Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program: Restoring Great Lakes aquatic habitat

Session: Great Lakes Fish Habitat Priorities Development, Implementation, and Adaptive Management (2)

Steven Check, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, [email protected]

Abstract

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in cooperation with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), administers the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program (GLFER).  The purpose of the program is to plan, design and construct projects that support restoration of the fishery, ecosystem, and beneficial uses of the Great Lakes.  Program objectives include preserving and restoring aquatic and associated riparian habitat to promote naturally reproducing fish communities, controlling the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species, and restoring the beneficial uses to Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes.  GLFER is conducted in coordination with the GLFC’s Council of Lakes Committees (CLC), a panel of fisheries management experts from across the Great Lakes basin.  Projects are proposed by local sponsors, or are solicited by USACE or CLC representatives and evaluated annually by the CLC representatives for inclusion in sequenced feasibility, design, and construction schedules as dictated by funding and USACE capacity.  To date, the GLFER program has completed 14 projects in the Great Lakes basin to restore coastal wetlands, remove dams, improve upland, coastal, and beach habitats, and to help control sea lamprey.  The successes, challenges, and opportunities of implementing the GLFER program will be detailed.