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.
Green Bay is the area in the northwest portion of Lake Michigan, separated
from the Central Basin by the Door Peninsula, Garden Peninsula and the
chain of islands lying between them. It includes the Wliitefish Channel and
Fan and is the largest embayment in Lake Michigan. Native American
Tribes and lands within this portion of the Lake Michigan basin include
Forest County Potawatomi, Sokaogon Mole Lake Community, Menominee
Indian Tribe, Stockbridge Mimsee Community, and Oneida Tribe of
Indians.
Green Bay hosts a variety of diverse plants, animals, and land forms.
Several tributaries serve as spawning areas for Lake Sturgeon Wliitefish
and Northern Pike. Green Bay contains an abundance and diversity of
wetland-dependent bird species. Several islands support rare species of
plants and animals. Coastal and shoreline areas provide habitat for birds
and waterfowl. Currently^ 65% of coastal land in the Green Bay region is in
natural land cover, and 81% of shoreline area provides suitable habitat for
landbirds.
Collaboration among partners in the Green Bay area 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). Critical threats to biodiversity in the Green Bay area include lost
hydrological connections, aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, and runoff from development and concentrated agricultural
facilities. Invasive species can alter ecosystem attributes, such as water clarity and nutrient levels, and present serious threats to native
species. Disjointed hydrologic connections between coastal wetlands and the lake threaten access to critical spawning areas along the
west shore of Green Bay. Physical alteration of the shoreline from housing and urban development has a critical impact on the
nearshore zone, wliich supports diverse fish and invertebrates, and on coastal terrestrial systems that support important plant and
animal species. Excessive nutrient loading from runoff lias contributed to the low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) condition in Lower
Green Bay.
Table 1. Viability Assessment Summary for Green Bay
TARGET CATEGORY
ASSESSMENT
THREAT STATUS
Nearshore Zone
Fair
High
Aerial Migrants
Fair
Medium
Coastal Terrestrial Systems
Fair
Very High
Coastal Wetlands
Good
High
Islands
Good
High
Native Migratory Fish
Fair
High
Offshore Benthic & Pelagic Ecosystem
Fair
Medium
Source: Lake Michigan Biodiversity Conservation Strategy, 2013
Door County, Wl. Photo: U.S. EPA Great Lakes
National Program Office
Lake Michigan Green Bay Biodiversity
Revised September 2014

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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 Green Bay
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:
•	Improve land use practices to minimize detrimental impact:
o Increase adoption of conservation practices to address the
impacts of agricultural and urban water pollution,
o Develop and implement collaborative land-use planning efforts
that integrate green infrastructure principles into shoreline
alterations.
•	Increase habitat connectivity by:
o Increasing planning for projects jointly developed by transportation and environmental agencies to increase the
adoption of best practices for constructing road-stream crossings,
o Working to incorporate context-sensitive design in transportation projects involving dams and fish ladders,
o Ensuring contiguous habitat for terrestrial migratory species.
•	Align projects among Lake Michigan states to implement common policies, risk assessments, and funding that will minimize
invasive species.
•	Support the continual development of early detection and rapid response plans for invasive species.
Strategies for High Threat Targets:
•	Maintain critical habitat on islands and 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,
o Develop sustainable remediation designs that restore coastal and shoreline habitat.
•	Support restoration of offshore fish and fisheries by:
o Initiating a pilot stocking program in Green Bay to achieve self-sustaining populations of Cisco (Lake Herring),
o Assuring that funding for lamprey control continues at or above current levels.
•	Continue efforts to remediate two designated Areas of Concern (AOCs):
o Restoring the Cat Island Chain of islands in the Fox River/Lower Green Bay AOC will strengthen the ecosystem
foster a diversity of habitat for migratory birds and various fish species, and enhance spawning grounds for fish,
o In the Menominee River AOC, remediation of areas contaminated with arsenic and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) will protect wildlife and fish habitat in nearshore and wetland areas.
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 the Green Bay area.
Restoration of Lake Sturgeon populations continues in Lake Michigan
Photo: Michigan Sea Grant.
Photo: U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
Lake Michigan Green Bay Biodiversity
Revised September 2014

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Key Next Steps
•	Continue to support research efforts to better understand
the hypoxia problem in Lower Green Bay.
•	Support protection and enhancement of natural areas and
land that connects or expands existing areas, as outlined
in the WDNR's Wisconsin Land Legacy Report
(dnr. wi. gov/files/pdf/pubs/lf/lf0043 .pdf).
•	To preserve and restore wetlands from the dangers of the
invasive common reed Phragmites, it is important to
consult the current maps and management efforts at
www.greatlakespliragmites.net for an interactive forum
for stakeholders working on control of this wetland
problem.
•	Continue efforts to reduce tributary phosphorus loading
to Lake Michigan to reduce nuisance algae blooms as
outlined in TMDLs and Wisconsin's phosphorus
regulations.
•	Continue with habitat recommendations identified in the
Remedial Action Plan Update for the Lower Green Bay
and Fox River Area of Concern.
dnr.wi.gov/topic/greatlakes/documents/RAP-
UpdateLGBFR2012final.pdf.
•	Implement recommendations outlined in the new master
plan for the Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Areas
(dnr.wi.gov/topic/Lands/MasterPlanning/GreenBav/).
•	Develop a partnership to restore fish passage around
dams within the Menominee River AOC to benefit Lake
Sturgeon population.
•	Leverage the 2010 Biodiversity and Conservation Atlas
of the Great Lakes Islands
(www.conservationgatewav.org/conservationbvgeograph
v/northamerica/wholesvstems/greatlakes/basin/migratorv
birds/pages/islands-of-life.aspx) for invasive species that
have the potential to alter ecosystem dynamics and
protected habitat essential for aerial migrants.
•	Continue efforts to improve fish passage and Northern
Pike spawning habitat along the West Shore of Green
Bay.
•	Support biodiversity information and educational efforts
of the Lake Michigan Stakeholders group.
•	Continue to monitor any changes from annual fish
assessments and partner with the Great Lakes Fishery
Commission to implement adaptive management
recommendations.
•	Enhance habitat needed by native fish species.
•	Continue and expand streamside rearing of Lake
Sturgeon for example in the Fox, Oconto and Peshtigo
Rivers.
•	Support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mass
marking initiative and Lake Trout restoration efforts.
•	Support current and future efforts on Cisco (Lake
Herring).
•	Continue efforts to restore Great Lakes Spotted
Muskellunge.
•	Determine roles and responsibilities in the Green Bay
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.
•	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.
•	Continue and expand efforts to train and certify green
practices for marinas and ports
(www.miseagrant.umich.edu/greemnarina).
For More Information
www.epa.gov/greatlakes/lake-michigan
LAMP Partners
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality /
Oneida Tribe of Indians
Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority (CORA)
The Nature Conservancy /
radnr.wi.gov
www.michigan.gov/deq
jov
www.1836cora.org
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 Green Bay Biodiversity
Revised September 2014

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