Detroit River habitat projects nearing completion
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EmailProjects at Hennepin Marsh, Sugar Island and the Belle Isle Flatwoods were recently completed.
Michigan Sea Grant and partners, including the Friends of the Detroit River, have been working to restore habitat along the Detroit River for more than fifteen years. In 2024, several large habitat restoration projects that are part of the Detroit River Area of Concern were completed, leaving only one project remaining. These projects are among 14 projects chosen by the Detroit River Public Advisory Council in 2014.
What is an Area of Concern?
Areas of Concern were designated in the United States and Canada as part of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1987. The locations chosen were the most polluted in the region and had specific issues called out that needed to be restored or repaired. Work on repairing these areas accelerated with the creation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2010. Find out more about Michigan’s Area of Concern Program in this fact sheet available online.
Habitat restoration projects completed in 2023 and 2024 included: the Belle Isle Flatwoods, Hennepin Point, Stony Island and Sugar Island. The remaining project to be completed is at the Upper Detroit Riverfront Parks.
Belle Isle Flatwoods
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources managed the restoration of the Flatwoods habitat on Belle Isle. This type of forested wetland habitat is one of the rarest ecosystems in the state. The Detroit River Public Advisory Council supported funding for a study to understand the hydrology of Belle Isle. High Great Lakes water levels in 2019-2021 caused prolonged flooding on the island as water was trapped by roads and unable to filter off the island. The habitat restoration work completed included removing roads and trails to restore the island’s natural hydrologic systems, as well as restoring impacted areas with native trees and plants grown from seed collected on the island. This habitat restoration work was completed by December 2023, with follow-up monitoring and signage installation completed by December 2024.
Hennepin Point
Additional stonework was completed at Hennepin Point to protect the productive Hennepin Marsh. A private property owner also allowed the shoal to be extended onto their property. This work was finished in Spring of 2023 and managed by Friends of the Detroit River.
Stony Island
Due to budget savings on the Hennepin Point and Sugar Island work, the shoal created during high Great Lakes water levels in 2019 was extended, offering additional protection for the island and the aquatic vegetation located behind the shoals. This work was finished in spring 2024 and managed by Friends of the Detroit River.
Sugar Island
Sugar Island is an uninhabited 29-acre island owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and located at the mouth of the Detroit River near Lake Erie. The island had lost 10% of its land due to erosion from wind and waves from Lake Erie. Five protective shoals were constructed on the southern side to protect the island from future wave action. The shoals will also encourage the development of aquatic vegetation, providing food for fish, birds and other animals. In addition to the shoals, the eroding bluffs of the island were stabilized and habitat structures for snakes and fish were added. Project work was completed in August 2024 and managed by Friends of the Detroit River. You can also learn more about Sugar Island and other Friends of the Detroit River managed projects on their habitat project website.
Upper Detroit Riverfront Parks
The last project remaining to complete the Detroit River Area of Concern habitat work is the Upper Detroit Riverfront Parks project. This project primarily is being managed by the Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the city of Detroit, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Friends of the Detroit River and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The project is expected to take place within the city of Detroit’s Lakewood East Park in the next few years.
If you are interested in getting involved in the Detroit River Area of Concern work or attending the bimonthly meetings led by the Friends of the Detroit River, email river@detroitriver.org.
Michigan Sea Grant helps to foster economic growth and protect Michigan’s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research and outreach. A collaborative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University and its MSU Extension, Michigan Sea Grant is part of the NOAA-National Sea Grant network of 34 university-based programs.
This article was prepared by Michigan Sea Grant under award NA24OARX417C0157-T1-01 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce through the Regents of the University of Michigan. The statement, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Commerce, or the Regents of the University of Michigan.
