Macomb County's wetlands will get a boost this fall after the
county receives nearly $2 million in grant funding to make environmental
improvements.
Gerry Santoro, Planning and Economic
Development Department senior planner, explains that the coastal
marshlands have changed over time because of increased hard surfaces in
the watershed from development, which causes soil erosion to happen at a
much faster rate, and an aggressive, invasive grassreed plant,
phragmite, which is replacing much of the natural bullrush and cattail
marshes.
"What the [Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration] grant is for is to restore or to return the natural
waterflow in the coastal marshlands near Metro Beach," he explains.
"What we're doing is sort of a dual effort, to try and remove the
phragmite plants and also to restore the natural waterways closer to what
was natural, and to restore those habitats for birds and for fish."
With 1.4 million residents, the Clinton River Watershed is the most populated in
the entire Great Lakes region. It is also one
of the fastest growing. Part of the restoration initiative is to work
with developers to offset any harmful effects on the environment,
he says. Also, the economic downturn has allowed local and county
governments to take a second look at development patterns and try to make
them smarter, which will help with the area's longevity and attractiveness
to young people and visitors, he adds.
Santoro explained that the grant actually takes effect late this summer
or fall, starting with monitoring, then engineering and investigating
actual changes.
The county is also in pursuit of matching funds through other sources, which would bring funding to $1.7 million.
Source: Gerry Santoro, senior planner for the Planning and Economic Development Dept in Macomb County
Writer: Kristin Lukowski
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.