stages but spendmost of their adult livesin the open lakes andlarge rivers.

Both male bowfin andblack bullheads remainin the marsh with theiryoung fry, protectingthem from predators.Dense swarms of youngbowfins will feed in the

dense vegetation underthe protection of themale until they arenearly 4 inches long.

Adult fish may move intothe marsh either to for-age or to rest. Walleyesmove into the emergentmarsh to forage at night,while yellow perch areknown to rest at nighton the bottom withinbulrush beds.

Historically, certainGreat Lakes coastal wet-lands provided excep-tional recreational fish-ing. The marshes of west-ern Lake Erie, especiallySandusky Bay, wereknown for their muskel-lunge and pike fishing.With the destruction ofthe marshes by industrialdevelopment, the famousSandusky Bay fisheriescollapsed. The St. ClairRiver delta remains rec-ognized as one of themost productive muskel-lunge fisheries in NorthAmerica.

Common carp haveplayed an important rolein the degradation of

marsh habitat. Carp, anexotic species, was wide-ly stocked in the late19th century. Within the marsh, carp stir upfine sediment as theyroot along the bottom insearch of food and asthey breed in shallowwater. The combination

Juvenile bowfin (Amia calva).

Gizzard shad(Dorosoma cepedianum).

K. Schmidt


K. Schmidt

Central mud-minnow(Umbra limi).

Spottail shiner(Notropis hudsonius).

K.. Schmidt

K. Schmidt

52

Juvenile longnose gar.


E. S. Damstra

E. S. Damstra

Adult brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus).

Water-lilies viewed from below. Water-liliesand other aquatic plants provide importantcover for both juvenile and adult fish.

C. McNabb

D. Wilcox

Newly hatched longnose gar(Lepisosteus osseus).

K. Schmidt

Juvenile northern pike (Esox lucius).

of loosening vegetation and increasingturbidity can contribute to the loss ofsubmergent vegetation. Other inhabi-tants of degraded wetlands includingspottail shiners and gizzard shad.Gizzard shad are prolific egg produc-ers and can compete with other fishfor habitat. A single female can lay upto 400,000 eggs, and large schools ofshad can consume large quantities ofplankton.

53

Potawatomi Bayou, influenced by Great Lakes water levels severalmiles inland from Lake Michigan.

G. Reese

Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands of Southern Michigan

LakeMichiganDrownedRiver MouthsAlong the eastern shore-line of Lake Michigan,strong winds from thesouthwest restrict wet-lands to drowned rivermouths protected fromstorm waves by sand barsor dunes. All major riversalong eastern LakeMichigan once haddrowned river mouth wet-lands along their lowerreaches. These wetlands,under the influence ofGreat Lakes water levels,can extend for a consider-able distance inland, up to10 or 12 miles upriverfrom the lake. PotawatomiBayou, a tributary of theGrand River that floodswhen lake levels are high,is more than 8 milesupriver from LakeMichigan.

Many drowned rivermouths are barred by sand

54

dunes that create smallinland lakes between therivers and Lake Michigan,such as those found at themouths of the White,Muskegon and Kalamazoorivers. Where the inlandlake meets the river, abroad, deltalike wetlandforms. Because of theirlong, narrow configurationand partial separationfrom Lake Michigan, thewetlands are well protect-ed from wind and waveaction. This protectionresults in deep accumula-tions of muck or peat at

the wetland margins.Many drowned rivermouth wetlands now haveartificially maintainedchannels to Lake Michiganfor boat access, oftenresulting in major changesto the wetland dynamics.

The emergent and submer-gent vegetation zones ofthese riverine wetlands arequite variable in width. Insome abandoned meanderloops of the river, wideemergent beds can coverseveral acres. On fast flow-ing streams, emergentsmay be restricted to a thin

fringe. On most of the larg-er streams, submergentvegetation is restricted toprotected backwaters.Smaller streams, such asthe Potawatomi Bayou, canbe completely covered bysubmergent plants. Insouthern lower Michigan,yellow pond-lily and arrow-arum are characteristic onthe muck soils of the emer-gent zone. Both species areuncommon north ofMuskegon, where arrow-head, pickerel weed andbur-reed replace thesesouthern species. Overly

The stream flowing through Potawatomi Bayou occupies a shallow channel choked with submergentvegetation. Organic sediments are several feet thick.


G. Reese

55

mix of speckled alder, red-osier dogwood and redash. They also containmany of the herbs of thewet meadow, as well asroyal fern.


A rare variety of wild rice(Zizania aquatica var. aquatica)occurs in the open emergent zoneof Potawatomi Bayou and otherdrowned river mouths.

D. Albert

Development of industrialand recreational marinashas severely altered thelower rivers. Beginning inthe mid-1800s, lumbermills, paper mills and tan-neries were built along theinland lake and drownedriver mouth margins,which provided easyaccess for shipping tomajor markets such asChicago. More recentalterations to the wetlandinclude highway construc-tion; dredging and fillingfor marinas, golf courses,shoreline homes and con-dos; and sewage treatmentplants. These activitiesincrease water turbidity,which in turn reduces sub-mergent plant establish-ment and survival, espe-cially in the larger streamchannels.

abundant submergent andfloating species thrive inrelatively protected waterswith a high nutrient con-tent. These include coon-tail, water-lily, and theduckweeds Spirodelapolyrhiza, Lemna trisulcaand L. minor.

The wet meadow grows asa floating mat on organicsoils many feet thick.These meadows includeblue-joint grass, jewel-weed, yellow cress, nod-ding smartweed, cut grassand many more herba-ceous plants. Scatteredplants of a rare variety ofwild rice often growbetween the wet meadowand the emergent zone.Shrub swamp forms a nar-row band along the uplandmargin, characterized by a

Drowned river mouth along Bowens Creek at Arcadia during low-water conditions. Nodding beggar-ticks(Bidens cernuus), an annual, forms a broad band on the exposed mud.

D. Albert

56

The shallow, gently slopingmargins of Saginaw Bayprovide excellent wetlandhabitat. The most exten-sive type of wetland onSaginaw Bay is a narrowband of open marsh 200 to300 yards wide. Substratefor most of the bay’s wet-lands is a thin veneer ofsand over clay.

Wider wetlands occur insmall, protected baysbehind sand spits and asdeltaic deposits near themouths of the larger rivers,including the Saginaw,Pine, Au Gres, Rifle andQuanicassee. Other broadprairie wetlands form par-allel to the shoreline indune and swale complexes.

The wetland types ofSaginaw Bay are quite dis-tinctive from one another.Wetlands of the openembayments, althoughforming an almost contin-uous band aroundSaginaw Bay, are generally

low in diversity. Three-square, a bulrush, is oneof the few species tolerantof the storm waves thatregularly buffet the shore-line. Its survival is linkedto its root system — stouthorizontal stems (rhi-zomes) sent into theunderlying clay substrateallow it to resist erosion.At the same time, it pro-duces a dense mat of fineroots near the surface.These bind the surfacesands and further stabilizethe sediments of themarsh. Nearer shore theremay be more than 100bulrush stems in a squaremeter of marsh. These

provide a protective envi-ronment for other moreweakly rooted emergentand submergent plants.Near the deeper, outeredge of the marsh, bulrushstems are more susceptibleto wave action, and themarsh is quite open.

Sand-spit embayments,formed by sands carriedinto Saginaw Bay by smallstreams, provide a moreprotected environmentthan the open bay andsupport dense beds of sub-mergent and emergentmarsh plants. Well-developed sand-spitembayments include those


Emergent marsh dominated by threesquare (Schoenoplectus pungens)forms a 250- to 300-yard-wide zone along long stretches of SaginawBay. Stem density can be quite high in low-water years.

