Coastal Wetland Vegetation Analysis (Metzger Marsh)

Coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes are subject to extreme fluctuations of water levels and to erosion from wave action during storms. Both processes are natural, and under undisturbed conditions, wetlands develop and respond to these processes in a natural manner. However, the U.S. coastline of Lake Erie has been altered dramatically by the actions of humans. Industrial, municipal, residential, and agricultural development has destroyed a high percentage of the wetlands associated with the lake and threatens the remaining wetlands that are undiked. Revetments and other structures have been constructed along the shore to protect developed areas from high water levels and erosion. As a result, the armored portions of the shoreline no longer contribute sediments to the littoral drift in the lake, barrier beaches that once protected wetlands cannot be sustained, and wetlands are degraded. Many wetlands along the U.S. shore of Lake Erie have been diked to protect them from erosion and to gain control of water levels for management purposes. Although diked marshes can be managed to provide habitat for many species of plants and animals, they also have management problems. These wetlands are removed from the natural landscape by isolation behind dikes. Wetland functions such as nutrient retention, sediment deposition, and habitat for fish are lost because no active connection exists between waters of the wetland and waters of the lake. Specific problems include management of carp, which gain entrance as larvae when the wetlands are filled but cannot escape, and lack of access by the numerous fish species that require wetland habitat in one or more life history stages. Restoration of coastal wetlands degraded by these processes is complicated by water-level and sediment-supply factors.