The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. It was created in 2001 and is managed together by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service. It is located in a large city area. This refuge is one of more than 540 National Wildlife Refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is part of the Department of the Interior. It covers 7.88 square miles (20.41 km²) of land spread across several areas, and plans are in place to expand its boundaries in the future.
The refuge includes mainly coastal wetlands, several islands in the Detroit River, and waterfront parks. It covers islands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands along 48 miles (77 km) of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie shoreline. It also includes Humbug Marsh, a wetland in southeastern Wayne County that is classified as a wetland of international importance.
History
The land around the Detroit River is mostly developed and has many factories and industries. This caused too much pollution in the water from chemicals and waste that were not properly controlled for many years. Garbage and sewage from Detroit’s fast-growing industries ended up in the river. The river and its shoreline became very polluted and unsafe for people to use for fun activities. A lot of this pollution collected near where the Detroit River meets Lake Erie. After winter snow melted in spring, pollution levels were so high that thousands of birds died each year from oil and dirty water. The river had very little oxygen, making it hard for fish to live. Because pollution also affected Lake Erie, parts of the lake were so polluted that they could not support life. Swimming in the water or eating fish from the river was dangerous for health.
In 1961, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge was created by Congress, partly because of John Lesinski, Jr., a Michigan politician who represented the state’s 16th congressional district from 1951 to 1965. The refuge helped create stricter rules for industries and provided government money to clean up the river. However, many businesses in Detroit did not support cleaning the river because it might harm their industries and the economy. In 1970, the fishing industry in the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and Lake Erie had to stop temporarily because water had very high levels of mercury. This caused the fishing industry and related jobs to lose a lot of money. This loss led to a big effort to protect the environment and clean up the Detroit River. For many years before this, cleaning the river was not possible because it cost millions of dollars to remove pollution. Also, industries with political power opposed rules that would reduce pollution in the river. The Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge was small and only covered the area around Grassy Island. Despite the refuge, Grassy Island became very polluted from toxic soil removed from the nearby River Rouge.
In 2001, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge became part of the larger Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, which was supported by Michigan representative John Dingell. The refuge was officially approved by President George W. Bush on December 21, 2001, as the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Establishment Act (H.R. 1230). The Congressional Budget Office estimated that creating the refuge would cost between $13–21 million over five years, mostly for buying land.
Millions of dollars have been used to buy land and improve the environment near the river. Recent cleanup and restoration efforts have made the Detroit River much better, though some problems still exist. Today, many native animal species, including some that are endangered, are returning to the area after being driven away by human activity. The river is now home to many bird species, such as eagles (including bald eagles that were brought back), ospreys, and peregrine falcons. Fish like lake whitefish, sturgeon, salmon, perch, and walleye are found in large numbers. Many types of mammals also live along the river’s coastline. The area is an important path for birds to travel and rest. Over 30 types of waterfowl, 17 types of birds of prey, 31 types of shorebirds, 160 types of songbirds, and 117 types of fish live along or travel through the Detroit River.
Current area
At the beginning, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge included only land that was once part of the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge. This area covered 304 acres (123 hectares) around Grassy Island and Mamajuda Island, which are located just north of Grosse Ile in the Detroit River. Soon after, Mud Island, which is north of Grassy Island, was given to the refuge by the National Steel Corporation. The refuge expanded further by acquiring land, including Calf Island in 2002. In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made a cooperative agreement with DTE Energy to add parts of their land to the refuge. This included the Lagoona Beach Unit and Brancheau Unit of the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station. This marked the first time the refuge expanded into Monroe County along the coast of Lake Erie. Later, other areas in Lake Erie, extending as far south as the Michigan–Ohio border, were added to the refuge. Many of these lands were added through cooperative management agreements, where the land became part of the refuge but was not directly owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2004, the refuge added Humbug Marsh, which is located in Gibraltar and Trenton and includes Humbug Island. At the same time, the refuge acquired the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Strong Unit, which is north of Estral Beach. In 2005, the refuge gained joint management over the 243-acre (98 hectares) Eagle Island Marsh in Monroe, Michigan. This land is at the mouth of the River Raisin, between the Monroe Power Plant and Sterling State Park. This area, once heavily polluted, is owned by Automotive Components Holdings and is the site of a large Ford factory. In 2006, the refuge added the 780-acre (315 hectares) Lake Erie Metropark in Brownstown Charter Township. With the addition of the Erie Marsh in 2006, the refuge doubled in size to include the southern wetlands of Erie Township near the Ohio border, including Gard Island in the North Maumee Bay Archeological District. This was a major milestone for the refuge. From its original size of 304 acres (123 hectares) in 2001, the refuge grew to 5,047 acres (2,042 hectares) by 2007. The last addition was an area called Howard Fix, which covers 65 acres (26 hectares). It is near the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station, but little is known about this property.
The refuge also manages the shoals around these islands and has agreements with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Detroit Edison, a local electricity company, to manage hundreds of acres of habitat on Lake Erie. Within the refuge’s boundaries are several existing parks, including Elizabeth Park, Sterling State Park, Lake Erie Metropark, Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, and Erie State Game Area.
The headquarters of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge are located in Grosse Ile Township, which is not officially part of the refuge. In Canada, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge has no formal boundaries, and no Canadian areas of the Detroit River or Lake Erie are officially included in the refuge. All properties and potential future land additions are located within the United States and are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Proposed expansion
The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge currently covers 7.88 square miles (20.42 km²) of land and water along the western side of the Detroit River and Lake Erie. The U.S. Department of the Interior has approved plans for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire an additional 18.75 square miles (48.56 km²) of land and water in the future. Expanding the refuge’s area through land purchases is a key goal. However, expansion is limited by funding and the fact that most land in the planned area is privately owned. Most of the land within the refuge is managed jointly by private landowners and the federal government. Expansion could also include areas with large permanent populations, such as the islands of Grosse Ile Township, the riverfronts of several Downriver communities, Berlin and Frenchtown charter townships, and Monroe.
The proposed expansion area extends 48 miles from the southern border of Detroit at Zug Island in River Rouge south to the Michigan–Ohio border. The expansion would not include any land inside the city of Detroit. Possible areas within this range include Zug Island, Grosse Ile, Elizabeth Park, Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, Sterling State Park, and Turtle Island. Potential additions in Canada include Fighting Island, which has recovered after years of industrial use, Grass Island, Turkey Island, Crystal Island, and Bois Blanc Island.