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| A wetland "restorability" map that highlights specific areas along the southwest shoreline of Lake Erie that are candidates for restoration of wetland habitats. The area circled in black is all of Sandusky Bay. The area circled in red is our marsh -- a lot of yellows, oranges, and reds means great potential. |
Roy and I were invited to be part of a
select 50 or-so individuals who attended a press conference put on by the Ohio
EPA this morning at Cedar Point. Most of the seats were filled with higher-ups
from various agencies and/or politicians (including Sen. Randy Gardner (R), who
spoke of the tremendous importance of the Lake and lakeshore, locally,
nationally, and even globally).
The hoopla involved an oversized check (with
seven digits after the $) presented to the City of Sandusky. These funds will help in the “creation”
of up to four coastal marsh environments. But more importantly, the “Sandusky
Bay Initiative” marks the official commencement of what will be a multi-agency/stakeholder
effort to improve the condition of the waters surrounding our marsh.
Whether this specific program impacts
Standing Rush directly or not remains to be seen, but it is yet another example
of the attention our region is rightfully receiving. Lake Erie truly is our
greatest natural resource. And the habitats that help protect its waters most –
wetlands – are in significant peril.
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, the United States' Lower 48 has lost over 50-percent of its wetland acreage since the
country was first colonized. Approximately one-third of these total losses can
be attributed to just seven states in the Midwest farm belt – including Ohio. According
to the U.S. Geological Survey, at 90-percent wetland loss, Ohio ranks second only
to California (at 91-percent) in the entire nation for losses in wetland
habitat.
Prior to European settlement, the
wetlands associated with Lake Erie’s southwest shoreline (collectively referred
to as The Great Black Swamp) encompassed more than 1,500 square miles – an area
larger than the Florida Everglades. As of the late 1980s, less than 60 square
miles or approximately 37,000 acres remained. That represents a staggering 96%
loss.
Current estimates suggest that the
remaining acreage of coastal wetlands in the region now stands at somewhere between
20,000 and 30,000 acres. The broad range in this estimate relates back to how a
coastal wetland is defined. But independent of the figure accepted, it is
impossible to deny that the number of total acres continues to decline. And it
is also impossible to deny that at somewhere around 2-percent of all that
remains, Standing Rush’s holdings are critically important.