This spring, if your basement has flooded or your street has been under inches of water, you’re not alone. Across most of Michigan, March and April marked the wettest two-month period ever on record. As communities deal with the impacts of flooding, there is one natural defense system that can help reduce damage while supporting wildlife: wetlands.
Michigan has lost nearly half of its historic wetlands, and as a result many marsh bird populations — some of Michigan’s most unique birds like the Black Tern — are in steep decline. Here at Audubon Great Lakes, we know that wetland restoration is vital to helping marsh bird populations recover. We also know that what’s good for birds is good for people. Our restoration work in western Michigan is one example of this.
Before becoming a park, Ottawa Sands County Park in Ferrysburg was impaired from mining operations that altered the area’s dunes and left behind a human-made lake that provided little value for local wildlife. We partnered with Ottawa County Parks and Recreation and Michigan Department of Natural Resources to restore the Park’s shoreline and create interdunal wetlands — depressions within open dunes that support an abundant amount of biodiversity. Today, this restoration is supporting birds that otherwise might not survive and protecting nearby communities from rising water levels.
Ferrysburg sits close to waterways like the Grand River, where heavy rain or snowmelt can quickly lead to flooding. Wetlands help reduce that risk. Just one acre of wetlands, one foot deep, can store up to 1.5 million gallons of water. Like a sponge, wetlands absorb water, hold it, and release it slowly over time. That natural storage capacity reduces flooding downstream and eases pressure on stormwater infrastructure. Restoration projects like this offer a glimpse of what’s possible for communities across Michigan when we prioritize wetlands.
Flooding is already the most common natural disaster in the United States, and a changing climate is making these events more intense and unpredictable. For Michigan communities, flooding can lead to polluted runoff, overwhelm septic and sewer systems and cause costly damage to homes, roads and businesses. For birds and other wildlife, floods can destroy nesting habitat and disrupt food sources. Wetlands are one of the most effective natural solutions we have to address these growing challenges.
Unfortunately, protections for many wetlands were weakened following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. In Michigan alone, nearly 1.4 million acres of wetlands are at risk of being degraded or lost without maintaining strong state-level protections. This equates to billions of gallons of water storage that is at risk of disappearing.
The urgency is clear. In May, 40 counties in Michigan were under a declared state of emergency due to flood risk. Across these counties, there are 210,000 wetland areas that helped absorb and slow floodwaters. Yet many of these wetlands remain vulnerable. Restoring and protecting wetlands is one of the most practical, cost-effective ways to reduce flooding and safeguard communities.
We are grateful to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the legislature for their bipartisan support for funding wetland restoration and protection in recent state budgets. Wetlands are essential natural infrastructure that protect communities when we need them most. Continued investment in wetland restoration and protection is an investment in safer communities, cleaner water, healthier ecosystems and the birds, fish and wildlife that make Michigan special.
Brian Vigue is the policy director of freshwater at Audubon Great Lakes.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Michigan’s lost wetlands leave us vulnerable to flooding | Opinion
Reporting by Brian Vigue, Guest Columnist / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brian Vigue, Guest Columnist | USA TODAY Network
