Lake Michigan Biodiversity: Mid-Lake Plateau East Iwaukee Aurora •• \ NapeyUle " loliet South Green Bay Approximate demarcation of Mid-Lake Plateau East and Mid-Lake Plateau West. The Lake Michigan Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) is a collaborative, adaptive management program where federal, state, tribal and local governments along with other partners work together to protect and restore Lake Michigan. The LAMP shares responsibility for implementing many aspects of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), which seeks to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Waters of the Great Lakes." One commitment under the GLWQA is to develop and implement lakewide habitat and species protection and restoration strategies. The Mid-Lake Plateau East comprises the central portion of Lake Michigan along the western coastline of central Michigan. Spanning throughout most of this basin is a broad, flat, relatively shallow submerged feature called the Mid-Lake Plateau that is of limestone origin. The plateau is believed to have served as a spawning reef that once supported Lake Trout production. Lake Trout are the natural top predator in Lake Michigan. Due to invasive species and past fisheries practices, Lake Trout lias struggled to regain its former prominence in Lake Michigan. The Mid-Lake Plateau contains one of Lake Michigan's two Lake Trout Refuges. The refuges are used to stock native Lake Trout and encourage natural spawning in an effort to create a self-sustaining population in Lake Michigan. Natural communities along the shoreline include dunes, ridges and swales, interdunal wetlands, northern sedge meadows, emergent marshes and beaches, and several coastal forest communities. Land use in this basin is mainly agricultural. Coastal wetlands and terrestrial systems support a diverse and abundant wildlife population. Collaboration among partners in the Mid-Lake Plateau East region is needed to implement key actions that will maintain and increase the viability of biodiversity and abate identified threats to biodiversity. Threats to Biodiversity In an assessment of threats to biodiversity, numerous experts rated the current viability status of an array of targets using recognized Key Ecological Attributes and indicators of viability (Table 1). Within each of the broad biodiversity target categories, scientists assessed an array of nested targets such as plankton, native plants, waterfowl, shoals, and reefs. Critical threats to biodiversity in the Mid-Lake Plateau East region include aquatic invasive species and climate change resulting in habitat shifting or alteration. Invasive species can alter ecosystem attributes, such as water clarity and nutrient levels, and present serious threats to native species. Climate change impacts the ecological processes in lake ecosystems, and can limit the suitability of habitats for key targets, or increase the threat associated with current stressors, such as invasive species. Table 1. Viability Assessment Summary for Mid-Lake Plateau TARGET CATEGORY ASSESSMENT THREAT STATUS Nearshore Zone Fair High Aerial Migrants Fair Medium Coastal Terrestrial Systems Fair Very High Coastal Wetlands Fair High Islands Good Medium Native Migratory Fish Fair High Offshore Zone Fair Medium Source: Lake Michigan Biodiversity Conservation Strategy, 2013. Medbery Park on Lake Michigan, Montague, Ml. Photo: City of Montague, Ml. Lake Michigan Mid-Lake Plateau East Biodiversity Revised September 2014 ------- Strategies Needed to Conserve Biodiversity A number of actions can be taken by agencies, tribes, municipalities, planning commissions, and other partners concerned with biodiversity in the Mid-Lake Plateau East area. The following strategies are recommended. For additional details, see Chapter 6 of the Lake Michigan Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. Strategies for Very High Threat Targets: • Align projects among states bordering Lake Michigan to implement common policies, risk assessments, and funding to minimize invasive species. • Maintain critical habitat on coastal areas: o Conduct periodic surveys to assess the status of critical habitat and important species. o Implement outreach and education focused on how shoreline management activities may affect coastal ecology. • Develop sustainable remediation designs that restore coastal and shoreline habitat. • Support the continual development of early detection and rapid response plans for invasive species. • Continue efforts to restore and protect biodiversity at designated Areas of Concern (AOCs): c For the Muskegon Lake (MI) AOC, continue to evaluate sediment and conduct wetland remedial investigations, and restore habitat to remove Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs). o For the White Lake (MI) AOC, continue on the path to delisting this site by continuing shoreline restoration efforts, creating and restoring wetlands, and removing shoreline and submerged debris. Strategies for High Threat Targets: • Assess the risk of sea lamprey access to new spawning ground and increase habitat connectivity among water bodies: o Identify the most important barriers (dams, ill-functioning culverts) for removal or modification, considering the costs and benefits of each situation, o Continue development of comprehensive decision support tools for barrier removal, and solicit their application consistently by agencies and organizations across the region, o Develop incentives to remove high-priority problem barriers, o Prevent future barriers to connectivity. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (www.glri.us/) has supported habitat and species protection and restoration efforts and will continue to serve as an important mechanism for implementing biodiversity conservation strategies in Mid-Lake Plateau East. Key Next Steps • Implement strategies to reduce runoff from agricultural lands. • Support public land acquisition of private property along Lake Michigan for conservation efforts. • Support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mass marking initiative and Lake Trout restoration efforts. • Continue and expand streamside rearing of Lake Sturgeon. • Promote widespread adoption of The Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds and continual implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, in light of the added stress of climate change on species and habitats. • Determine roles and responsibilities in the Mid-Lake Plateau East Basin area for education, surveillance and standardization of procedures to aid in meeting the GLWQA Annex 6 Aquatic Invasive Species Goal of development and implementation of an early detection and rapid response initiative by 2015. • Work collaboratively to preserve and restore wetlands from the invasive common reed Phragmites (www.greatlakesphragmites.net provides an interactive forum for stakeholders working on control of this wetland problem). • Protect and enhance nearshore spawning habitat, wetlands, and shoreline. • Continue and expand efforts to train and certify green practices for marinas and ports (www.miseagrant.umich.edu/greemnarina). f Jl fc For More Information www.epa.aov/qreatlakes/lake-rriichiaari LAMP Partners: Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality // The Nature Conservancy www.michigan.gov/deq m www.nature.org U.S. EPA, Great Lakes National Program Office Elizabeth Hinchey Malloy Lake Michigan Manager Phone: (312) 886-3451 hinchey.elizabeth@epa.gov Lake Michigan Mid-Lake Plateau East Biodiversity Revised September 2014 ------- |