The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, awarded a contract to Tidewater Inc. of Elkridge, MD, last month, to restore and create coastal wetland habitat along the Lake Erie shoreline in the City of Port Clinton, Ohio.
The project will restore 12 acres and add another 1.4 acres of coastal wetlands on Lake Erie, in an area that is vital for the Mississippi and Atlantic migratory flyways.
“Once the wetlands there are restored, more than half the migratory species in North America will once again be able to see Port Clinton as suitable stopover habitat, ” said USACE.
“The coastal wetland initiative in Port Clinton is a perfect example of federal investment that will have both ecological and economic benefits for our region, ” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur . “I am grateful to USACE planners, in partnership with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, OEPA’s Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program, and the City of Port Clinton, for driving this coastal restoration effort. Our region’s future is directly tied to Lake Erie’s health and vitality.”
“ Coastal wetlands along the Great Lakes provide important feeding opportunities to migrating birds ,” said Chris Akios, USACE Project Manager. “They often utilize coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes much in the way vacationers fuel up at the last gas station before an isolated stretch of their journey.”
Construction is scheduled to begin later in the calendar year, and will span up to five years.