Focus Area 4: Habitats and Species - Objective 4.2

Objective, Commitments & Measures

Objective:

4.2. Increase resilience and representation of native species under future climate conditions.

Commitments:

4.2.a. Update and implement recovery actions for federal threatened, endangered and candidate species.

4.2.b. Support population-level protections, enhancements and reintroductions for state, Tribal and other native species important for future Great Lakes ecosystems.

Measures:

*"Targets" are cumulative. “Baseline” identifies the result through the end of FY2024.

Background

Since GLRI began, GLRI federal agencies and their partners have continued to focus on restoration of iconic and culturally significant Great Lakes species and assessment of populations through time to determine impacts of GLRI activities. Benefits of this strategic GLRI approach to species restoration include stopping the possible extinction of fish and wildlife found only in the Great Lakes, restoring the aquatic food web of the Great Lakes and making sure broader fish and wildlife communities remain resilient and are sustainable under future climate conditions.

Projects that increased population levels or made species more self-sustaining during Action Plan III focused on Great Lakes piping plovers, manomin/manoomin (wild rice), lakeside daisy, Mitchell’s satyr butterfly, brook trout, breeding marsh bird species, lake trout and other native species. GLRI federal agencies closely coordinated these efforts with other management agencies in the Great Lakes that play an important role in stewarding these GLRI accomplishments through their own restoration and management efforts. The Council of Lake Committees, Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture, Great Lakes Coastal Assembly, Great Lakes Pollinator Task Force and state and Tribal fish and wildlife agencies are important partners that contributed to species-specific activities during Action Plan III.

Notable accomplishments during Action Plan III included the continued upward number of piping plover pairs found in the Great Lakes, a result in large part due to GLRI-funded captive rearing and release of chicks back into the wild as well as protection of newly hatched chicks on Great Lakes beaches. During Action Plan III, more than 50% of lake trout found in Lake Huron were determined to be wild; increasing population trends in wild lake trout populations also occurred in middle and southern Lake Michigan; and the first observed natural reproduction of lake trout in Lake Erie in 60 years was documented. These observations demonstrated the continued stocking and assessment of this native top predator is restoring the lakes’ food webs.

Restoring the diversity and interspersion of native wetland plants and open water in Great Lakes coastal wetlands has already resulted in increasing use of these habitats by secretive marsh birds. For example, through a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Great Lakes Commission, the Cook County Forest Preserve and Audubon Great Lakes, a GLRI-funded project enhanced the Powderhorn Lake Forest Preserve by upgrading the water management infrastructure necessary to create preferred conditions for these bird species. Additionally, this water control and habitat restoration project provided relief and future protection to downstream residents on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, who historically have experienced flooding.

Under Action Plan IV, the GLRI will continue to provide significant support to agencies, entities and Tribes that stock, enhance and reach significant population milestones for native species, incorporate climate adaption options into their strategies or answer critical questions for future management. Reintroduction of species important to Tribes will be planned and implemented to continue to provide important food resources and cultural uses.

GLRI agencies will continue restoring the native top predator (lake trout) and native prey fish species (cisco, bloater, kiyi and others), bringing back critical elements of the food webs in Lake Ontario, Lake Huron and additional Great Lakes locations. An approach to broader ecosystem recovery to the lakes as opposed to single-species approaches will guide this work.

Coastal wetlands, reefs and other habitats important to native fish and breeding marsh birds will be prioritized so projects provide increased resiliency and the habitat diversity needed for breeding, nursery and feeding. State and Tribal fishery agencies will provide support and direction to federal agencies to continue habitat restoration in the lakes and reintroduction/stocking of native fish. Funding will be provided to agency, academic and local partners so that continued population assessments occur, improve our understanding of project impacts and direct future management for native Great Lakes species. A subset of federally threatened and endangered species will be identified for accelerated population recovery actions so that iconic species found in the Great Lakes not only persist but are restored to self-sustaining populations and are down-listed in the future.

Continue reading about the Action Plan IV:

Focus Area 5: Foundations for Future Restoration Actions