Preserving Michigan Shorelines

Did you know that Michigan has the second longest coastline in the U.S. next to Alaska? And Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline, at 3,288 miles. Michigan is known as the Great Lake State because it touches 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, which contain 20% of the world’s freshwater!

How exciting to have all this freshwater surrounding and in our state! Because of Michigan’s wealth of coastline and inland lakes, protecting and preserving our precious shorelines is very important. Some important inland water facts include:

• Michigan has 1,194 square miles of inland waters;
• There are more than 11,000 inland lakes; 95 of these being 1,000 acres or greater;
• Houghton Lake – the largest inland lake, has over 20,044 acres with 30 miles of shoreline.

That is why in 2008, the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership (MNSP) was formed by a collaboration of state agencies, academia, nonprofit and private industry, to protect inland shorelines with natural shoreline technologies and bioengineered erosion control, versus hard shoreline seawalls such as steel or aluminum.

Professional certification requirements for design of natural shorelines include a 3-day training and 1-day field exercise using “soft engineering,” the use of ecological principles and practices to reduce erosion and achieve shoreline stabilization and safety, while enhancing habitat and water quality, improving aesthetics and reducing costs.

Benefits of soft engineering techniques include protecting Michigan’s riverbanks and shorelines from wave action and erosion, while improving ecological features that benefit water quality. A vegetative native buffer zone aids as a filter between lawn and water bodies, cleaning stormwater runoff that contain fertilizers, pesticides and pollutants. Native plant buffers also aid in discouraging geese habitat, reducing invasive plant species such as purple loosestrife and phragmites, and provide a rich, active habitat for fish and wildlife.

This Best Management Practice (BMP) aids in restoring and preserving the integrity of Michigan’s inland shorelines. Public awareness is noticeably more prominent, as local lake communities are contacting us for this expertise. For instance, Genoa Township’s East and West Crooked Lake communities are seeking solutions to develop a shoreline improvement plan addressing the concerns of shoreline erosion and geese nuisance.

Funding for shoreline improvement projects is becoming more prevalent through governmental agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Coastal Zone Management Program. This program is committed to protecting, managing, and restoring sensitive coastal habitats, including wetlands and sand dunes, while promoting public access for wise use of our waterfronts. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is another federal program that funds shoreline restoration with a focus on “Areas of Concern” as designated by the U.S. and Canada Great Lakes Areas of Concern | US EPA.

The Friends of the Detroit River (FDR) are constructing an assortment of shoreline restoration projects along the Detroit River with Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding administrated by NOAA – some with several million dollar budgets. All of these projects emphasize fish and wildlife habitat enhancement – fish spawning and nursery habitat in particular.