D. Albert

Saginaw BayLakeplainMarsh

57

at Pinconning andNayanquing, both in pub-lic ownership. TheWildfowl Bay Islands nearSebewaing form a largecomplex of sand-spitembayments.

Typical zonation consistsof a narrow band of emer-gent vegetation along theshoreline with a broad bayof submergent plants.Blue-joint grass and tus-sock sedges may once havedominated the emergentzone, but nutrient-richagricultural runoff hasresulted in the develop-ment of a dense band ofcat-tails along the shore.Even this monoculture ofcat-tails is subject tochange. When water levelsare high, cat-tails excludemost other species.However, when the waterlevel drops, goldenrods,asters, willows, dogwoods,and seedlings of ash andcottonwood rapidly estab-lish. The submergent zoneis equally dynamic whenwater levels change.Coontail, pondweeds,common waterweed, slen-der naiad, yellow pond-lily

and water-lily all share the2- to 3-foot-deep waters ofthe bay. As water levelsdrop, a rapid succession ofemergent plants movesacross the newly exposedmuck. Dense stands of stiffarrowhead along withmuskgrass and yellowpond-lily fill the shallow (6 inches deep) water, witha 3- to 4-foot-tall band ofsoftstem bulrush blanket-ing the exposed, moistmuck. If water levels dropfarther in following years,softstem bulrush plantscontinue their advance outinto the bay, to be replacednearer shore by anotherbulrush (Schoenoplectuscespitosus) and cat-tails.

At Pinconning’s sand-spit embay-ment, dense stands of softstembulrush expand outward into themarsh, while spatterdock(Nuphar advena) and muskgrass(Chara spp.) carpet shallowwater.


The emergent zone is much less dense along its lakeward margin, asseen near the Pine River.

D. Albert

D. Albert

58

When water levels againrise, the emergent vegeta-tion begins a slow retreat,driven back by reducedoxygen availability and theerosive force of stormwaves.

The wetland plant commu-nities of Saginaw Bay havebeen altered by surround-ing intensive agriculturalland use. Nutrient-richrunoff fosters dense standsof cat-tails along theshoreline. In addition, twoaggressive exotic plantspecies — purple loose-strife and reed canary

these coastal wetlands.Riverine and coastalmarshes served as impor-tant spawning and nurseryhabitat for a large numberof fish species, includinglake perch and northernpike. Both fish and water-fowl were heavily harvest-ed during early settlementof the state by Europeanimmigrants. Large fishand waterfowl harvestswere aided by the localabundance of salt and icefor preservation. Ascoastal wetlands were


Asters, goldenrods and willows invade cat-tail stands when the marshdries down.

D. Albert

grass — rim almostthe entire shorelineof the bay. Reed(Phragmites aus-tralis), anotheraggressive exotic,forms dense, almostimpenetrable standsalong the shoreline.Reed can grow outinto deep water butis not tolerant ofheavy wave action.

Intense developmentpressure has alsoadversely affectedthe fishery andwaterfowl habitat of

Softstem bulrush (Schoenoplectustabernaemontani).

D. Albert

59

degraded, ditched, drainedand farmed, both fish andwaterfowl harvestsdeclined.

In addition to loss ofspawning habitat, pollu-tants from agriculture,urban development andindustry are often harmfulto fish. Organic materialsdumped into the bay —including sewage, sawdustand sugar beet pulp —produced anoxic condi-tions that resulted in majorfish kills. In recent years,reductions in pollution lev-els have resulted in arecovery for parts of theSaginaw Bay fishery. Therecent introductions ofexotic species such aszebra mussels and roundgobies, however, havebrought new problems.Exotic species alter thewetland environment fornative species by occupy-ing their habitat and com-peting for food and, insome cases, by altering thechemical and physicalnature of the environment.Many exotic species lackpredators in their newenvironment, so their

numbers can increaserapidly.

Other animal species havesuffered from alteration orreduction of coastal wet-land habitat. King rail andAmerican bittern numbersdropped as coastal marshwas eliminated. Turtlesfrom the marsh lost access


Nodding beggar-ticks (Bidens cernuus).

to important upland habi-tat for egg laying.Increased numbers of pred-ators, such as raccoons andskunks, further reduce thenumber of turtle eggs thatsuccessfully hatch.

Recent legal settlementsover industrial pollutionhave resulted in stateacquisition of large areasof coastal agriculturallands. These once drainedfields are being restored tomarsh or lakeplain prairieby removing dikes anddrainage tiles and, for theprairies, conducting pre-scribed burns.

Zebra mussel (Dreissenapolymorpha).

Michigan Sea Grant

D. Albert

60

Arare type of wetland,lakeplain prairie,

occurs along the uplandmargins of coastalmarshes on Lake Erie,Lake St. Clair andSaginaw Bay. One of thelargest expanses formerlyoccurred on SaginawBay in a 3-mile-widedune and swale complexthat stretched for severalmiles from Sebewaing toBay City. The originalgovernment land survey-ors were the first todescribe the changeswithin the marsh andprairie as the water levelsof Saginaw Bay changed.They first surveyed theprairie during low-waterconditions, mentioningprairie grasses andprairie dock. Ten yearslater, the shoreline wasresurveyed during high-water conditions, and thesurveyors noted rushesand bulrushes growing inshallow water andreplacing the prairie.Such dynamics continueto play an important rolein maintaining the diver-sity of the prairie-marshlandscape. The dominant

prairie grasses are bigbluestem, Indian grass,switch grass and prairiecordgrass. More than 200plant species can occurin the lakeplain prairie,including mountainmint, purple milkweed,marsh blazing-star, iron-weed, tall coreopsis,

Riddell’s and Ohio gold-enrod, and many moreshowy forbs.

The prairies, becausethey flooded less oftenthan the marsh, havebeen heavily converted toagriculture. A mile gridof large drainage ditches,

Lakeplain Prairie

Fish Point:Circa 1800 Vegetation

Marsh (primarily bulrushes and sedges)

Wet prairie (blue-joint grass and other prairie grasses)

Oak on beach ridges (pine, hemlock or dry prairie)

Rich forest (beech, sugar maple, basswood, etc.)or swamp (tamarack, northern white-cedar, elm, maple, black ash)

Boundary between public and private land

Original surveyor’s map of lakeplain prairie along Saginaw Bay. Each square is a mile.

61

combined with tiling,diking and pumping, hasallowed most of theprairies to be farmed.The intensive conversionof prairie to agriculturehas caused many prairieplants to become rare,including Sullivant’smilkweed, tall greenmilkweed and tuberousIndian plantain.

Lakeplain prairies alsosupport a distinctivefauna. Prairie plantsincluding prairie dock,Culver’s-root and marshblazing-star are host torare borer moths. Twocharacteristic animals oflakeplain prairies aremound-producing ants,whose nests are commonalong the prairie mar-gins, and burrowingcrayfish, whose clay

chimneys occur through-out the prairie openings.Crayfish burrows areused by many snakespecies as hibernacula.

Active restoration oflakeplain prairies beganin the late 1980s at St. John’s Marsh andAlgonac State Park, bothwithin the St. Clair River

delta, as well as atThomas Road prairiewithin the Fish PointWildlife Area on SaginawBay. Controlled burns,herbicide treatment ofexotic herbs and shrubs,and mechanical removalof shrubs have resultedin increased native plantdiversity and wildlifehabitat.

Diverse lakeplain prairiefollowing burn management.

Tall green milkweed (Asclepiashirtella), a rare prairie plant.

G. Reese

Chimney of burrowing crayfish(family Cambaridae).

Densely flowering big bluestem(Andropogon gerardii) and sun-flower (Helianthus spp.) follow-ing burn management.

Ant mound along the edge ofthe prairie.

