Nyanquing Point State Wildlife Area Coastal Wetland Project

Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area in Bay County, Michigan consists of approximately 1,400 acres of Great Lakes coastal marsh and associated upland habitats along Saginaw Bay. During fall and spring migrations, Nayanquing Point provides critical habitat for a wide array of migratory bird species including thousands of waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds, making it a very popular location for birdwatchers and waterfowl hunters alike. However, a failing pump structure jeopardized the water level management capabilities necessary to maintain the high quality wetland habitat that supports bird use and recreational activities in two managed wetland units totaling 448 acres.

In 2010, Ducks Unlimited received a $192,862 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to redesign and replace the failing pump and restore management capabilities to this vital piece of Great Lakes wetland habitat. With the completion of this project in fall 2011, Michigan Department of Natural Resources wetland managers can once again effectively manipulate water levels within the 298-acre East Marsh that provides critical stopover habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds and the adjacent 150-acre C-Field that is annually planted to a mix of moist soil plants and flooded crops to provide high quality public waterfowl hunting opportunities. The new pump structure will also allow wetland managers to enhance habitat conditions for the benefit of a multitude of other wetland dependent species for many years to come.

Projects such as this one are vital to maintaining high quality wetland habitat for migrating waterfowl on already protected lands. “When the existing infrastructure reaches the end of its useable life, the quality of the habitat and its ability to support migrating populations of waterfowl are at risk,” say Dane Cramer, Regional Biologist. “Replacing a pump like this one also gives us the opportunity to work with our partners to design a more efficient structure that makes their job easier and reduces operating costs, allowing them to spend their limited resources on other habitat improvement priorities.” Continued success protecting, restoring, enhancing vital wetland habitat is only made possible through successful partnerships such as this one between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Duck Hunters Association, and Ducks Unlimited, who pooled resources to secure this Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant.