1. Roy Kroll
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Great Lakes / Atlantic Regional Office
Ann Arbor, MI
GLRI Coastal Wetland Restoration Success Stories
Adaptive methods to restore Lake Erie hydrology
and coastal marsh at Middle Harbor, Ohio

2. Lake Erie
Middle Harbor
Sediment plumes
from clay soils

3. Lake Erie coastal wetland extent = Lake Erie water levels
Lake Erie water levels fluctuate
over various time periods
• Short - stormwater & seiches*
• Medium : annual and seasonal
• Long: multiple years or decades
*Seiches – wind induced water level changes
Northeast or Southwest winds
Common - 3 ft. in 24 hrs.
Record - 8 ft. (12-14 ft. waves)
Seiche effect
Ohio.gov

4. Natural historical pattern:
transient wetlands
Pre-settlement coastal wetland extent
(ODNR Ohio Coastal Atlas, 2007)

5. • Deforested, channelized and
tile-drained landscape
• Agricultural and municipal
flood-control dikes
• Introduction of carp
- increased turbidity
• Geologic subsidence and
steep hydrological gradient
Landscape-level factors and L.E. coastal wetland extent
Mitsch & Wang 1998

6. Impacts of landscape alterations:
Landward migration blocked –
high water years = wetland loss
To sustain emergent marshes -
dikes, pumps, pipes, & water level control was
required
Ecological benefits - mainly in impoundments

7. Events affecting coastal marshes in
Southwest Lake Erie basin, 1860-1970
Private land –
subsistence &
duck hunting
clubs
Great Black
Swamp is
drained
farmland
Flood
protection
dikes –
restrict
landward
advance
1970: Ecological shortcomings publicized
• fisheries focus (e.g., Northern pike)
1940: Diked marshes common in SWLE
1950: Science-based wetland management
• waterfowl focus, state/fed acquisitions

8. Nearly 30 years of high water & NE storms eliminated most coastal wetlands including
those protected by dikes, and launched an era of intensive wetland restoration.
Currently, 95% of SWLE coastal wetlands are essentially impounded.

9. Lake levels at or below long-term average for 12 years demonstrated that natural
reestablishment of diverse wetlands did not occur on a substantive scale in SWLE.
• largely prevented by invasive species colonization (i.e., Phragmites)
However, new opportunities exist for increasing ecological functions of diked
marshes, because at many sites current lake levels will sustain aquatic macrophytes.
• potential exists to install structures that restore Lake Erie hydrology and maintain
desired emergent marsh plants.

11. Need for Restoration
• Large wetland (350 acres)
• Little/no aquatic vegetation
• No hydrologic exchange
• Adjacent to higher-quality waters
• Turbid, shallow (< 3 ft.) water
• No dike construction required
Middle Harbor

13. Middle Harbor
(East Harbor State Park)
Construction of water conveyance
and control structure including a
removable pump
350 acres of marsh will be
restored and open to fish passage
Funded by $643,397 NOAA grant
with $31,200 Ohio DNR match
Structure
location
Lake Erie

14. Adapting old restoration & management
techniques to provide broader ecosystem benefits
1. Design and build the structure
(DU engineering)
2. Establish the wetland
plant community (2 years)
3. Open the gates to restore
Lake Erie hydrology
4. Monitor everything
Middle Harbor Project
Long term goal: Lake Erie hydrology sustaining high quality* coastal marsh

15. Structure is versatile and adaptable from a marsh management perspective
• Options: full open flow, carp screens, stoplogs, flapgate, screwgate, and pumping

16. Middle Harbor and Erie Marsh Joint Biological Monitoring Program
(Pre- and Post-Construction)
Water quality sampling: DO, conductivity , pH, temp., etc
Species abundance & diversity for:
• Vegetation: transects and point counts (VIBI)
• Fish: larval tows, trap nets, electrofishing (PSD, IBI)
• Herps: calling surveys, ground surveys
• Birds: calling & visual surveys, transect and point counts
Table 1 – Middle Harbor (MH – Project Site) compared to East Harbor (EH – Control Site) – July 2011
Common Name Final Count Total Deformities Total Tumors Notes
MH EH MH EH MH EH
Gizzard shad 772 87 1 1 Same fish with 2 anomalies
Brook silverside 5 326 3
Emerald shiner 20 388
Alewife 11 34 1
Bluegill 18 215 1
Largemouth bass 3
White crappie 3
White perch 1
Unknown clupeidae 1 Larvae decomposed cannot
identify to species
TOTAL COUNT 834 1,050 1 5 1 0

17. Middle Harbor Wetland Establishment Schedule
2012-2013
• Winter/spring: Gravity de-watering using open flows & seiche events
• Late spring: Pump water to expose mudflats & germinate seeds
- Provide water reservoir for mussels
- Provide live fish removal effort
• Aerially seed cover crop (annual millet) if needed
• Re-flood gradually over mid-late summer
2014
• Partial de-watering; establish perennials

18. Thank You to our Partners:

19. Field Trips:
Board on the 1st floor, West Superior Ave
entrance (bottom of Grand Staircase)
Trolleys board 2:30
Joint Reception: trolleys begin departing at 5:45

20. Spread the word!
Wireless password:
HOW12
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