K. Herman

D. Albert

Lakeplain Prairie (continued)

D. A

lbert

D. A

lbert

62

St. Clair LakeplainMarshThe St. Clair River deltaforms one of the largestwetlands in the GreatLakes. More than 10 mileslong and almost 15 mileswide, the delta consists of

several islands broken bychannels of the St. ClairRiver. Elevation drops lessthan a foot over the 10-milelength of the delta, and theriver meanders widely.Surface sediments of thedelta are largely fine sandand silt over underlyinglake clay. Finer, organic-rich sediments accumulatein alluvial channels within

the wetland. Topographicrelief on the island is low,with levees along the rivergenerally less than 5 feethigh. When Lake Huronwater levels are high, largeportions of the delta’sislands are flooded withshallow water. Even whenwater levels are low, muchof the delta still remainssaturated.


St. Clair River delta.

Library of Michigan Archives

63

upstream from the deltaalso supports a narrowzone of wet meadow andemergent marsh, with sub-mergent vegetation contin-uing to depths of morethan 10 feet in the clearwaters of the river.Residential developmentalong the river has result-ed in the loss of most ofthe meadow and emergentvegetation.

The vegetation of the deltashares characteristics withboth Saginaw Bay and


Wetlands were diked to provide increased habitat for waterfowl during migration, as well as increased hunt-ing access. However, dikes also disrupt hydrologic processes and facilitate the spread of invasive species.

J. Schafer

Historically, almost theentire shoreline of Lake St. Clair supported coastalmarshland. Today, coastalwetlands on Lake St. Clairare restricted largely to thedelta — residential devel-opment has occurredalong much of the lake’sshoreline. The clear watersof Lake St. Clair allowsubmergent aquatic plantsto grow on the bottomthroughout much of theshallow lake. The channelof the St. Clair River

Lake Erie, along withmore northern wetlands.

The drier portions of thedelta’s wetlands supportdiverse wet and wet-mesicprairies, both southernwetland types. The vegeta-tion of the emergent zone,however, is more typical ofnorthern open marshes,perhaps owing to the flowof clear, cold river watersthrough the wetland.

Exotic species so charac-teristic of the wetlands ofLake Erie and Saginaw

64

Bay are less prevalent inlarge portions of the St.Clair delta but are by nomeans absent. During low-water conditions in 2000-03, reed (Phragmitesaustralis) has expanded itshabitat greatly in St. John’sMarsh and may have sim-ilarly expanded in otherportions of the delta. Butin some areas of the delta,the wet meadows still con-sist of a broad zone ofblue-joint grass and tus-sock sedges.

In the emergent marsh,pickerel weed, arrowheadand bur-reed occur alongwith a diverse flora of sub-mergent and floatingplants, including severalspecies of pondweed,naiad, water-lily and yel-low pond-lily. Wild riceforms dense stands exceptwhen water level are attheir highest, as in 1986and 1987. Many of thesouthern emergent andsubmergent species, suchas American lotus,Montevidens’ arrowheadand arrow-arum, areabsent from the delta.


Intensive residential and recreational use within the St. Clair delta.

J. Schafer

Personal watercraft can damage coastal wetland vegetation.

J. Schafer

65

The St. Clair flats are rec-ognized as a highly signifi-cant wetland area forwaterfowl. In spite ofintense residential devel-opment in portions of thedelta, large areas continueto be managed as bothnatural and managedmarsh, maintaining criti-


Eastern fox snake (Elaphe gloydi) is often seen on dikes or sand ridgeswithin the marsh.

Common tern (Sterna hirundo).

J. Schafer

Black tern (Chlidonias niger). Great egret (Casmerodius albos) feeding along a dike.

J. Schafer

J. Schafer

J. Schafer

cal habitat for waterfowland other wetland fauna,and providing adequateaccess to hunters fromsouthern Michigan’s largeurban population.

Over the years, severalmanagement options havebeen explored to maintainconditions favorable to

waterfowl. On Harsen’sIsland, large areas ofmarsh have been diked, sowater levels can be manip-ulated both to meet water-fowl needs and to allowhunters increased accessto the marsh. Elsewhere,in the past, openings werecreated with explosives.

Spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata).

J. Schafer

66

More recently, prescribedburns have been conduct-ed to maintain open con-ditions in the marsh. Mostmarsh burns are conduct-ed when the marsh isfrozen to increase the like-lihood of a successfulburn.

The marsh providesimportant habitat to manynongame animals as well.Several rare species areknown from the marshesof the flats, including theeastern fox snake, spottedturtle, Blanding’s turtle,black tern, common ternand king rail. The lake-plain prairies of AlgonacState Park, also part of the

delta wetland, are habitatfor several rare plants,including Sullivant’s milk-weed. The Algonac prairiesare currently managed

Marina development on a small island within the delta.

J. Schafer

with prescribed burns toimprove species diversity,reduce shrub and treeencroachment, and elimi-nate exotic species.


67

Impressive numbers ofducks, geese and

swans move throughMichigan’s coastalmarshes in the spring,often through the firsthalf of May. Bird num-bers again increase dra-matically from lateSeptember through mid-November, with a peak inabundance the last weekof October. The excep-tions are Lake St. Clairand western Lake Erie,where some ducks can benumerous through earlywinter. Some years can-vasbacks winter on LakeSt. Clair and remainthrough spring.

The coastal wetlands ofMichigan are less impor-tant than inland wet-lands for waterfowlreproduction. They warmslowly in the spring, sothey provide fewer inver-

tebrates for food forearly-breeding ducks.They stay warm longer inthe fall, however, andprovide invertebrates andseeds from aquatic plantsfor fall-migrating ducks.All of the plant seeds arenot eaten in the fall, sosome seeds along withsubmergent aquaticplants are available dur-ing spring migration.

Coastal wetlands alongthe east side of Michiganare especially importantto staging waterfowl.Diving ducks, such asredheads and canvas-backs from the midconti-nent prairies, arrive in

Migrating waterfowl on St. Clair River delta.

J. Schafer

Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria).

M. P

irnie

Waterfowl Use of Michigan's Coastal Wetlandsby Greg Soulliere

large numbers to wet-lands along Saginaw Bay,Lake St. Clair, the lowerDetroit River and west-ern Lake Erie. Here theyfeed on aquatic plants,insects and mollusks ofcoastal deep-water wet-lands. In some years, asmuch as 60 percent ofthe world's canvasbackpopulation can be foundfall-staging on lakes St. Clair and Erie. Highnumbers of dabblingducks — including mal-lards, black ducks, teal,wigeons and, in someyears, pintails — alsofeed in the shallowmarshes of Saginaw Bayand roost in the safety ofthe open bay.

In western Michigan, the marshes of LakeMichigan's drowned rivermouths, protected fromthe wave action of theGreat Lakes, offer respiteto migrating dabblingducks, especially mal-lards and black ducks.Favored foods in thisvegetation-rich habitatinclude the seeds frombur-reed, duck potato,and other emergent andsubmergent aquaticplants. Migrating birdsoften stop to refuel inthese river mouth wet-lands for days or evenweeks.

Farther north, beaverponds and forested wet-lands in Michigan andeastern Canada provide

nesting habitat for manyspecies of ducks. Thisforested region providesdependable habitat fromyear to year, and as aresult, the number ofdabbling ducks movingthrough Michigan fromCanada is relatively sta-ble. St. Marys River wet-lands — the largest is inMunuscong Lake — arethe busiest in the UpperPeninsula for mallards,black ducks, teal andring-necked ducks, andare recognized as qualitywetlands for hunting. Inthe northern LowerPeninsula, these samespecies are common onLake Huron's Misery andSquaw bays near Alpena.Wood ducks are common

68

Waterfowl Use of Coastal Wetlands (continued)

Migrating redheads (Aythya americana). Pair of blue-winged teal (Anas discors).

