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As a property owner along the Great Lakes, you have

the privilege of experiencing the magnificence and

astounding beauty of the shoreline every day. At the

same time, your actions can inadvertently destroy

the attributes that attracted you to the shoreline

in the first place.

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URING RECENT LOW WATER

periods, some property ownersalong the Great Lakes shorelines per-ceived growth of wetland vegetationto be an invasion of “weeds.” Toaddress their concerns, the MichiganLegislature passed Public Act 14 (PA 14) in June of 2003. PA 14amended Michigan’s wetland law toallow certain types of “beach grooming”activities on exposed Great Lakesbottomlands through November,2007, and authorized the removal ofcoastal wetland vegetation with a let-ter of approval from the director ofthe Department of EnvironmentalQuality (DEQ) in specified pilotareas of Grand Traverse and SaginawBays through June of 2006.

The Legislature also required theDEQ to evaluate these activities andreport results and recommendationsto the legislature regarding future

changes in the law. The DEQrequested the assistance of leadingGreat Lakes coastal wetlands researchscientists in providing a scientificevaluation of the impacts of beachmaintenance and vegetation removalon coastal wetlands.

Research during 2004 and 2005 by these scientists suggests that the activities authorized by PA 14have substantial, long-lasting nega-tive impacts on Great Lakes coastal wetlands.

Before you engage in beachgrooming activities, you should beaware of how your actions mayimpact the health of coastal wetlandsand, ultimately, the Great Lakes.This brochure summarizes thefindings from the research con-ducted and the DEQ report.

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GREAT LAKES COASTAL WETLANDS

are different than inland wetlandsbecause they are influenced by largelake processes including waves,wind-driven “tides” or seiches, andespecially the seasonal and long-termfluctuations of Great Lakes waterlevels. During low water periods,like those we are currently experienc-ing on Lake Michigan and LakeHuron, nearshore areas of the GreatLakes typically under water areexposed. Vegetation growth naturallyincreases on exposed wetlands dur-ing low water years.

Across the Great Lakes, an estimatedtwo-thirds of coastal wetlands havebeen dredged, drained, or convertedto other uses since pre-settlementtimes. The remaining coastal wet-lands provide untold functions andvalues, and are ecologically indispen-

sable. In addition to habitat for fishand wildlife, up to one-third of theenergy used in the entire GreatLakes food chain comes from coastalwetlands.

As a Great Lakes shoreline propertyowner, your actions can significantlyimpact the natural characteristics ofthe shore and the species thatdepend upon the wetlands thatoccur there. By engaging in beachgrooming, you could be dramaticallyand negatively impacting coastalwetlands – some of the most valu-able ecological areas in the GreatLakes. These wetlands are critical tothe health of the Great Lakes andthese negative effects could havemajor impacts on the entire GreatLakes ecosystem.

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Impacts to the Physicaland Chemical Conditions

A healthy and properly functioningcoastal wetland maintains a naturalchemical gradient from the shorelineto the open water. Along this gradi-ent, there are zones characterized byspecific vegetation and aquaticspecies influenced by the uniquephysical and chemical conditionsfound at each point on the gradient.The nearshore waters of coastal wet-lands are protected from wave actionand the open water by the expanseof wetland vegetation. Due to thisprotection, the physical and chemi-cal properties of the water very closeto shore are similar to the groundwater chemistry that feeds the wet-land. The water that is at the outeredge of the wetland plant zone issimilar to open lake water.

When vegetation is removed, thenearshore area of the wetland is nolonger protected from wave action.This exposure to waves pushes theopen water of the lake into thenearshore area and alters the physicaland chemical conditions of the wet-land. The resulting changes in waterchemistry, clarity, and temperature dramatically impact the invertebrateand fish communities. The occur-rence of those species that thrive inthe original conditions characteristicof the nearshore waters, includingseveral important game species suchas largemouth bass and yellow perch,is reduced.

The impacts to the physical and chemicalconditions, as a result of removal of vege-tation and beach maintenance activities,also extend beyond where the manage-ment practices directly occur, affectingadjacent wetlands along the shoreline.

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Impacts to AquaticVegetation

As to be expected, vegetation removaland beach maintenance activities havesubstantial impacts on aquatic plants.Additionally, related research suggeststhese substantial impacts to aquaticvegetation will be long-lasting. Inmost instances, removing “weeds”actually results in the long-term elimi-nation of important aquatic vegetation.Disking, raking, hand-pulling, andleveling or filling wetlands with sandall result in the elimination of aquaticplants. In most cases, beach groomingdestroys the root systems of the wet-land vegetation, preventing successfulregeneration in the following year.

For those coastal systems where theaquatic vegetation survives beachmaintenance practices or theremoval of vegetation, the diversity

and number of wetland plants presentwithin a wetland are significantlyreduced. While the long-term elimi-nation of aquatic vegetation may bethe desire of some property owners,killing the vegetation and destroyingthe root systems can disturb the nat-ural processes of the wetland andecosystem’s overall ability to functionproperly.

Impacts to Native Species

A common concern offered by prop-erty owners is that beach maintenancehelps get rid of harmful invasiveplant species. If invasive species havealready taken over, removal may beappropriate, but must be done usingcorrect methods to avoid spreadingthe plants to neighboring shorelineowners. However, where native plantsare still present, beach maintenanceactivities and the removal of native

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vegetation actually encourages thegrowth and spread of invasivespecies. Without competition fromnative species, exotic species such asPhragmites and purple loosestrife areable to become established muchmore rapidly than when the charac-teristic Great Lakes wetland plantcommunity remains intact.

