Rewilding the Detroit, Michigan, USA–Windsor, Ontario, Canada Metropolitan Area
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Study Area and Background
- During the 1960s, Detroit’s wastewater treatment plant was only achieving primary treatment (i.e., removal of material that would float or settle out and disinfection), and its regional storm and sanitary sewer system was discharging approximately 117.3 billion liters of untreated wastewater per year from combined sewer overflows;
- During the 1960s, oil pollution of the Detroit River was substantial, causing the death of 12,000 and 5400 waterfowl in 1960 and 1967, respectively;
- The Rouge River (a tributary of the Detroit River) caught on fire in 1969 as a result of oil pollution;
- The fishery had to be closed in 1970 due to mercury contamination (i.e., the Mercury Crisis of 1970);
- The International Joint Commission designated Detroit and Rouge Rivers as pollution hotspots called Great Lakes Areas of Concern and called for the development and implementation of cleanup plans to restore impaired beneficial uses; and
- Severe algal blooms occurred in western Lake Erie during the 1950s–1980s (they later diminished in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and returned again in the late 1990s–2020s [16].
3. Long-Term Monitoring of Key Indicators of Ecosystem Health
4. Environmental Cleanup Catalyzes Rewilding
5. Avian Species
Indicator | Evidence of Rewilding | References |
---|---|---|
Peregrine falcon * | They were extirpated from Michigan by the mid-1960s and re-introduced in Detroit in 1987. By 2015, 30 young were fledged in metropolitan Detroit. | [20] |
Osprey * | A population crash occurred in the 1960s, reaching a low point in 2002 when only one active next was reported in southern Michigan. They were reintroduced into metropolitan Detroit in the 1990s and now are thriving, with 38, 50, and 52 nesting pairs reported in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. | [21] |
Bald eagle | For 26 years (1961–1987) no bald eagles were fledged in metropolitan Detroit. Then the population rebounded, fledging 28–38 young per year during 2011–2015. | [22] |
Wild turkey * | They were reported as extirpated in Michigan in 1897. A population recovery program was initiated in 1986 and today they are found throughout Michigan but are noticeable for expanding their range into metropolitan Detroit. | [23] |
Lake whitefish | Spawning runs into the Detroit River disappeared by 1916. The return of spawning in the river was documented in 2006, after a 90-year absence. | [25] |
Lake sturgeon | Based on fishery monitoring and assessments, no lake sturgeon reproduction was reported in the Detroit River for nearly three decades (1970s–1999). After a nearly 30-year absence, lake sturgeon spawning has again been documented in the river and the population is now estimated to be over 4400 individuals. | [26] |
Walleye | The Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission estimated the Lake Erie population to be approximately 10 million age-2+ walleye in 1978. Forty years later (2018), the population was estimated to be approximately 40 million age-2+ walleye. | [27] |
Beaver | They were last reported in the Detroit River in 1877, after which they were declared extirpated. They returned in 2008 after a 130-year absence and have now been observed in at least six watershed locations. | [28] |
River otter | They were extirpated from the Detroit River by the early 1900s. Following reintroduction in eastern Lake Erie tributaries in Ohio in 1986, they slowly expanded their range and were documented in the Detroit River in 2022, representing the first time in more than 100 years. | [29] |
Coyote | They are not native to Michigan. The first report of a coyote in Michigan was from Washtenaw County in the 1890s. Over time, they have gradually expanded their range, especially in urban areas, and are now frequently sighted in the metropolitan Detroit area. | [23] |
Wildcelery | Between 1950–1951 and 1984–1985, widcelery tuber density in the Detroit River decreased by 72%. Then, between 1984–1985 and 1996–1997, tuber density increased by 251%. | [30] |
Tree cover | Both Essex County, Ontario and southeast Michigan have experienced substantial loss of forest or tree cover. Although Essex County forest cover has increased from a historical low of less than 4% to 5.7% in 2023, it is significantly below the target of 15%. Tree canopy area in southeast Michigan is currently at 33% and below the target of 40%. | [31,32] |
Invasive species | Invasive species are a problem on both sides of the river. Although removal of invasive species is not a form of rewilding, it does result in the return of native species in urban areas. Southeast Michigan’s nonprofit organization called The Stewardship Network engages people in citizen science, control of invasive species, and rehabilitation of habitats. Throughout 14 years of its Spring Challenge, more than 39,000 people have been involved in removing 1.09 million kg of invasive species, equaling USD 11 million in work hours. Similar stewardship activities are underway in Essex County, Ontario under the direction of Essex Region Conservation Authority. | [33] |
Soft shoreline | Urban and industrial waterfront development has resulted in substantial shoreline hardening. On the Canadian side, 61% of the shoreline has been surveyed and found to be soft, with a target of at least 70% to achieve good quality, and 13 soft shoreline projects were completed since the late 1990s. On the U.S. side, 43% of the shoreline has been found to be soft, with the same 70% target, and 39 soft shoreline projects were completed since 2000. | [34,35] |
6. Fishes
7. Mammals
8. Plants
9. Remaining Ecosystem Challenges and Lessons Learned
10. Benefits of Rewilding and Concluding Thoughts
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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Hartig, J.H. Rewilding the Detroit, Michigan, USA–Windsor, Ontario, Canada Metropolitan Area. Resources 2023, 12, 117. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources12100117
Hartig JH. Rewilding the Detroit, Michigan, USA–Windsor, Ontario, Canada Metropolitan Area. Resources. 2023; 12(10):117. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources12100117
Chicago/Turabian StyleHartig, John H. 2023. "Rewilding the Detroit, Michigan, USA–Windsor, Ontario, Canada Metropolitan Area" Resources 12, no. 10: 117. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources12100117