Audubon Great Lakes: Advancing Bird Conservation in the Calumet Region
AGL interns install a water gage with a CrowdHyrdology sign at Indian Ridge Marsh. Photo credit: Teri Valenzuela.
Developing real tools for landowners and conservationists
Before industrialization, the landscape in the Calumet region consisted of large lakes, abundant wetlands, and dune ecosystems, making it a critical region for biodiversity, especially migratory waterfowl and breeding marsh birds. Despite heavy industrialization, nature has managed to survive, and in the early 2000s, several Important Bird Areas were designated in the region. Audubon Great Lakes (AGL) and their partners have been actively pursuing restoration efforts in the Calumet region and, in recent years, marsh bird populations have increased.
In order to better understand how restoration efforts are linked to bird population dynamics and the health of the ecosystem, we are funding a program that will allow Audubon Great Lakes to develop a Habitat Quality Index that will inform landowners and conservation organizations about best practice management and restoration strategies.
Over the course of two years, AGL will build and maintain a central hub for GIS data on the Calumet wetlands. The data hub will streamline the collection of spatial data, which will then feed into the Habitat Quality Index. The index will be displayed through web tools such as interactive maps, allowing landowners to find out where marsh bird species are present on their properties; how water levels are shifting over time; and how these variables may change year-to-year in response to management and major weather events.
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