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December 1, 2003PRESERVING MICHIGAN'S WATERSRestored wetland provides natural oasis near busy Detroit airportBy JOHN FLESHERAssociated Press Writer SUMPTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Chirping crickets and honking geese, flapping overhead in V formation, serenade Bill Bisson as he strolls along the Crosswinds Marsh boardwalk on a gray fall afternoon. Pausing to gaze at a family of mute swans gliding atop the placid waters, he is so enthralled that not even the roar of an approaching jetliner spoils the moment. "It's a lovely spot, so wonderfully peaceful ... a great place to meditate," said Bisson, an architect from Portland, Maine, who makes a point of exploring the marsh when visiting relatives near Detroit. "It's like a pilgrimage." Time was when passers-by had little cause to linger in this corner of southern Wayne County, especially with a landfill just down the road. But now that 1,056 acres of Sumpter Township farm fields have been converted to a county wetland park, the spot draws tourists as well as solitude-seeking residents of nearby cities and suburbs. Crosswinds Marsh is an example of wetland replacement, or "mitigation," which the state requires of developers seeking permits to degrade wetlands. Detroit Metropolitan Airport, about 15 miles northeast, created the site to compensate for destroying wetlands to expand its runway complex in the early 1990s. While the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality concedes that most wetland mitigation projects haven't met the goals set for them, it describes Crosswinds as largely successful. "It's doing what it should be doing: providing habitat for a range of species," said Peg Bostwick, wetland specialist for the DEQ. Crosswinds performs numerous tasks commonly associated with wetlands, such as providing fish and wildlife habitat, improving water quality, storing floodwater and offering recreational opportunities. It has flourished because it has three characteristics necessary for all successful wetlands: adequate hydrology, nonpermeable soils and aquatic vegetation, park manager Darrin Bauer said. Constructed over the last dozen years in two phases, the project is a mixture of several wetland types, including wooded swampland; grassy wet meadow; and both shallow and deep-water marsh. It's within the same watershed as the airport wetlands it replaced. The site had been a natural wetland years earlier before it was drained for agriculture. Its thick clay base holds water exceptionally well. Tiles that had been laid to drain the area and keep it dry were removed, allowing water runoff to accumulate once more. Thousands of tons of soil were dug to create ponds and islands. Wetland vegetation was planted in some areas and returned naturally in others. More than 200 bird and 30 mammal species have been spotted since the wetland was constructed. Frogs, snakes and other amphibians and reptiles abound. The ponds are home to 13 types of fish, including catfish, bluegill and largemouth bass. A number of endangered plant species native to wetlands were transported to the site. But the marsh's richly diverse wildlife arrived gradually and on its own, including a nesting pair of bald eagles. "People say, 'Where did you get the eagles?' as if you can pick them up at Kmart," staff naturalist Jennifer Zaenglein said during a recent tour of Crosswinds. "If you build it, they will come. Even the fish found their way here with no help from us." The six miles of hiking trails and boardwalks offer a mini-course on wetland ecology. When escorting school groups and tourists, Bauer and Zaenglein explain the importance of wetlands for flood control and water purification. But what really impresses visitors is the array of wildlife. "It's something they can see and experience first hand," Bauer said. Muskrat lodges, which the industrious creatures fashion from cattails and mud, are concealed amid thick vegetation beside the ponds. Well-gnawed cottonwood stumps are telltale signs that beaver have arrived. A blue heron stands motionless in shallow water as two colorful butterflies swoop past. More than 70 butterfly species have been seen in the marsh since 1997, from common monarch to dreamy duskywing. As the trail leads into forested wetland, the ground is drier, yet moist enough to retain deer and raccoon tracks. Scat piles confirm that coyotes wander among the white oaks, cottonwoods and hickories commonly found in swampy woods. Rowena Zimmerman, a sixth-grade teacher at South Middle School in Belleville, brings classes to tour the marsh every year. "For many of the students, it's their first time in a wetland habitat," she said. "To learn about the diversity of the plant and animal life is quite an eye-opener." --- On the Net: http://www.waynecounty.com/parks/crosswinds-park.htm |
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