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Current Projects: Western Lake Erie Basin Conservation Assessment Project – St. Joseph River WatershedSelect a link below to continue:
The Project
Support The Western Lake Erie Basin, containing the Maumee River, presently bears little resemblance to the dense deciduous forests, oak savannas, wet prairies, scattered glacial kettle lakes and pocket wetlands that existed prior to European settlement. Land conversion to agricultural and urban uses obliterated all but a few very diverse, relatively high quality ecosystems, all of which are dependent on the existence of abundant clean water. Although conservation efforts have been actively pursued in the watershed in the past, this project will focus on a widespread approach to restoring wetlands, creating buffer zones, and restoring forested riparian corridors that will affect much larger segments of the watershed and also reach a greater number of landowners to educate them about the need for conservation measures, as well as the availability of federal and private funds to help them implement conservation practices. The St. Joseph River Located in northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio and south central Michigan, the St. Joseph River watershed encompasses 694,400 acres. With its headwaters in Hillsdale County, Michigan, the St. Joseph River flows in a southwestern direction through Ohio and Indiana before converging with the St. Mary’s River in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to form the Maumee River. Tributaries Cedar Creek and Fish Creek in Indiana contribute significant waters to the St. Joseph. The watershed is primarily agricultural, with approximately 64% in cropland and 15% in pasture or forage. Woodlands and wetlands are found on 10% of the area, while the remaining 11% consists of urban landscape, farmsteads, rural residences, airports, golf courses, industry and similar land uses. The St. Joseph River is used to irrigate farms and pastures, and also provides the drinking water for over 200,000 people in Fort Wayne and New Haven, Indiana. Fort Wayne’s Three Rivers Filtration Plant processes 34 million gallons of water daily from the St. Joseph River. Historically, the floodplain of the St. Joseph River consisted of a dense forest and wetland complex, with the ability to filter and store large amounts of nutrients, sediment and water. Presently, all but a narrow band of trees exist along the river and most wetlands have been drained for agricultural production, eliminating the buffering effect that a floodplain should provide. Habitat Fortunately, despite other demands, the St. Joseph River also provides aquatic habitats that contain some of the best remaining examples of the river communities once very common in the western Lake Erie basin. Forty three species of fish and 31 species of mussels, three of which are federally endangered, have been found in various reaches of the St. Joseph River. Perhaps the best known species, the federally endangered White Cat’s Paw Pearly Mussel (Epioblasma obliquata perobliqua) survives only within the project area. The St. Joseph also supports three other aquatic federally imperiled species, the endangered Clubshell mussel (Pleurobema clava), the endangered Northern Riffleshell pearly mussel (Epioblasma torulosa rangiana), and the threatened Copperbelly water snake (Nerodia erythrogater neglecta). It also supports nine other mussel species considered imperiled in at least one of the three states. Floodplains Floodplain areas are attractive to farmers principally because they are highly productive, due to natural processes that have deposited layers of sediment annually, creating rich soils over time. They also provide adequate groundwater for plants because the water table is shallow due to its proximity to the river. This poses a direct threat to water quality because fertilizers and pesticides are applied directly to land that is subjected to seasonal flooding, and these compounds are then carried downstream with flood waters. Converting this land back to forests and wetlands creates a buffer zone that removes contaminants from upland areas, thereby protecting and improving water quality in the river. Wetlands Wetlands not only hold water and recharge groundwater, but they also have the ability to filter and process nutrients and other chemicals from the water. Strategic placement of wetlands and other conservation practices can significantly contribute to overall water quality in the watershed. Project Goals and Objectives The focus of this project will be to develop an implementation plan which targets specific restoration sites for wetland and forest restoration based on historical land use trends, existing hydrology, spatial GIS information, water quality data, and landowner interest within the St. Joseph River watershed. The objective is to stimulate interest from willing landowners to restore this critical habitat by presenting a scientifically and publicly endorsed plan, as well as identifying public and private funds available to implement these practices in a cooperative approach to conservation. The implementation plan will identify resources that can be used to implement practices in priority sites. The resources are a combination of private, state and federal funding that can be used to provide landowners the appropriate compensation for the public and environmental benefit of improved water quality. The Nature Conservancy will provide the leadership and oversight for the project team as it organizes a stakeholder advisory committee, identifies the restoration demonstration projects, and develops the Implementation Plan. Project Success This project will have its greatest success if it serves as an example of successful restoration in an agricultural setting, engages landowners and maximizes the federal funding available for the region. Links
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Watershed Initiative Partnership. All Rights Reserved. |