thumb|right|250px|[[North Maumee Bay Archeological District]]

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. Established in 2001 and managed jointly by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, it is located in a major metropolitan area. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is one of over 540 National Wildlife Refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within the Department of the Interior. It occupies of scattered property but has drawn boundaries for further expansion.

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge consists primarily of coastal wetlands, several islands in the Detroit River, and waterfront parks. The refuge includes islands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands along of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie shoreline. It also includes Humbug Marsh, a wetland in southeastern Wayne County, which is classified as a wetland of international importance.

History

Much of the land surrounding the Detroit River is urbanized and, in some places, heavily industrialized. This has resulted in excessive water pollution from the unregulated dumping of chemicals and industrial waste for many decades. Much of the garbage and sewage from Detroit's rapid industrialization found its way into the river. Much of the Detroit River and its shoreline were heavily polluted and unsafe for recreational use. Large quantities of this pollution collected around the mouth of the Detroit River at Lake Erie. The pollutants were so high after the spring thaw that thousands of migrating birds were killed by oil slicks and contaminated water every year. Oxygen levels in the river were depleted to the point where fish were unable to inhabit its waters. Because much of this pollution drained into and affected Lake Erie, portions of the lake itself were considered "dead" and unable to support aquatic life. Swimming in the water or consuming any of its remaining fish were considered health risks.

In 1961, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge was founded by congressional order thanks in part to Michigan politician John Lesinski, Jr., who was Michigan's 16th congressional district representative from 1951 to 1965. The refuge paved the way for tighter restrictions on industries and allocated much needed government funding to clean up the river. However, there was little support from Detroit businesses toward cleaning up the river, because it would negatively affect Detroit's industrialism and economy. In 1970, the entire fishing industry in the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and Lake Erie had to be temporarily closed due to toxic levels of mercury found in the water. This caused the fishing industry and all those related to lose substantial amounts of money. This, in turn, spurred a massive conservation effort aimed at cleaning up the Detroit River.

In 2001, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge was absorbed into the much larger Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, which was largely advocated by veteran Michigan representative John Dingell. The refuge was officially signed into law as the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Establishment Act (H.R. 1230) by President George W. Bush on December 21, 2001.

Millions of dollars so far have been used for land acquisitions and to improve the environment around the river. The recent cleaning up and restoration of the Detroit River is remarkable, although other problems are still at hand. The refuge grew from its original in 2001 to by 2007.

The Refuge also owns the shoals around these islands and has entered into cooperative 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 authorized boundaries of the Refuge are several existing parks including Elizabeth Park, Sterling State Park, Lake Erie Metropark, as well as Pointe Mouillee State Game Area and Erie State Game Area.

The headquarters of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge are in Grosse Ile Township, which is not officially listed as part of the refuge. In Canada, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge does not have any formal boundaries, and no Canadian portions of the Detroit River or Lake Erie are officially included into the refuge. All properties and potential future land acquisition sites are within the United States and governed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Proposed expansion

thumb|right|200px|The [[Pointe Mouillee State Game Area]]

While the boundaries of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge encompass only 7.88&nbsp;square miles (20.42&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of property scattered along the west coast of the Detroit River and Lake Erie, the Department of the Interior has approved of future land acquisitions by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service totaling 18.75&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (48.56&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land and water.

References

  • Official website by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge by the Great Lakes Commission
  • Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Establishment Act
  • A Conservation Vision for the Lower Detroit River Ecosystem