Restoring Sandusky Bay

An Interconnected and Thriving Past

Located where the mouth of the Sandusky River connects to the waters of Lake Erie, Sandusky Bay is one of the most important bodies of water in northern Ohio with one of the largest ranges of coastal wetlands in the Lake Erie basin.

Before European colonization, it was a thriving, interconnected wetland matrix home to diverse wildlife and native vegetation. While much biodiversity has been lost, pockets of high-quality habitat still stand and continue to serve as critical stopover points for birds and other wildlife. Fish, such as northern pike, use the shallow wetlands that remain as nursery and spawning grounds, with vegetation providing shelter and plenty of food for young, newly hatched fish, such as insects and small crustaceans.

In fact, Sandusky Bay was part of the Great Black Swamp—a deeply interconnected network of wetlands, waterways, dense forests and grasslands that stretched to northeast Indiana. But, in the 19th century, European settlers began to drain and transform the Great Black Swamp into rich and productive agricultural land which had lasting, unintended consequences for the health of Lake Erie.

In the spring and fall, a cacophony of birdsong carries across the shorelines, as migratory songbirds and waterfowl stop at the waters and marshes to rest and refuel on their journeys. Indigenous Peoples fished the healthy, productive waters and foraged the plants growing throughout the open bay.

The Bay Today

Today, Sandusky Bay looks far different from those earlier times, altered significantly by the dense population, as well as various industries and agriculture in its surrounding areas. As the land was settled and developed, hydrology of the area was altered with extensive installation of agricultural drainage tile and rerouting of tributaries. Shorelines were largely hardened by earthen and rock dikes, including around coastal wetlands, disrupting the balance of the Bay’s ecosystem. Instead of waves dissipating on gentle shores, the dikes ricochet wave energy back into the Bay and churn up sediment making the waters turbid like chocolate milk, and inhibiting light penetration into the water column which prevents growth of native vegetation.

All of these factors together exacerbate the annual harmful algal blooms that erupt throughout the Western Lake Erie Basin during the warmer months. As a result of hydrologic modifications like channelized tributaries and conversion of wetlands to agriculture or isolation behind dikes, fertilizers and sediment flow unhindered from upstream watersheds down into Sandusky Bay, creating the perfect conditions for algae growth.

These landscape changes have reduced suitable habitat for all kinds of wildlife, including migratory birds and shorebirds. While this area remains a birding hotspot, abundance and diversity has declined.

Restoration at Scale

TNC is working with partners to change the course of the Sandusky Bay ecosystem. Thanks to the launch of the Sandusky Bay Initiative, a large-scale vision is in process to restore ecosystem function and habitat in the Bay. This work is made possible through funding from H2Ohio, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and private donations, as well as numerous partners and stakeholders.

Four projects have been completed as part of the initiative, and extensive research informed engineering plans for an additional 12 projects. These projects are innovative due to how they mimic nature—using smaller stone and gentle slopes to reduce wave energy and maximize habitat benefits while still protecting the shoreline. The restored wetlands are accessible to fish and wildlife for nursery and foraging habitat, and vegetation provides stability and nutrient reduction benefits.

One of the first projects, the Pickerel Creek Riparian project at Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, reconnected the creek to its floodplain and restored 44 acres of wetland habitat. It was completed in 2023. Nearby, the Raccoon Creek Riparian project was finished in 2024 by restoring more than four acres of coastal wetlands.

Then in the fall of 2025, another project down the shoreline, Pickerel Creek West, significantly scaled up this approach by eight times through the completion of more than 32 acres. The most recent project, Pickerel Creek East, marks another nature-based shoreline project completed and includes a boat dock, staging area and barge access.

These 12 projects are anticipated to restore 1,000 acres of wetlands and 11,000 linear feet of nature-based shoreline, which would improve water quality by reducing total phosphorus loading by approximately 2,000 pounds per year.

TNC in Ohio looks forward to continuing to ensure the quality of these natural resources. “We can’t put things back exactly the way they were, but we can restore critical habitat and improve Sandusky Bay,” says Alexis McCarter, TNC in Ohio natural infrastructure director.

What’s more, this work contributes directly to TNC’s 2030 goals for conserving rivers and protecting people from climate change. By making Sandusky Bay more resilient through restoration and nature-based solutions, there will be cascading effects on the broader Lake Erie and Great Lakes systems, ultimately helping create places where people and nature thrive.