View
of
Fo d
Cove
whe e
sho eli e
esto atio
is
u de way.
C edit:
I Site
Desig
Studios,
I c.
A
majo
e vi o me tal
esto atio
p oject
is
emovi g
decades
of
a tificial
co c ete
sho eli e
defe ces
alo g
Michiga ’s
Lake
St.
Clai
a d
eplaci g
them
with
atu al
wetla ds,
livi g
sho eli es
a d
fish
habitat.The
$7
millio
p oject
at
the
histo ic
Edsel
a d
Elea o
Fo d
Estate
is
t a sfo mi g
mo e
tha
a
mile
of
ha de ed
wate f o t
i to
a
wo ki g
ecosystem.
Fu ded
by
the
Natio al
Ocea ic
a d
Atmosphe ic
Admi ist atio
(NOAA)
Fishe ies,
the
p oject
will
esto e
17.5
ac es
of
coastal
ma sh,
ea sho e
wate s
a d
fo ested
wetla d.Acco di g
to
a
epo t
f om
NOAA
Fishe ies’
Office
of
Habitat
Co se vatio ,
about
99.9
pe ce t
of
Michiga ’s
Lake
St.
Clai
coastli e
has
bee
ha de ed
with
co c ete
slabs,
seawalls
a d
ock
ba ie s.
While
these
st uctu es
help
p otect
the
sho e
f om
e osio ,
they
emove
the
shallow
coastal
a eas
that
ative
aquatic
species
eed.
Removi g
co c ete
ba ie s
to
b i g
back
ative
species
A tificial
seawalls
c eate
steep
d op-offs
a d
st o g
wave
eflectio s.
This
emoves
the
shallow
a eas
whe e
fish
spaw
a d
you g
a imals
fi d
shelte .“The
ha de ed
sho eli e
esse tially
elimi ates
that
ea sho e
habitat
that’s
impo ta t
fo
fish
spaw i g,
b eedi g,
a d
u se y
a eas,”
said
NOAA
Ma i e
Habitat
Resou ce
Specialist
Te y
Heatlie
i
the
NOAA
Fishe ies
epo t.
“It’s
also
tough
o
tu tles
a d
othe
species
that
eed
to
move
betwee
the
la d
a d
wate .”The
diffe e ce
is
especially
clea
whe
compa i g
the
U.S.
a d
Ca adia
sides
of
Lake
St.
Clai .
Much
less
sho eli e
developme t
has
take
place
o
the
Ca adia
side.“O
the
Ca adia
side,
whe e
the e’s
much
less
sho eli e
ha de i g,
mo ito i g
shows
a
huge
diffe e ce
i
the
umbe
a d
dive sity
of
fish,”
Heatlie
said.
“It’s
la gely
att ibuted
to
how
developed
the
U.S.
sho eli e
is.”To
help
co ect
this
imbala ce,
co t acto s
a e
emovi g
to s
of
b oke
co c ete
f om
the
Fo d
House
estate.
They
a e
eplaci g
it
with
atu e-based
featu es
such
as
“lu ke s”—woode
shelte s
that
exte d
out
ove
the
wate
a d
c eate
p otected
a eas
whe e
fish
ca
est
away
f om
p edato s.La ge
timbe
logs
a e
also
bei g
placed
u de wate
to
c eate
complex
shelte s.
Ge tle
slopes
a e
bei g
built
alo g
the
sho eli e
so
tu tles
a d
amphibia s
ca
move
safely
betwee
the
wate
a d
la d.
Sho eli e
ha de i g
at
Fo d
House
p io
to
co st uctio .
C edit:
NOAA
Fishe ies/Te y
Heatlie
Rebuildi g
a
laye ed
ecosystem
The
17.5-ac e
esto atio
cove s
seve al
diffe e t
habitat
types
ac oss
the
estate.
Acco di g
to
NOAA
Fishe ies’
tech ical
pla s,
the
p oject
i cludes:
-
1
mile
of
sho eli e
edesig ed
with
livi g,
atu al
featu es. -
5.5
ac es
of
coastal
ma sh
pla ted
with
ative
wetla d
pla ts. -
8
ac es
of
ea sho e
ope
wate
imp oved
with
u de wate
st uctu es. -
4
ac es
of
fo ested
wetla d
clea ed
of
i vasive
b ush.
These
cha ges
a e
desig ed
to
suppo t
impo ta t
G eat
Lakes
fish,
i cludi g
o the
pike,
muskellu ge,
yellow
pe ch,
smallmouth
bass
a d
la gemouth
bass.The
p oject
also
i cludes
special
habitat
fo
a e
aquatic
species.
O
Bi d
Isla d,
a
small
isla d
withi
the
estate’s
wate s,
wo ke s
a e
c eati g
isolated
ve al
pools.
Because
these
seaso al
po ds
a e
ot
di ectly
co ected
to
Lake
St.
Clai ,
fish
ca ot
e te
them.