J. S

chaf

er

J. Schafer

69

in many coastal wetlandsduring late summer asthese birds group upafter the breeding sea-son. Large numbers ofmale wood ducks findprotection and abundantfood in coastal wetlandsduring the flightless peri-od when they are replac-ing their wing feathers.

Wood ducks will oftengroup with male mal-lards and black ducks inlarge coastal wetlands.Molting ducks rely on themarsh’s protection andreadily available foodresources during themiddle and later part ofsummer.

Canada geese are com-mon in Michiganthroughout the spring,summer and fall, andeven through the winterin southern Michigan.Canada geese roost onsand bars and mud flatsin coastal areas duringlow-water periods, wherethey feed on emergent


Interiorr Canada gooser

Canvasbbackb

Canvasbackackackbreeding area

Grreat LakesrMigratiigration Corridorigration Corridoorsorsfor Caaanvasbacksaanvasbacksanvasbacksand Innterior nCanadda Geesed

Modified from F. C. Bellrose.

70

plants, the small shootsof strand plants and,occasionally, aquaticinsects. During thespring, Canada geesereadily nest in coastalwetlands, selecting anyhigh point — includingmuskrat lodges and spoilislands from channeldredging — as the foun-dation for their nests.During the fall, these off-shore shallow-waterareas provide protectionfrom disturbance andpredators.

Swans also use coastalwetlands from earlyspring through the sum-mer and fall, feedingmostly on submergentaquatic plants. Tundraswans are common

during spring and fallmigration, while muteand trumpeter swansnest in Michigan. LikeCanada geese, swans willreadily nest on muskrator beaver lodges.

Michigan’s long coastlinehosts a variety of seaducks, including blackscoters, white-wingedscoters, long-tailedducks, buffleheads, gold-eneyes, and red-breastedand American mer-gansers. Some of thesebirds are rarely seen inthe interior of the UnitedStates; their diversity andabundance in Michiganreflect the high-qualityhabitat provided by theGreat Lakes shorelineand associated coastal

wetlands and shallow-water zones. Althoughthese species are mostcommonly seen duringthe spring and fall indeeper open water, theywill readily use coastalwetlands during migra-tion, especially the long-tailed ducks, buffleheadsand mergansers, findingfood resources as well asshelter during storms. A few species, includingthe red-breasted andAmerican mergansers,nest in Michigan as well.For these sea ducks,Michigan’s coastal wet-lands provide criticalhabitat during the brood-rearing period, offering arich selection of smallfish and mollusks.


Pair of wood ducks (Aix sponsa). Canada geese (Branta canadensis) nesting on muskrat lodge.

D. KenyonJ. Schafer

71


Lake ErieLakeplainMarshMuch of the shorelinearound the western basinof Lake Erie consists offlat glacial lakeplain. Theshallow, sloping terrainand rich clay sedimentshistorically supportedextensive marshes and wetprairies along much ofLake Erie’s southernshore. Because Lake Erieenjoys the most moderateclimate of the Great Lakesregion, these wetlandscontained a suite of dis-tinctly southern plantspecies not found else-where within the GreatLakes.

In the early 1800s, theBlack Swamp, a band ofswamp and marsh severalmiles wide, surroundedwestern Lake Erie fromSandusky, Ohio, to Detroit,Michigan. Large marshesformed at the mouths ofmajor rivers such as theRaisin, Huron and lowerDetroit rivers and thedozens of smaller creeks

draining the flat lakeplain.By 1900, more than 90percent of the BlackSwamp had been drainedfor agriculture or modifiedfor industrial and residen-tial use.

The Detroit, Maumee,Portage and Sanduskyrivers also dump heavysediment loads into thewaters of western LakeErie, where wind actioncontinually stirs up siltand clay from the relative-ly shallow bottom. Theresulting high turbidity,excessive suspended sedi-

ments and nutrient load-ing are significant stres-sors to remaining coastalwetlands of Lake Erie.

Today, the formerly exten-sive coastal marshes arelimited to a few degradedsand-spit embayments,drowned river mouths ordeltas. Here, relatively fewrooted submergent speciesare found; instead, floatingduckweeds (Lemna minorand Spirodela polyrhiza)and floating submergentssuch as hornwort, commonwaterweed and the exoticcurly-leaved pondweedspread rapidly at or near

Lake Erie

N

1800

1988

Upland

Black swamp along western Lake Erie. Most of the extensive swampand marsh have been destroyed.

C. E. Herdendorf

72


the surface of muddy, nutri-ent-rich waters. The south-ern species of yellow pond-lily (Nuphar advena) iscommon, and Americanlotus attains very high den-sities at selected sites.Common arrowhead, soft-stem bulrush, narrow-leaved cat-tail and hybridcat-tail are common edgespecies.

The herbaceous zone issouthern wet meadowdominated by blue-jointgrass along with reedcanary grass, narrow-leaved

cat-tail and noddingsmartweed. The standardsuite of early sucessionalspecies (nodding beggar-ticks, spotted touch-me-notand yellow cress) andaggressive exotics (purpleloosestrife and reed) arepresent as well. As inSaginaw Bay, the absenceof a distinct shrub swampzone often reflects theintensity of land use alongLake Erie, where fertilelacustrine soils are farmedas close to coastal wetlandsas possible.

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum sali-caria), an aggressive exotic plant,readily colonizes mud flats.

Marsh witharrowhead(Sagittaria rigida)and water-lily(Nymphaea odor-ata): FrenchmanCreek, lowerDetroit River.

Duckweed: Lake Erie.

D. Albert D. Albert

D. Landis

73

Monroe Marsh, at themouth of the River

Raisin, typifies the his-toric changes seen inmany of Michigan’s largecoastal marshes. Fromits earliest settlementuntil the 1890s, MonroeMarsh had an economydependent on the harvestof the natural resourcesof the marsh and nearbyLake Erie.

Among the most valuedresources in the shallowwaters of Lake Erie waslake sturgeon, harvestedannually at the rivermouths by WyandotteIndians. Early nativefishermen took fish inshallow waters usingseine nets or spears,while gill nets allowedfish to be taken in deeper

waters. Muskrat, beaverand other furbearerswere also trapped in themarshes by early nativepeoples for food, clothingand trade items.

Beginning in the mid-1800s, market huntersexploited the abundantaquatic resources of themarshes, harvestingwaterfowl by the thou-sands to supply easternand urban markets.

Case History of a Marsh: River Raisin Delta

MonroeMarsh

River Raisin

Plum Creek

Lake Erie

1 mile

Upland

Marsh

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens).

E. S. Damstra

Working from punt boatsonly 16 to 18 feet long,they used large gunscapable of killing dozensof birds with a singleshot. It was not unusualto kill several hundredducks in a night undercover of darkness, whenit was easier to approacha large flock of ducks.The use of live decoysand hunting with baitand traps were othereffective ways to harvestlarge hauls of waterfowl.

Fish were another valuedresource for the expand-ing country. Early settlersfished with simple

seines, brush weirs,spears, dip nets and lineswith many fish hooks. Bythe 1840s and 1850s,large stationary netscalled “pound nets” wereset in shallow coastalwaters, funneling fish toan offshore crib. Lighter,stronger machine-madenets allowed fishermento harvest more fish indeeper water, and by the1870s, steam tugsallowed fishing still far-ther from shore. AtMonroe, the early fish-eries harvested whitefish,trout, perch and walleye.Sturgeon were also net-

ted, but only the roe (fisheggs) were sold; the fishwere left to rot on shore.

