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Location: islands, coastal areas and lake system of Western Lake Erie basin in the U.S. and Canada, including coastal watershed of Point Pelee marshes west to Windsor; southeast shore of Michigan, and extending eastward across the lake shore in Ohio to Sheldon Marsh, including Sandusky Bay
Ecoregion: Great Lakes
Biodiversity significance: ecologically diverse wetlands along the Erie shoreline and islands; vital crossroads for migratory land birds and water birds; globally rare shoreline alvar communities; federally-listed Lake Erie water snake; highly productive habitat for fish, including walleye, northern pike, muskellunge and lake sturgeon.
Threats: incompatible development, exotic and invasive species, hydrological alterations, resource extraction, incompatible forestry and agricultural practices
Partners: Nature Conservancy of Canada, Black Swamp Conservancy, Black Swamp Bird Observatory; Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Ohio Division of Wildlife; Ohio Lake Erie Commission, Ducks Unlimited, Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, Inc., U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Strategies: habitat preservation via land acquisition/easements, restoration of wetlands & coastal habitat, support basin-wide strategic initiatives, protection of migratory bird stopover sites, developing nature-based tourism programs
Twenty-two percent of all gifts given to the Western Lake Erie Islands and Marshes will be directed to Ohio Chapter conservation support. | | 
Lake Erie’s western basin provides critical habitat for migratory birds and globally rare plant communities, and they’re a recreation hotspot, as well.
© Randall Edwards
From Sandusky Bay on the Ohio side to Point Pelee in Ontario stretches an archipelago of limestone that provides a set of stepping stones across Lake Erie. Although some of the largest islands - Ohio’s South Bass Island and Canada’s Pelee Island - are developed for tourism or agriculture, significant natural habitat remains. The Lake Erie Islands - in combination with the shoreline marshes that are found on the mainland at both ends of the chain - provide one of North America’s most vital crossroads for migratory birds, as well as habitat for the endangered Lake Erie water snake, a globally rare plant community known as alvar, and nutrient-rich waters that make this the most productive fish habitat in the Great Lakes. Yet these islands and the surrounding waters are threatened - by habitat destruction caused by construction along the shoreline and the draining and filling of wetlands; by sedimentation and nutrient overloads caused by farming; and with an overwhelming number of exotic species. The Nature Conservancy, with the help of public and private partners, is working to protect what remains of the plants, animals and natural communities of the Lake Erie Islands.
Conservation Profile
Lake Erie’s western basin is important both for its terrestrial habitat and the aquatic habitat within which it is found. Within this area, where the upper Great Lakes meet the lower Great Lakes, can be found: ecologically diverse wetlands along the mainland shoreline and islands; a rare plant community known as alvar, which is based in thin, nutrient poor soil over the limestone bedrock and is home to a strange mix of prairie and boreal plants; rocky coastlines that harbor the federally-listed Lake Erie water snake; and waters that are shallow, warm, relatively clear and high in nutrients, making this the most productive habitat in the Great Lakes - the waters of the lake and its tributaries support populations of walleye, northern pike, muskellunge and lake sturgeon. The Canadian islands provide some of the most biologically diverse natural heritage in the country with numerous rare and imperiled species.
Not to be overlooked is the economic importance of this lake on both sides of the international border. Lakewide, the sport fishery brings almost $1 billion into the Ohio economy annually, with the vast majority coming from the islands region. Lake Erie is a major draw for the tourism industry estimated to be worth $7 billion along Ohio’s lakefront counties. Birding activities at the Ottawa NWR bring more than $5.6 million annually into Ottawa County alone.
 Great blue herons are among the wading birds that make their home in Lake Erie’s western basin. © Jim Roetzel |
The Lake Erie Islands and nearby shoreline marshes provide one of North America’s most vital crossroads for migratory birds, as well as habitat for the endangered Lake Erie water snake, a globally rare plant community known as alvar, and nutrient-rich waters that make this the most productive fish habitat in the Great Lakes. |
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Innovative Partnerships
1. Migratory Bird Stopover Sites: Scientists from The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited and other partners are studying migratory bird stopover sites on Lake Erie. Very little is known about these stopover sites for birds, but recent research suggests high bird mortality during migration, heightening concern that perhaps there aren’t enough of these wayside rests. The Nature Conservancy is working with multiple partners to describe attributes for migratory bird stopover sites and develop guidelines for protection, restoration, and management of stopover sites in the western Lake Erie basin.
2. Wetland Conservation: The Conservancy’s Ohio Chapter has raised more than $600,000 in private donations that will be used for wetland conservation in Canada. Through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and through matching programs at The Nature Conservancy, these donations have led to additional dollars for wetland conservation on both sides of the border.
Innovative Strategies
Nature-based tourism: The Nature Conservancy has teamed up with Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, Inc. to create a Western Lake Erie Island Field Guide. This guide will be used as a nature-based tourism marketing tool to encourage visitation, and inform people of the importance of protecting natural resources while also boosting island economies.
Land Acquisition: The Conservancy is working with partner groups to identify critical lands in need of protection, and has helped local partner organizations acquire important land, including various properties on the Lake Erie Islands. |
