Productivity is something we understand in the manufacturing culture. So, when an environmental descriptor explains that an estuary is one of the most productive places in ecology, we take notice. Well, some of us do.
The largest freshwater estuary, at the confluence of the Fox River and Green Bay, is in the initial stages of becoming a full-fledge academic research reserve. That will be the third reserve in the Great Lakes. The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, also in Wisconsin, and the Old Woman Creek in Lake Erie are the other two.
According the the Environmental Protection Agency, an estuary is a few patches of land in a pool of water that receives the flow of river water and filters its sediment and pollutants before releasing the water to the lake. They are “places of transition,”
“Estuarine environments are among the most productive on earth, creating more organic matter each year than comparably-sized areas of forest, grassland or agricultural land. The sheltered waters of estuaries also support unique communities of plants and animals.” Mathew Dornbush, dean of the Business School at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, noted that “The Bay of Green Bay is the nexus of every major biological process of the great bodies of the world — an ideal place to study and promote the restoration of the fresh water coast.” Interesting comment coming from a business school dean. Perhaps even more interesting is his primary research interest: “The use of native plant restorations to improve ecosystem services, focusing principally upon their influence on soil organisms and processes.” Not exactly the productivity you might expect of a business school dean.”
As filtration agents, estuaries are “sentinels for understanding climate change,” explains Dr. Erika Washburn, director of the Lake Superior Reserve. It’s also an excellent setting to study water quality. In the case of the St. Louis River, there hasn’t been good news lately. Studies have shown that mercury is embedded in the sediment carried by the river to the estuary. Walleye, living in that pool of water, have found to have high concentrations of mercury — two or three times higher than those in Lake
Superior. People are advised not to eat the larger fish and limit their consumption of smaller ones — not good news for those who love the Great Lakes delicacy.
Efforts to clean the St. Louis River have been under way, notes the Mitchell Republic news site. Millions of dollars has been invested in projects to remove that mercury-laced sediment, or cap it so it can’t get into the water, targeted at toxic hotspots are effective, according to Joel Hoffman, a research biologist and co-author of the study. Hoffman is chief of the Ecosystems Services Branch of the EPA’s Duluth laboratory.
The research reserves will have an increasing national presence in the Great Lakes, which doesn’t settle well with some folks who are suspicious when the government sets up shop. An earlier proposal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a sanctuary in the Green Bay area was opposed by residents. This new reserve, notes Emily tyler, director of Freshwater Strategy at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, will be “completely non-regulatory, so, no, absolutely no new regulations are imposed. There’s no changes in how people can fish or hunt, or major boat traffic.”
Don’t tread on me.
Post written by Dennis Archambault
Estuary Photo, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