Technological changeswere rapidly altering theGreat Lakes fishery, butmost coastal habitatsremained intact until theend of the century.Between the 1890s and1930, however, industri-alization of coastal wet-lands greatly reduced theproductivity of the marshfor waterfowl and fishand altered the habitatfor the broad diversity ofplants and wildlife nativeto the wetland.

74

Case History of a Marsh: River Raisin Delta (continued)

Punt boats were used by market hunters to harvest large numbers of waterfowl.

Monroe Historical Museum

75

As the town of Monroegrew, the mouth of theRiver Raisin was dredgedand a port developed in1843. By the 1880s, regu-lar steamship servicebrought passengers intoMonroe. One majorattraction for wealthyEast Coast businessmenwas the hunt club estab-lished at the mouth ofthe river by a Monroeresident, John Sterling.When the hunt clubburned, Sterling replacedit with a hotel and swim-ming beach, which drewhundreds of urban visi-tors by steamship from

nearby Toledo andDetroit. Local trolleylines soon followed, andtourism boomed.

The marsh itself was stilla favorite destination;fishing was popular andlocal boatmen rowed

Successful duck hunters at Pt. Mouillee Hunt Club, 1910.


Seining in coastal wetland (1890s).


State of Michigan Archives

76

visitors to the famedlotus beds. Coveringalmost 1,000 acres, thelotus beds were a sourceof local pride; scenes ofthe lotus beds graced pic-ture postcards, and lotusflowers graced the diningroom of the hotel, whichwas named after thelovely flower.

With increased develop-ment, the ecology of themarsh declined rapidly.In the early 1900s, therewere already accounts ofpollution from the townand the accompanyingturbidity in the marshthat resulted in the lossof aquatic plant beds and

fish. Recreational fishingdeclined, and commer-cial fishing within themarsh collapsed. Tomaintain the local fish-ing industry, portions of

the marsh were dredgedinto ponds for raisingcarp, which were shippedlive as far as New YorkCity.

Picture postcard showing boatman with visitors to the Monroe lotus (Nelumbo lutea) bed, circa 1900.

Mon

roe Historical M

useu

m


Youngsters fishing in Monroe Marsh with net (circa 1900).


77


Other marsh values dis-appeared with changingtechnology. Before elec-trical refrigeration,blocks of ice were cutfrom the shallow watersof Lake Erie. Marsh haywas harvested withhorse-drawn mowers andlaid down in thick layersto insulate the ice blocksthrough the hot summer.

In 1920, Fisher Bodypurchased land in themarsh, followed byNewton Steel (now thesite of Ford Motor

Company) in 1927. Thefactories grew, fillingadditional lands anddredging ponds for wastematerials. In 1931, aturning basin wasdredged to allow passageof larger ships. In 1953,Detroit Edison bought1,200 acres and built anelectric plant on spoilswithin the marsh, whichwas being filled from allsides. Plans for a marina

River Raisin with channel straightened and “turning basin”constructed in 1931 to allow for large ships.

Lotus bed with Monroepower plant in background.


Lotus Garden Club of Monroe

78


with elite housing sitesand a golf course weredeveloped but abandonedduring the GreatDepression; the area isnow in state ownershipas Sterling State Park.

Today efforts are under-way to protect andrestore the remnants ofthe marsh. DetroitEdison has established apreserve dedicated to theprotection of theAmerican lotus. In 2002,Sterling State Park staffinitiated a project aimedat restoring both coastalmarsh and wet prairie.Diverse recreational usecan be seen at remnantsof numerous coastal wet-lands along Lake Erie.

MI DNR

D. Albert Intensive industrialization ofMonroe Marsh can be seen on1978 aerial photo.

Boardwalk in Lake ErieMetro Park.

Restorationand Recovery

80

Restoration and Recovery

Estimates of overallwetland loss along the

Great Lakes shorelinerange from 30 to 50 per-cent. In Saginaw Bay, LakeSt. Clair and western LakeErie, comparison of his-toric maps to presentaerial photos shows even

greater levels of loss.These losses have resultedin significant ecologicalchanges to the Great Lakesand its biota.

Historically, the earliestsigns of significant wet-land degradation weresharp declines in the

coastal fishery and water-fowl populations. As largemarshes disappeared orwere severely degraded,fish and waterfowl popula-tions responded to thehabitat loss and their pop-ulations often plummeted,affecting both the econo-my and recreation of thelocal communities. Overallchemical and physicaldegradation of the lakesaffected human health aswell, and this was oftenthe factor that triggeredthe cleanup of the GreatLakes, including their wet-lands. Other values recog-nized as important to bothresidents and the generalpublic were the impor-tance of wetland vegeta-tion for shoreline stabiliza-tion and the aesthetics andgreen space they provided.

The earliest coastal wet-land restoration beganwith use of dikes to reduceerosion of coastal wet-lands. On western LakeErie, high turbidity result-ing from agricultural

Water

Sand:

Clay:

Fine roots

Rhizomes and coarse roots

Rooting of Bulrushes

Rhizomes of bulrush reduce sediment erosion.

D. Albert

81


runoff and other forms ofpollution, erosion by shiptraffic and hardening ofthe shoreline had eliminat-ed most of the originalcoastal marshes. Dikingallowed manipulation ofthe water level throughoutthe year and improvedaccess to marshes in heav-ily populated areas,increasing the number ofhunters who could safelyutilize a wetland.

Though dikes proved use-ful in restoring or main-taining degraded wetlandsystems, they can alsoresult in degradation ofotherwise intact wetlands,especially where wetlandsmeet diverse biologicalneeds. In intact wetlandsystems, dike placementscan fragment coastal wet-lands and reduce functionby altering water, nutrientand energy exchange.Impounded coastal marsh-es often exclude aquaticorganisms and are nolonger available for fishspawning and nurseries.Plant and wildlife popula-tions are likely disrupted

in other ways. Diking,which prevents dewateringor the influx of oxygenatedlake water into coastalwetlands, causes buildupof dead plant material andthe depletion of dissolvedoxygen within impoundedwetlands. Anaerobic con-ditions eventually result inthe loss of additionalspecies of aquatic life thatdepend on oxygenatedwater. Accumulation ofnutrients and organicmaterials can lead to over-ly dense monocultures ofcat-tails or other emergentvegetation.

Dikes allow a variety of manage-ment opportunities, includingwater level control, planting,creating openings and moreintensive use of marsh duringhunting season.

J. Schafer

Dikes allow control of water levels in coastal marshes.

J. Schafer

82


Other wetland restorationefforts have sought to cre-ate openings in denseemergent vegetation. Onedramatic method — thatof blowing openings in themarsh with explosives —is no longer a commonpractice. Instead, duringlow-water conditions,openings are created withheavy equipment.

Up through the early1800s, Native Americansutilized fire to create moreopen-water habitat incoastal wetlands. Today,fire is once again recog-nized as an efficient man-agement tool for restoringwetlands. The most effec-tive time to burn is duringthe winter, when managerscan work quickly and safe-ly on ice. Controlled burnsreduce cat-tail coverageand help to control exoticspecies such as reed andpurple loosestrife.

Successful removal ofsome aggressive exoticplants, such as reed, may

require herbicide treat-ments as well. Experimen-tation on exotic control isnow being conducted atSt. John’s Marsh, alongwith controlled burning.Galerucella, a host-specificbeetle that feeds only onpurple loosestrife, hasbeen introduced into wet-lands and has reducedpopulations of this inva-sive plant by 90 percent insome areas.

Michigan wetland restora-tion projects include siteson lakes Michigan, Huron,St. Clair and Erie. On theSt. Marys River, restora-tion efforts include remov-

Dikes are occasionally removed when they prove ineffective for man-agement, as in the extensive marshes at the mouth of the MunuscongRiver. Dikes here were too large for effective water level control andsubject to considerable damage by storm waves.

