restoring the west shore of green bay
DESCRIPTION
Restoration experts from Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and the Lower Fox River/Green Bay Areas of Concern will discuss case studies of partnerships turning federal GLRI funding into successful on-the-ground habitat restoration projects that provide a variety of ecological and societal benefits that can be sustained well into the future. Featured case studies include successfully restoring coastal marsh for waterbirds and for northern pike, using watershed-based GIS planning tools to prioritize restoration projects, and the reestablishment of the Cat Island Chain of islands in lower Green Bay. This presentation was given by Janet Smith, Chair of the Biota and Habitat Work Group of the Science and Technical Advisory Committee for the Lower Fox River/Green Bay Area of Concern, Retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.TRANSCRIPT
Cat Island Chain Restoration in Lower Green Bay
Photo by Tom Erdman 1966
n Expansive emergent marshes (e.g., Duck Creek delta) n Numerous small islands n Beaches and mud flats n Submerged aquatic plant beds
Southern Green Bay historically provided diverse coastal wetland habitats for fish and wildlife
Photo by Tom Erdman 1966
1938
Brown County Aerial Photography , 1938
Cat Island
1960
Brown County Aerial Photography , 1960
Cat Island
Cat Island Lone Tree Island
Willow Island
Bass Islands
Naviga6on Channel
Grassy Island
1966 during low water levels Islands extend 2.5 miles into Green Bay
Photo Courtesy of Tom Erdman , 1966
Duck Creek Delta Marsh
Cat Island
Long Tail Point
I-‐43 Construc6on
Bass Islands
Landfill
90% of Coastal Wetlands Lost from Southern Green Bay
Agriculture
Photo by WDNR, 1969
Duck Creek Delta
Municipal incinerator and landfill
Long Tail Point
LiFle Tail Point
Cat Island Chain
Bayport Dredge Spoil Disposal in Atkinson’s Marsh
Rock dikes hardened the shoreline
Peter’s Marsh
Photo Courtesy of Tom Erdman , 1970
Islands survived historical water level fluctuations – Why not now?
Ø Water levels rose rapidly to record highs and remained elevated for two decades
Ø Repeated severe spring storms
Ø Shorelines hardened by rip rap deflect wave energy and exacerbate erosion
Ø Poor water clarity from runoff pollution reduced aquatic vegetation and their wave dampening benefits
Rising Great Lakes water levels and severe storms in 1970s caused wetland and island erosion
Green Bay islands during high water levels in 1976
Cat Island
Willow Island
Grassy Island
Photo Courtesy of Tom Erdman , 1976
Lost habitat effects:
Ø Colonial Nesting Water Birds
Ø Shorebirds Ø Waterfowl Ø Fish Spawning Ø Fish Nurseries Ø Turtles Ø Amphibians Ø Invertebrates
Lower Fox River Area of Concern
Photo by UW Sea Grant
Ø The Cat Island Chain project developed out of the 1988 Lower Green Bay Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and was the top priority project for habitat restoration.
Members of the Citizens Advisory Committee and DNR staff worked together to develop the Lower Green Bay Remedial Action Plan. (Photo by Dave Crehore)
Project Beginning
q RAP Key Action: Protect remaining wetland habitats and restore coastal habitats where possible q 1991 Risk Assessment identified habitat loss as the greatest threat to long-term ecosystem health of Green Bay q 1994 Habitat Restoration Workshop identified Cat Islands restoration as the top priority q Runoff pollution also must be controlled
Goals
Ø Restore diversity of island and aquatic habitats Ø Recreate 1960s island “footprint” Ø Enhance spawning and nursery grounds for
various fish species (e.g. yellow perch, musky, pike, walleye, sunfish)
Photo by WDNR 1969
Ø Today the project’s primary focus continues to be habitat restoration and now has added the beneficial reuse of dredge material as a means of accomplishing the project.
Ø The project is a partnership between Brown County, WDNR, WDOT, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, USEPA, UW-Sea Grant, UW-Green Bay, Port Operators and the Fox River Group of paper mills
Current Project
Annual Dredging
Ø In order to maintain an active Port annual maintenance dredging is necessary
Ø Annual dredging of 100,000 to 250,000 cy of sediment that has settled into the 14 mile long navigational channel
Project Outcomes Ø 30-50 years worth of disposal capacity
Ø Beneficial reuse of dredged material
Ø 2.5 mile wave barrier and re-establishment of 272 acres of islands
Ø Wave barrier will protect 1,400 acres and provide critical habitat for birds, fish and mammals
Ø Sustain jobs, industries and economic outputs of the Port of Green Bay for NE Wisconsin
Shipping Channel
Fisheries Benefits from Recreation of Cat Island Chain
Ø Increased Vegetation
l Nursery habitat l Habitat for sunfish sp. l Spawning habitat
Ø Increased Water Clarity l Predation by visual
predators
Muskellunge Spawning
Habitat
Improved Predation
Ø Visual predators l Increased efficiency
Ø Reduced recruitment of Common Carp
Ø Reduction in l Bullheads l Gizzard Shad Photo from E. Engbretson
2000
Brown County Aerial Photography , 2000
Cat Island
Brown County Aerial Photography , 2008
Cat Island Willow Island
Grassy Island
2010
Brown County Aerial Photography , 2010
Cat Island
Brown County Aerial Photography , 2012
June 2012
Cat Island
December 17, 2012
December 17, 2012
May 16, 2013
Construction Spine & Long
Term Maintenance Access
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Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto Canada