Renovated Water Pump Improves Conditions at Large Game Area
The replacement of a failed pump structure at the Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area in eastern Michigan has restored a large wetland, improved wildlife habitat and increased waterfowl hunting opportunities.
Description
The state of Michigan has the most Great Lakes coastline of any state, but it has lost 70 percent of its coastal wetlands over the past two centuries, according to government data. The losses are significant because wetlands filter pollutants and provide valuable habitat for fish, wildlife, insects and birds. Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area in Bay County, Michigan, spans about 1,400 acres of Great Lakes coastal wetlands along Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. Nayanquing Point provides valuable habitat for migratory birds that pass through the region every spring and fall. The failure of a pump structure in the wildlife area hampered the state of Michigan’s ability to control water levels to provide the maximum amount of habitat for birds. Ducks Unlimited worked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and other organizations to obtain a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant in 2010 to redesign and repair the pump structure. The project, which was completed in 2012, allows wetland managers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to manipulate water levels within a 298-acre East Marsh and on the adjacent 150-acre C Field. Those sites are managed to provide high quality waterfowl hunting opportunities.
Resource Challenges Addressed
Lack of native habitat
Degraded wetland
Location
Bay City, Mich.
Approximate Cost
$192,862 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Key Partners
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Ducks Unlimited, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and Michigan Duck Hunters Association
Types of Jobs Created
Engineers, plumbers and pipefitters, general laborers and biologists
NAYANQUING POINT COASTAL WETLAND
Results and Accomplishments
The project provided more and better habitat for waterfowl and other wetland dependent species, and increased hunting opportunities at Nayanquing Point.
