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Michigan Wetlands Reserve Program
Michigan Wetlands Information
Overview
Michigan's Wetland Reserve Program Story begins in 1995 with the enrollment
of our first 180 acre parcel of land in Jackson County. The Portage River
Restoration, as it is now called, was our first finalized WRP easement and
restoration. This easement and restoration embodies the spirit of WRP in
Michigan.
The spirit and focus of WRP in Michigan is to provide a wide diversity of
high quality wetland, and associated upland as habitat for migratory birds and
wildlife. A diversity of wetland types such as emergent marshes,
shrub-scrub, and wet prairies, to name a few, is the key to the WRP success in
Michigan. The importance of the need for high quality, diverse wetland
habitat is born out in the fact that fully 50 percent of Michigan's threatened
or endangered species require healthy, fully functional wetlands to complete
their life cycle.
Currently, Michigan has over 125 easements and over 16,000 acres enrolled in WRP.
Michigan has easements from our southern border, through the Saginaw Bay area,
across the Mackinac Straits, and
 into the Upper Peninsula. From the shores of Lake
Superior to Lake Huron to Lake Michigan, we have thousands of restored wetland
acres protected by 30-year and perpetual easements. Michigan's current
backlog of unfunded offers stands at 90, which represents approximately 25,000
acres and 25 million dollars. Here in Michigan, landowner interest in WRP
has never been greater. Each month, we receive 12 to 15 new WRP
applications and a multitude of phone calls from interested landowners. The vast
majority of our landowners are interested in WRP because of a strongly held land
stewardship ethic. They feel that enrolling land in WRP, restoring the
wetlands, and associated uplands, and protecting these areas with an easement is
the right thing to do for themselves, their family, the community, and future
generations. A small percentage of our clients enroll land in WRP because
they can retire marginal cropland and receive financial payments for taking low
production cropland out of production.
Currently, we are completing the final plans to restore over 5,000 acres of
wetlands and adjacent uplands this coming field season. The vast majority
of our restorations are simple and straight forward. Break a few tiles,
plug a few ditches, push some soil around to provide shallow water wildlife
habitat and let Mother Nature do the rest. Additional restoration
activities include the construction of berms or low-head dikes and the
installation of simple water control structures.
Program Benefits
The restoration of high quality wetland habitat brings with it the
restoration of a wide array of associated wetland functions and values.
The public benefits because the restored wetlands provide important wetland
functions such as water quality improvement, attenuation of flood waters, ground
water recharge, filtration of water borne sediment, control of shoreline
erosion, and protection of, and habitat for, native fauna and flora.
People benefit from wetland values, such as bird watching, hiking, photography,
fishing, hunting, and maybe most importantly, solitude and stillness in a
fast-paced world. It is these activities that replenish our souls and keep
our connectedness to the land intact.
The family farm benefits in many ways. The WRP easement area
provides a much needed place for a family to enjoy each other and the beauty of
nature. Time previously spent pulling a farm implement out of a wet field
can now be spent cropping fields with high productivity. The WRP payment
made in exchange for an easement may provide a family with a much needed "new
start". The local community benefits from cleaner surface and
groundwater. The severity and duration of floods are reduced.
Sediment transport in local streams is reduced and recreational experiences in
local lakes are enhanced.
Partnerships
Partnerships are the heart and soul of Michigan's
Wetlands Reserve Program. Strong partners such as Ducks Unlimited, Soil
Conservation Districts, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR),
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS), to mention a few, keep Michigan's Wetlands Reserve Program in
top form. Currently, Ducks Unlimited is providing much needed technical
assistance with wetland restorations across the state. Partners such as MDNR,
MDEQ, and FWS have representatives on our wetland teams that provide high
quality expertise in the evaluation of perspective easement sights. These
valuable team members also provide technical input and direction for the
restoration of the WRP easements. Finally, the most important partner is our
landowners. They are the reason for the existence of a strong Wetlands
Reserve Program. From initial application, to perspective easement
evaluation, to clearing encumbrances on titles, to acting as "general
contractor" during the restoration phase, the landowners are the life blood of
the program.
Contact
Jim Marshall, 517-324-5257
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