Community Engagement, Collaboration Restores Wetland Habitat in Calumet Region

LITTLE CALUMET RIVER, WEST BRANCH, INDIANA

Restoring wetlands in northwest Indiana helps reverse loss of vulnerable marsh birds, supports clean water and engages the community in the area’s beautification.

The Calumet region—spanning Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, including the southern shore of Lake Michigan— has a long history as a vast wetland system, home to a rich tapestry of biodiversity. It is an important coastal wetland of the Great Lakes that vulnerable marsh birds rely on, and its health can help the community adapt to rapid fluctuations in lake water levels.

But when development spread south and east from Chicago in the late 1800s, industry began the long, slow work of decimating the region’s wetland habitats and the wildlife dependent on them. Until the 1990s, a diversity of wetland birds remained, but as the region further transformed into an industrial corridor, the area’s delicate ecosystem was disturbed. Development disrupted the marshes’ natural water level fluctuations, leading to a dramatic decline in habitat quality and increase in invasive species. By the 2010s, marsh birds disappeared from many sites they used to frequent and the region saw significant biodiversity loss.

Despite the habitat loss and degradation, the Calumet region remains a major stopover for migratory birds who depend on the area to rest and breed.

Recognizing the need to restore this crucial habitat, various organizations have partnered to make an impact over the last several years. They continue to see great success.

The decades-long trend of marsh bird population declines are stabilizing, and several species are breeding more in newly restored wetlands.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has funded several restoration projects in this important region. The $100,000 in funding for this particular project allowed The Wetlands Initiative (TWI) and partners to restore a floodplain corridor along the west branch of the Little Calumet River in northwest Indiana. Over the three-year project, TWI has managed invasive species on 142 acres, restored hydrologic wetland function and collaborated with local community groups on connected community beautification efforts to expand the conservation impact of the project.

Resource Challenges Addressed

• Habitat degradation

• Loss of biodiversity

• Invasive species

Key Partners

The Wetlands Initiative, local communities

Cost

$100,000

Results and Accomplishments

Restoring 142 acres of wetlands in northwest Indiana is helping to restore habitat, support wildlife, including vulnerable marsh birds, mitigate flooding, and engage the community.

*This story is part of a GLRI success story packet that was used in the Coalition’s 2023 Great Lakes Days, with one story from each state in the region. Read the full packet

MARSH BIRDS

Marsh birds like the Least Bittern will benefit from the restoration of wetlands in Indiana.

Credit: David Gomez