G. Soulliere

Creating marsh openings withexplosives is no longer a commonpractice.

J. Schafer

83


ing ineffective waterfowlmanagement dikes. OnSaginaw Bay, a major mit-igation project is restoringrecently acquired agricul-tural lands to wet prairieand marsh; agriculturaldikes are removed, selec-tive drains are closed andtiles are broken in fields.At St. John's Marsh andAlgonac State Park onLake St. Clair, both marsh-es and wet prairies arenow managed with pre-

ing to construct muchmore sophisticated dikedwetlands, controlling notonly water levels but theentry of fish into the wet-land as well. The goal is toallow some fish to utilizethe marsh while excludingcommon carp.

Metzger marsh originallyhad a barrier beach pro-tecting the wetland fromthe waves of Lake Erie.The wetland had been

scribed burns, along withmechanical shrub removaland herbicide treatment ofexotic plants. At SterlingState Park, on Lake Erie,the hydrology is beingrestored and coastalmarsh is being replantedwith seed from local wet-land sources.

Recent restoration efforts,such as the project atMetzger Marsh near San-dusky, Ohio, are attempt-

Wetland restoration: burning cat-tails and reed on St. John’s Marsh.

J. Schafer

84

heavily manipulated, withattempts to dike and farmit. Hardening of the adja-cent shoreline eliminatedthe sediments that wereneeded to maintain thebarrier beach. The barrierwas eroded by high waterconditions in 1973. Loss ofthe protective barrier com-bined with spawning andfeeding of large numbersof carp resulted in almostcomplete loss of submer-gent and emergent wet-land plants.

In 1995 the barrier beachwas replaced by a dike,with five gates to allowdrawdown to mimic lowlake levels and allow thegrowth of emergent vege-tation. Natural regenera-tion of the marsh from theseed bank was augmentedwith planting of wild-celery tubers. The dikegates were fitted with barsspaced five centimetersapart to allow small fish toenter the wetland but toexclude large carp. Liftbaskets were also installedso that large fish other


Wetland restoration: using ORV to set marsh fires at St. John’s Marsh.

J. Schafer

than carp could be intro-duced to the wetland.While some carp enter thewetland, reduced carppopulations have allowedthe vegetation in themarsh to persist.

The success of theserecent experiments has notyet been fully evaluated.

In addition to these manymanagement initiatives,conservation groups havebeen acquiring high-quality Great Lakes wet-lands for preservation inperpetuity. Conservationorganizations have pur-chased tracts along Duck,Voight, Dudley and ElCajon bays on northernLake Huron as well as atRoach Point and adjacentwetlands along the St.Marys River. The MichiganDepartment of NaturalResources has acquired alarge dune and swale com-plex west of Big KnobCampground on northernLake Michigan. Michigan'sgovernment and numerousconservation organizationsmaintain their goal of pro-tecting coastal wetlands.

85

Though education, acqui-sition and more carefulmanagement of adjacentuplands have slowed therate of wetland loss inrecent years, coastal wet-land loss has by no meansbeen eliminated. Decliningwater levels in lakesHuron and Michigan since1999 have exposed exten-sive beds of shoreline wet-land vegetation, especiallyalong Saginaw Bay. Somelandowners have illegallyplowed these coastal wet-lands, altering hundreds ofacres of open bulrush bedsand wet meadow. It is tooearly to evaluate the fullimpact of these activities,but habitat value for manywetland animals has beenreduced, and removal ofstabilizing plant roots willlikely increase shorelineerosion when water levelsrise again.


Metzger Marsh. Prior to restoration, there was little aquatic vegetationin the carp-filled, turbid waters of the marsh.

Metzger Marsh. Five large gates provide effective control of the waterlevels in the marsh, while grates control entry of large fish.

Metzger Marsh. After dike construction and water drawdown, aquaticvegetation established from the seed bank.

D. Wilcox

D. Wilcox

D. Wilcox

Appendix AMarshes in Michigan - Lake Erie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Marshes in Michigan - Lake Huron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Marshes in Michigan - Lake Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Marshes in Michigan - Lake Superior . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Appendix B Referenced Species: Common and Latin Names . . . . . . 93

Appendix CSuggested Readings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

G. Soulliere

No. Name Lake Type Ownership

1 Erie Marsh Erie Sand-spit embayment TNC, MI DNR, private

2 Otter Creek Erie Drowned river mouth Private, MI DNR

3 River Raisin (Monroe) Erie Delta Private, MI DNR (SP)

4 Swan Creek Erie Drowned river mouth Private

5 Pte. Mouillee Erie Delta MI DNR

TNC = The Nature ConservancyUSFS = U. S. Forest Service

** Public overlook LTC = Little Traverse ConservancyMI DNR = Michigan Department

of Natural Resources

MNA = Michigan Nature Association

NF = National forestSP = State park

Lake Erie

5

Marshes in Michigan - Lake Erie

Bolded sites are good examples of marsh types with public access.

Lake

40

88

109

LakeSt. C

3

Huron

34-36

Marshes in Michigan - Lake Huron

88

89


6 Frenchman Creek Detroit River Drowned river mouth Private7 Clinton River St. Clair Delta Metropark, private8 St. Clair River St. Clair Delta MI DNR, private9 Hardwood Point Huron Open embayment Private10 Whiskey Harbor Huron Open embayment Private11 Sleeper/Port Crescent Huron Dune & swale complex MI DNR (SP)12 Wildfowl Bay Islands Huron Sand-spit embayment MI DNR13 Wildfowl Bay Huron Open embayment Private, MI DNR14 Fish Point Huron Sand-spit embayment MI DNR, private

& open embayment

15 Vanderbilt Park Huron Delta & open embayment County park16 Coryeon Point Huron Open embayment Private, MI DNR17 Tobico State Park Huron Barrier beach lagoon MI DNR18 Nayanquing Huron Sand-spit embayment MI DNR **19 Pinconning Huron Sand-spit embayment County park20 Wigwam Bay/Pine R. Huron Delta & open MI DNR

embayment

21 Rifle River Huron Delta Private22 Black River Huron Dune & swale complex MI DNR23 Squaw Bay Huron Open embayment Private24 Misery Bay Huron Open embayment Private25 El Cajon Bay Huron Protected embayment MI DNR26 False Presque Isle Huron Drowned river mouth Private27 Hammond Bay Huron Dune & swale complex Private28 Grass Bay Huron Dune & swale complex TNC29 Cheboygan State Park Huron Dune & swale complex MI DNR30 Carp/Pine Rivers Huron Dune & swale complex Hiawatha NF (USFS)31 St. Martins Bay Huron Open embayment Private, USFS32 Mismer Bay Huron Protected embayment Private, LTC33 Mackinac Bay Huron Protected embayment Private **34 Duck Bay Huron Protected embayment TNC, MI DNR, private35 Peck Bay Huron Open bay (n. fen) Private36 Voight Bay Huron Open bay (n. fen) TNC, private37 Big Shoal Cove Huron Open bay (n. fen) Private38 Scott Bay/Paw Point Huron Protected embayment MI DNR, private39 Burnt Island Huron Protected embayment Private40 Harbor Island Huron Protected embayment Private






