Many Great Lakes fish species, including lake sturgeon, walleye, white fish and cisco, migrate to rocky areas to deposit and fertilize their eggs. However, in many systems spawning habitat has been degraded due to sedimentation, destroyed during the construction of shipping channels, or made inaccessible by barriers. Constructed spawning reefs – essentially beds of loose rock placed on a river or lake bottom – is one method of restoring lost fish habitat. In 2001, a diverse team came together to test and study strategies for creating fish spawning reefs in the St. Clair–Detroit River System. By applying an adaptive management process through a series of reef restoration projects, the team has improved its strategies for designing, building and monitoring projects and for facilitating an effective planning process. Key lessons have been summarized in a recent practitioner-oriented report.
This webinar will share lessons learned about adaptive management, stakeholder engagement, reef design and project monitoring. Members of the reef restoration team will discuss their distinct roles and share both challenges and strategies for achieving desired restoration outcomes. This webinar is co-sponsored by two reef project funders, the NOAA Restoration Center and Sustain Our Great Lakes, and representatives from these organizations will be available for questions.
Presenters will include:
- Jennifer Read, PhD
Director, University of Michigan Water Center
- Mary Bohling
Extension Educator, Michigan Sea Grant
- Rachel Echtinaw, PE
Civil Engineer, SmithGroupJJR
- James Boase
Fisheries Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The webinar will begin at 11 AM Eastern Time/10 AM Central Time and last for approximately 1 hour, with opportunities for questions and discussion.
Participants can register by clicking here.
A recording of the webinar will be available for viewing at www.sustainourgreatlakes.org following the conclusion of the live program.
Contact:
Todd Hogrefe, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
(612) 564-7286
todd.hogrefe@nfwf.org
Sustain Our Great Lakes is a bi-national, public-private partnership that sustains, restores and protects fish, wildlife and habitat in the Great Lakes basin by leveraging funding, building conservation capacity, and focusing partners and resources toward key ecological issues.