This
gives
f og
eggs
a d
tadpoles
a
safe
place
to
g ow
without
bei g
eate .“This
p ope ty
has
had
almost
o
f og
sighti gs
i
its
eco ded
histo y,”
said
Kevi
D otos,
Fo d
House
la dscape
a d
atu al
a eas
ma age .
“Afte
a
small
wetla d
p oject,
we
sta ted
seei g
f ogs
etu
withi
a
yea .”C ews
a e
also
placi g
ledgesto e
ock
fo matio s
u de wate
to
att act
mudpuppies,
foot-lo g
aquatic
salama de s
with
f illy
ed
exte al
gills.
Mudpuppies
play
a
impo ta t
ole
i
the
life
cycle
of
the
e da ge ed
salama de
mussel.
Du i g
thei
la val
stage,
the
mussels
attach
ha mlessly
to
the
salama de ’s
gills,
whe e
they
feed
a d
develop
befo e
settli g
o to
the
lakebed.The
estate
also
lies
be eath
a
majo
No th
Ame ica
bi d
mig atio
oute.“We’ e
located
o
a
majo
mig ato y
bi d
pathway,
a d
we’ve
docume ted
mo e
tha
200
species
he e,”
said
Fo d
House
P eside t
a d
CEO
Ma k
Hepp e .
“With
mo e
habitat
a d
mo e
food
sou ces,
we
expect
eve
mo e
activity.”D otos
said
visito s
may
see
he o s
esti g
o
falle
t ees,
osp ey
a d
bald
eagles
hu ti g
ove
the
cove,
a d
mig ati g
sho ebi ds
feedi g
o
the
ew
mudflats.
Excavato
i stalli g
a
fish
lu ke
o
Fo d
Cove.
C edit:
Fo d
House
P otecti g
the
histo ic
la dscape
Combi i g
a
la ge
esto atio
p oject
with
histo ic
p ese vatio
has
c eated
a
special
challe ge.
The
estate
is
a
Natio al
Histo ic
La dma k
a d
must
mai tai
the
o igi al
la dscape
visio
of
its
1920s
desig e ,
Je s
Je se .Histo ical
esea ch
showed
that
Je se
p efe ed
ative
Michiga
pla ts
a d
atu al-looki g
la dfo ms.
That
app oach
fits
closely
with
mode
ecological
esto atio .“Looki g
at
Je se ’s
o igi al
desig s,
they
almost
mimic
mode
ecological
esto atio
d awi gs,”
D otos
said.
“He
used
almost
exclusively
ative
Michiga
pla ts,
a
lot
of
which
we
a e
ei co po ati g
i to
the
la dscape
th ough
this
p oject.”To
eshape
the
sho eli e,
a bo ists
had
to
emove
136
t ees.
The
estate
will
eplace
them
with
290
t ees
ep ese ti g
43
ative
species,
i c easi g
local
pla t
dive sity.Special
atte tio
was
also
give
to
seve al
100-yea -old
willow
t ees
that
had
eached
the
e d
of
thei
lives.
I stead
of
losi g
the
histo ic
t ees
completely,
ga de e s
took
ge etic
cutti gs
a d
a e
g owi g
clo ed
sapli gs
to
pla t
i
thei
o igi al
locatio s.“The
level
of
detail
they’ e
putti g
i to
mai tai i g
the
histo ic
la dscape
is
i c edible,”
Heatlie
said.
Expa di g
public
access
a d
educatio
The
estate
eceives
about
150,000
visito s
each
yea ,
i cludi g
thousa ds
of
Det oit
public
school
stude ts
who
visit
th ough
g a ts
fu ded
by
the
Fo d
Fou datio .Full
co st uctio
is
expected
to
fi ish
i
2027,
but
some
public
featu es
a e
al eady
ope .
Wo ke s
ece tly
completed
a
400-foot
elevated,
wheelchai -accessible
boa dwalk
th ough
a
esto ed
wetla d
ea
the
visito
ce t e.
The
a ea
i cludes
15,000
ative
pe e ial
pla ts
a d
500
t ees.
Mo e
boa dwalks
a e
pla ed
fo
Bi d
Isla d.“O ce
the
sho eli e
is
i
a
mo e
atu al
state,
it’s
goi g
to
offe
so
much
mo e
fo
school
g oups,”
D otos
said.
“They’ll
be
able
to
see
what
atu e
is
supposed
to
look
like,
a d
how
it’s
bee
cha ged
ove
time.
That
co t ast
is
eally
powe ful.”Hepp e
said
the
p oject
also
alig s
with
the
o igi al
goals
of
the
Fo d
family.“Elea o
Fo d
eally
wa ted
to
p ese ve
the
estate
but
also
e su e
that
it
was
the e
fo
futu e
ge e atio s
to
e joy,”
he
said.
“This
p oject
gives
us
a
whole
ew
way
of
e gagi g
cu e t
a d
futu e
ge e atio s
of
visito s.
I
thi k
Elea o
would
be
th illed.”