Marshes in Michigan - Lake Huron


90

Lake

59

44454

48

47

5255

55

56

57

Mic

higa

n

Marshes in Michigan - Lake Michigan

91

Marshes in Michigan - Lake Michigan


41 Trails End/Cecil Bays Michigan Open bays Private, MI DNR42 Waugoshance Point Michigan Open bay (n. fen) MI DNR (SP)43 Sturgeon Bay Michigan Dune & swale complex MI DNR (SP)44 Platte Bay Michigan Dune & swale complex Sleeping Bear NLS45 Platte River Point Michigan Dune & swale complex Sleeping Bear NLS46 Betsie River Michigan Drowned river mouth MI DNR47 Manistee River Michigan Drowned river mouth MI DNR48 Big Sable River Michigan Drowned river mouth Private49 Pentwater River Michigan Drowned river mouth MI DNR50 Stoney Creek Michigan Drowned river mouth Private51 White River Michigan Drowned river mouth Private52 Muskegon River Michigan Drowned river mouth MI DNR, private53 South Lloyd Island Michigan Drowned river mouth Private54 Potawatomi Bayou Michigan Drowned river mouth Ottawa Co. park55 Kalamazoo River Michigan Drowned river mouth Saugatuck Twp.

park, private

56 Paw Paw River Michigan Drowned river mouth Private57 Galien River Michigan Drowned river mouth Private58 Portage Creek Michigan Sand-spit embayment MI DNR59 Chippewa Point Michigan Open bay/delta Private60 Ogontz Bay Michigan Dune & swale complex Hiawatha NF (USFS)61 Indian Point/Nahma Michigan Open bay Hiawatha NF (USFS)62 Fishdam Rivers Michigan Dune & swale complex Hiawatha NF (USFS)63 Thompson Michigan Dune & swale complex/delta Private, MI DNR64 Gulliver Lake Dunes Michigan Dune & swale complex Private65 Big Knob/Crow River Michigan Dune & swale complex MI DNR66 Kenyon Bay Michigan Open bay Private67 Epoufette Bay Michigan Open bay MI DNR, private68 Pointe Aux Chenes Michigan Dune & swale complex Hiawatha NF (USFS)

TNC = The Nature ConservancyUSFS = U. S. Forest ServiceNLS = National Lakeshore







69 Gogomain River St. Marys R. Connecting river - delta Private70 Roach Point St. Marys R. Connecting river – Michigan Nature Association

protected embayment

71 Sugar Island St. Marys R. Connecting river – University of Michigan, privateprotected embayment

72 Munuscong St. Marys R. Connecting river – delta MI DNR73 Shingle Bay St. Marys R. Connecting river – Private

protected embayment

74 Tahquamenon Bay Superior Dune & swale complex MI DNR, USFS75 Whitefish Point Superior Dune & swale complex MI DNR76 Grand I. – Murray Bay Superior Dune & swale complex Hiawatha NF (USFS)77 Au Train River Superior Dune & swale complex Hiawatha NF, USFS, private78 Little Presque Isle Superior Dune & swale complex MI DNR79 Independence Lake Superior Dune & swale complex Private80 Pequaming Superior Tombolo County park81 Sturgeon River Superior Delta MI DNR **82 Portage Lake Superior Drowned river mouth MI DNR, private83 Big Traverse Bay Superior Dune & swale complex MI DNR, private84 Oliver Bay Superior Dune & swale complex Private85 Lac la Belle Superior Dune & swale complex Private

9

84

8

Lake

Superior

Marshes in Michigan - Lake Superior






92


93

Common Names Latin Names

Plants

Alder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alnosa rugosa

American lotus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nelumbo lutea

Arrow-arum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peltandra virginica

Arrowhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sagittaria spp.

Aster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aster spp.

Beak-rush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhynchospora spp.

Big bluestem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andropogon gerardii

Bird’s-eye primula. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Primula mistassinica

Black spruce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Picea mariana

Bladderwort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Utricularia spp.

Blue-joint grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calamagrostis canadensis

Bog aster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aster nemoralis

Bog-laurel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kalmia polifolia

Bog rosemary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andromeda glaucophylla

Buckbean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Menyanthes trifoliata

Bulrush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Schoenoplectus spp.

Bur-reed . . . . . . . . Sparganium chlorocarpum, S. fluctuans

Butterwort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pinguicula vulgaris

Calamint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calamintha arkansana

Cat-tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Typha spp.

Common waterweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elodea canadensis

Coontail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ceratophyllum demersum

Cotton-grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eriophorum spp.

Cottonwood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Populus deltoides

Culver’s-root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Veronicastrum virginicum

Curly-leaved pondweed . . . . . . . . Potamogeton crispus

Cut grass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leersia oryzoides

Dogwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cornus spp.

Duck potato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sagittaria spp.

Duckweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lemna minor, Lemna trisulca,

Spirodela polyrhiza

Dwarf lake iris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Iris lacustris

Fringed gentian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gentianopsis procera

Frogbit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

Goldenrod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solidago spp.

Grass-of-Parnassus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parnassia glauca

Grass-pink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calopogon tuberosus

Greater duckweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spirodela polyrhiza

Hardstem bulrush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Schoenoplectus acutus

Hornwort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ceratophyllum demersum

Comon Names Latin Names

Plants

Houghton’s goldenrod . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solidago houghtonii

Hybrid cat-tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Typha X glauca

Indian grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sorghastrum nutans

Indian paintbrush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Castilleja coccinea

Ironweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vernonia spp.

Jewelweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Impatiens spp.

Kalm’s lobelia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lobelia kalmii

Larch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larix laricina

Large cranberry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vaccinium macrocarpon

Leatherleaf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chamaedaphne calyculata

Marsh bellflower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Campanula aparinoides

Marsh blazing-star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liatris spicata

Marsh cinquefoil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Potentilla palustris

Marsh fern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thelypteris palustris

Marsh pea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lathyrus palustris

Meadowsweet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spiraea alba

Montevidens’ arrowhead . . . . . . . Sagittaria montevidensis

Mountain mint . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pycnanthemum virginicum

Muskgrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chara spp.

Naiad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Najas spp.

Narrow-leaved cat-tail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Typha angustifolia

Nodding beggar-ticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bidens cernuus

Nodding smartweed . . . . . . . . . . Polygonum lapathifolium

Northern white-cedar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thuja occidentalis

Ohio goldenrod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solidago ohioensis

Pickerel weed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pontedaria cordata

Pitcher-plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarracenia purpurea

Pondweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Potamogeton spp.

Prairie cordgrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spartina pectinata

Prairie dock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Silphium terebinthinaceum

Purple loosestrife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lythrum salicaria

Purple milkweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asclepias purpurascens

Quillwort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isoetes spp.

Red ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Red-osier dogwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cornus stolonifera

Reed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phragmites australis*

Reed canary grass . . . . . . . . . . . . Phalaris arundinacea*

Riddell’s goldenrod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solidago riddellii

Rose pogonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pogonia ophioglossoides

Royal fern. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Osmunda regalis

Referenced Species: Common and Latin Names

94


Comon Names Latin Names

Plants

Sedge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carex spp.

Shrubby cinquefoil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Potentilla fruticosa

Slender naiad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Najas flexilis

Small cranberry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vaccinium oxycoccos

Softstem bulrush . . . . . . Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani

Spatterdock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nuphar spp.

Speckled alder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alnus rugosa

Spike-rush. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eleocharis spp.

Spotted touch-me-not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Impatiens capensis

Sullivant’s milkweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asclepias sullivantii

Sundew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drosera spp.

Sunflower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helianthus spp.

Sweet gale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Myrica gale

Switch grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Panicum virgatum

Tall coreopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coreopsis tripteris

Tall green milkweed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asclepias hirtella

Tamarack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larix laricina

Threesquare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Schoenoplectus pungens

Tuberous Indian plantain . . . . . . . . . . . Cacalia plantaginea

Tufted loosestrife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lysimachia thyrsiflora

Tussock-forming sedges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carex stricta,C. aquatilis, and others

Walking sedge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eleocharis rostellata

Water bulrush . . . . . . . . . . . Schoenoplectus subterminalis

Water-celery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vallisneria americana

Water horsetail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Equisetum fluviatile

Water-lily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nymphaea odorata

Water-shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brassenia schreberi

Water star-grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heteranthera dubia

Water-marigold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Megalodonta beckii

Water-milfoil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Myriophyllum spp.

Waterweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elodea canadensis

Wild rice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zizania aquatica

Wild-celery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vallisneria americana

Willow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Salix spp.

Yellow cress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rorippa palustris

Yellow pond-lily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nuphar advena


Animals

Aquatic Worms

Segmented worm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Order Oligochaeta

Arthropods – Spiders

Water mite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Hydrachnidae

Birds

American bittern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Botaurus lentiginosus

American black duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anas rubripes

Black scoter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melanitta nigra

Black tern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chlidonias niger

Black-throated blue warbler. . . . . . Dendroica caerulescens

Blue-winged teal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anas discors

Bufflehead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bucephala albeola

Canada goose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Branta canadensis

Canvasback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aythya valisineria

Common goldeneye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bucephala clangula

Common merganser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mergus merganser

Common tern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sterna hirundo

Great egret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Casmerodius albos

King rail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rallus elegans

Mallard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anas platyrhynchos

Pintail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anas acuta

Red-breasted merganser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mergus serrator

Redhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aythya americana

Ring-necked duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aythya collaris

Swan, mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cygnus olor

Swan, trumpeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. buccinator

Swan, tundra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. columbianus

White-winged scoter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melanitta fusca

Wigeon, American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anas americana

Wood duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aix sponsa

Crustaceans

Burrowing crayfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Cambaridae

Scud (shell-less crustacean) . . . . . . . . Family Gammaridae

Water flea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daphnia spp.

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Animals

Fish

Alewife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alosa pseudoharengus

Black bullhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ictalurus melas

Bowfin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amia calva

Brown bullhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ameiurus nebulosus

Central mud-minnow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Umbra limi

Common carp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cyprinus carpio

Gizzard shad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorosoma cepedianum

Goldfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carassius auratus

Lake sturgeon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acipenser fulvescens

Largemouth bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Micropterus salmoides

Longnose gar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lepisosteus osseus

Muskellunge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Esox masquinongy

Northern pike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Esox lucius

Round goby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Neogobius melanostomus

Smallmouth bass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Micropterus dolomieu

Spottail shiner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notropis hudsonius

Sucker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Catostomidae

Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Salmonidae

Walleye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stizostedion vitreum

Whitefish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coregonus spp.

Yellow perch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Perca flavescens

Insects – Beetles

Leaf-eating beetle (host – purple loosestrife) . . . . . . . . . Galerucella spp.**

Whirligig beetle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Gyrinidae

Insects – Dragonflies

Dragonfly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Libellulidae

Narrow-winged damselfly. . . . . . . . Family Coenagrionidae

Insects – Flies (Order Diptera)

Marsh fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Sciomyzidae

Midge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Chironomidae


Animals

Insects – Moths

Borer moth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Papaipema spp.

Insects – Other

Case-making caddisflies . . . . . . Families Leptoceridae andLimnephilidae

Mayfly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Caenidae

Mound ant (wood ant) . . . . . . . . . . . Subfamily Formicinae

Water boatmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Corixidae

Mammals

Beaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Castor canadensis

Muskrat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ondatra zibethicus

Raccoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Procyon lotor

Skunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mephitis mephitis

Mollusks

Coiled-shell snail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Hydrobiidae

Fingernail clam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Sphaeriidae

Zebra mussel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dreissena polymorpha

Reptiles

Eastern fox snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elaphe gloydi

Spotted turtle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clemmys guttata

Blanding’s turtle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emys blandingii

Bolded species are exotics (introduced from outsideGreat Lakes region).

* Both native and aggressive exotic varieties of thesespecies occur within coastal wetlands.

** Introduced to control purple loosestrife.


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For More Information Contact:

Michigan Natural Features InventoryMichigan State University Extension Mason Building, Box 30444 Lansing, MI 48909-7944 Phone: 517-373-1552 Web site: www.msue.msu.edu/mnfi

Albert, D.A., G. Reese, S. Crispin, L.A. Wilsmann andS.J. Ouwinga. 1987. A Survey ofGreat Lakes Marshes inMichigan's Upper Peninsula.Lansing, Mich.: Michigan NaturalFeatures Inventory.

Albert, D.A., G. Reese, S.R.Crispin, M.R. Penskar, L.A.Wilsmann and S.J. Ouwinga.1988. A Survey of Great LakesMarshes in the Southern Half ofMichigan's Lower Peninsula.Lansing, Mich.: Michigan NaturalFeatures Inventory.

Albert, D.A., G. Reese, M.R.Penskar, L.A. Wilsmann and S.J.Ouwinga. 1989. A Survey ofGreat Lakes Marshes in theNorthern Half of Michigan'sLower Peninsula and ThroughoutMichigan's Upper Peninsula.Lansing, Mich.: Michigan NaturalFeatures Inventory.

Environment Canada. 2002. WhereLand Meets Water: UnderstandingWetlands of the Great Lakes.Toronto: Environment Canada.

Herdendorf, C.E., S.M. Hartleyand M.D. Barnes (eds.). 1981.Fish and wildlife resources of the

Great Lakes coastal wetlandswithin the United States. Vol. 1:Overview; Vol. 2: Lake Ontario;Vol. 3: Lake Erie; Vol. 4: LakeHuron; Vol. 5: Lake Michigan;Vol. 6: Lake Superior. FWS/OBS-81/02-v1-6. Washington, D.C.:U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Hoagman, W. J. 1998. Great LakesWetlands: A Field Guide. AnnArbor, Mich.: Michigan Sea GrantPublications.

Keddy, P.A., and A.A. Reznicek.1985. Vegetation dynamics,buried seeds, and water-level fluc-tuations on the shoreline of theGreat Lakes. In Coastal Wetlands,edited by H.H. Prince and F.M.D'Itri, pp. 33-58. Chelsea, Mich.:Lewis Publishers, Inc.

Keddy, P.A., and A.A. Reznicek.1986. Great Lakes vegetationdynamics: the role of fluctuatingwater levels and buried seeds.Journal of Great Lakes Research12:25-36.

Minc, L.D. 1997. VegetativeResponse in Michigan's GreatLakes Marshes to Great LakesWater-Level Fluctuations.Lansing, Mich.: Michigan NaturalFeatures Inventory.

Minc, L.D. 1997. Great LakesCoastal Wetlands: An Overview ofAbiotic Factors Affecting theirDistribution, Form, and SpeciesComposition. Lansing, Mich.:Michigan Natural FeaturesInventory.

Prince, H.H., and F.M. D’Itri(eds). 1985. Coastal Wetlands.Chelsea, Mich.: Lewis Publishers,Inc.

Stuckey, R.L. 1989. Western LakeErie aquatic and wetland vascu-lar plant flora: its origin andchange. In Lake Erie EstuarineSystems: Issues, Resources,Status, and Management, pp. 205-256. Estuary-of-the-Month Seminar Series No. 14.Washington, D.C.: NOAA.

Wilcox, D.A., J.E. Meeker and J. Elias. 1993. Impacts of Water-Level Regulation on Wetlands ofthe Great Lakes. Phase 2 Reportto Working Committee 2,International Joint Commission,Great Lakes Water LevelReference Study, NaturalResources Task Group.

Suggested Readings

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EXTENSIONMichigan Natural

Features Inventory

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity institution. MichiganState University Extension programs and materials are open to allwithout regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age,disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or familystatus. • Issued in furtherance of Extension work in agriculture andhome economics, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperationwith the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Margaret A. Bethel,Extension director, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI 48824.

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