Impacts to Invertebrates

Invertebrates include species such as dragonflies, mayflies, and other insects,small shrimp-like crustaceans, snails,and clams. While we typically donot think of these critters as impor-tant, invertebrates are the primarysource of food for fish and are criti-cal to the overall ecology of coastalwetlands and the Great Lakes.

Removing natural vegetation andconverting plant-dominated areas to

open beach areas changes the physi-cal and chemical conditions ofnearshore waters and wetlands, anddramatically alters the habitat forinvertebrates. Raking or othergrooming activities destroy the rootsystem of the plants that stabilize thewetland and prevent erosion of thesand; therefore, the conditions uponwhich certain species depend are vir-tually eliminated. With this signifi-cant habitat alteration or elimina-tion, the diversity and number ofspecies present in “groomed” wet-lands are greatly reduced. As is evi-dent with the alteration of the physi-cal and chemical characteristics ofthe wetlands, the impacts to inverte-brates are not limited solely to thegroomed portion of the shoreline.Invertebrate communities are dis-turbed (fewer numbers and kinds ofinvertebrates present) in areas as faras 150 feet away when vegetation is

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removed in a way that allows offshorewater to penetrate to the shoreline.Ultimately, beach maintenance andvegetation removal activities reducethe production of invertebrates – animportant food source for the fish ofthe Great Lakes.

Impacts to Fish

Different fish species inhabit differ-ent areas of the Great Lakes. Somespecies rely on the cover from preda-tors, the increased food available,and the specific chemical and physi-cal characteristics found in coastalwetlands. Since beach groomingundeniably alters those conditions,the fish communities of the coastalwetlands and the Great Lakes arealso altered. Once again, the numberand types of fish found at groomedand ungroomed sites varies signifi-cantly. This change is due to alter-

ations in the plant community thatcreates openings allowing open lakewater to penetrate to the shoreline.In particular, larval, or very youngfish, use wetland vegetation as pro-tection and feed on the invertebratesthat inhabit the coastal wetlands.Their numbers are reduced substan-tially when the vegetation and subse-quent food supply is decreased.Specifically, the research shows adecrease of important sport fish,such as yellow perch, smallmouthbass, and largemouth bass, in thegroomed areas. As with the othereffects of beach grooming, theimpacts to fish communities are notlimited to the altered shoreline butextend laterally along the shorelineinto intact wetland areas. The extentand strength of wave action deter-mines how much of the shoreline isactually impacted by an individualbeach grooming action. However,

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evidence indicates that the overallimpacts to fish of the Great Lakesare substantial and extend as far as150 feet laterally at sites where thereis greater exposure to waves from the open lake.

Beach maintenance and removal ofvegetation significantly alters the

chemical and physical conditions ofnearshore waters, kills aquatic vege-tation, increases the spread of inva-sive species, decreases the number ofinvertebrates (the source of food forfish), and reduces fish populations inthe Great Lakes. Taken together,these impacts equal disaster for ourGreat Lakes coastal wetlands.

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Beach grooming activities pose SERIOUS THREATS to the

natural functions of coastal wetlands, including wildlife

habitat, erosion control, and water quality protection. Before

you engage in beach grooming, recognize the substantial and

long-lasting adverse impacts you could impose not only upon

your property, but also on your neighbor’s property and on the

forty million residents who rely upon the Great Lakes for their

hunting, fishing, and other recreational opportunities, as well

as their QUALITY OF LIFE.

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Because different types and frequency ofmanagement practices result in varyinglevels of destruction to coastal wetlandecosystems, you can take actions to reducenegative impacts to the Great Lakesshoreline. If you must conduct beachmaintenance, mowing plants to a heightabove 2 inches seemed to have the leastimpact on the Great Lakes wetlands.The research also determined that if theplant community is allowed to recoverduring and after mowing, there wereminor impacts to the physical andchemical conditions, vegetation, inverte-brates, and fish community. However,repeated mowing without time forrecovery has the same impacts as theother forms of vegetation removal.

If you still intend to conduct beachmaintenance activities or removevegetation from the Great Lakesbottomlands, ensure that youractivities are within the scope ofState and Federal law. You may berequired to obtain a permit fromthe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Michigan Department ofEnvironmental Quality.

Michigan Department ofEnvironmental Quality – Land andWater Management Division.517-373-9244www.michigan.gov/deqwetlands

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,Detroit District. 313-226-2218www.lre.usace.army.mil/

The DEQ Report on the Impacts of Beach Maintenance and Removal of Vegetation under Act 14 of 2003 can be accessed at:www.michigan.gov/deqwetlands

Special thanks to the scientists whoconducted the research to evaluate theimpacts of beach maintenance andvegetation removal: Dr. DennisAlbert, Michigan Natural FeaturesInventory, Michigan State UniversityExtension; Dr. Thomas Burton,Michigan State University; and Dr. Donald Uzarski, Grand ValleyState University.

Photos courtesy of T.M. Burton, KetoGyekis, and Don Uzarski.

Cover photo courtesy of Al Sickinger.

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Developed and designed by the following agencies and organizations:Ducks Unlimited, Great Lakes/AtlanticRegional OfficeGrand Traverse Band of Ottawa andChippewa IndiansLone Tree CouncilMichigan Department of EnvironmentalQualityMichigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan Environmental CouncilMichigan United Conservation ClubsNational Wildlife FederationTip of the Mitt Watershed CouncilU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceWatershed Center Grand Traverse Bay

This publication made possible by funding provided by the Great LakesFisheries Trust.

For more information about Great Lakes coastal wetlands, contact Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council at (231) 347-1181.

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