Ecosystem Service Valuation for Threatened Habitats: The Buffalo Reef Spawning Area in Lake Superior

Session: Great Lakes Reefs: Research, Monitoring, Creation, and Maintenance (2)

Esteban Chiriboga, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, [email protected]
William Mattes, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, [email protected]
Samuel Michaels, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, [email protected]
James Thannum, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, [email protected]

Abstract

Extensive copper mining throughout the Keweenaw peninsula of Michigan resulted in the deposition of approximately half a billion tons of mine tailings along the shores of Lake Superior and its tributaries. These mine tailings, referred to as stamp sands, contain trace metals of sulfide-bearing ore that leach into streams and lakes. The concentrations of contaminants related to these stamp sands are above toxicity thresholds for animal and plant species, creating biological dead zones in lakes and streams. Stamp sands moving into Lake Superior are encroaching on Buffalo Reef, an important whitefish and lake trout spawning area located near Gay, MI. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) has worked to develop an Ecosystem Service Valuation (ESV) of Buffalo Reef and surrounding areas to better understand the social and economic impacts of this ongoing contamination. This information will also inform the development of long-term containment and cleanup activities for the area.