PORT CLINTON, Ohio — Lake Erie's coastal wetlands have expanded with the completion of a five-year shoreline restoration project in Port Clinton.
According to a press release from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, the agency worked alongside the city of Port Clinton to restore the lake's shoreline via the "Port Clinton Coastal Restoration Project". The project was created and completed with the intention of restoring wetlands which people can enjoy and in which wildlife can thrive.
The project transformed 4.6 acres of wetland the Army Corps described as struggling, and grew it to six acres. Doing so included removing invasive species and replacing them with plugs of native plant species.
The project was funded by more than $1.9 million in investments, the Corps said, with 65% of those funds coming from a federal agency. The remaining 35% were supplied by the city of Port Clinton and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
"Ensuring this space is maintained and open to all in its natural state has been a priority for this community," Port Clinton Mayor Michael Snider said in the press release. "Collectively, we all recognize and appreciate the role this wetland provides not only to the ecology in immediate area, but to the resources we rely on from Lake Erie."
Lake Erie's wetlands in Port Clinton supply a crucial stopping point for migratory birds each year. Birdwatchers from around the country visit the Lake Erie region during spring migration to watch.
"Keeping this waterway healthy means our local economy and way of life remains viable," Snider said.
Future restoration efforts, including one planned in Ashtabula, Ohio, will be aided by that which was learned during the Port Clinton project.
Local wetlands are also being restored by Metroparks Toledo. According to its site, Metroparks Toledo has removed invasive species at Neis Ditch, rerouted the Blue Creek and preserved the banks of the Maumee River, among other things. The organization said large-scale water quality begins not in Lake Erie, but in the health of lakes, rivers and other waterways.
