Wisconsin, home to more than 15,000 lakes and 13,500 miles of navigable streams and rivers, is recognized worldwide for its vast supply of freshwater. That abundance is vital to the state, providing clean drinking water and recreational opportunities for tens of millions of people, along with wildlife habitat and other benefits.
And now Wisconsin is one step closer to a new National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) along the world’s largest freshwater estuary, the Bay of Green Bay. The site would be the state’s second such reserve, joining one designated in 2010 on the shores of the world’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Superior.
In late January, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) accepted the Green Bay nomination to join the NERR system, which currently consists of 30 reserves. The proposed reserve would cover specific public lands and waters of the bay, an arm of Lake Michigan. Although a portion of the bay is in Michigan, the proposed reserve would be entirely within Wisconsin.
Reserve sites protect estuaries—areas where rivers and streams flow into lakes or the ocean. Reserves provide habitat and nurseries for fish and wildlife, absorb flood waters, dampen the force from increasingly frequent and severe storms, and boost coastal communities that rely on the waters for jobs and recreation. They also serve as centers in their communities for research, education, training, and stewardship related to the estuary. All reserves receive federal funding and technical support.
The federal system now stretches from Alaska to Puerto Rico, and Hawaii to Maine, but Wisconsin’s Lake Superior site and another reserve in Ohio are its only freshwater reserves.
March 19 meetings will solicit public input The next steps in the Bay of Green Bay bid are in-person and virtual meetings March 19, hosted by NOAA and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, which is leading the state’s efforts to secure the new reserve. Organizers will solicit input to inform creation of two foundational documents: the environmental impact statement and the management plan. The Federal Register notice provides details about the meetings.
Tribal Nations playing significant role Home to 11 federally recognized Tribes, Wisconsin has one of the largest populations of Native Americans east of the Mississippi River. NOAA works collaboratively with officials and partners to ensure strong engagement throughout the designation process to capture multiple perspectives, including formally and informally engaging with Tribal Nations. If the Wisconsin reserve is designated, financial support from the state, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, and the Oneida Nation will fund a position on the reserve’s staff dedicated to ensuring that Tribal Nation perspectives—both historical and present day—play a prominent role in the site’s management and operations.
The Tribal involvement in the proposed site “could help tell the ecological and cultural history of the bay, including the importance of the Bay of Green Bay to Indigenous Peoples,” according to the nomination report submitted to NOAA in August.
Site reflects Great Lakes’ unique ecological traits The proposed reserve is composed of three geographical areas covering almost 38,000 acres of land and water, selected to reflect the unique nature of a large Great Lakes estuary. The Bay of Green Bay, which stretches from the tip of Door County to the headwaters of the Fox and Wolf rivers, is the largest freshwater estuarine system on Earth and drains one-third of the Lake Michigan basin. The proposed reserve also contains a range of habitat types, including forests, grassland, wetlands, and large, open waters.
Click here to read more pewtrusts.org
Photo Credit: pexels-ron-lach
Categories: Wisconsin, General