Service Washington Office and Regional Coastal Program personnel on site with an array of project partners at the Bay City Creek Estuary Enhancement Project. Ashland, Wisconsin. August 2007. Photographer Ted Koehler.

The Bay City Creek Estuary Enhancement Project was funded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program – Great Lakes and consisted of  a community-based restoration project for Bay City Creek in Ashland, Wis., between US Highway 2 and its confluence with Lake Superior. A key element to successful ecological restoration is timing and opportunity and the need existed to assist the City of Ashland as they faced the challenges presented with implementing their Waterfront Development Plan and Comprehensive Plan in this area.  The City has successfully implemented a Lakefront Trail through the area and is actively seeking to add additional public open space in the area as well.

This project provided critical leadership to a restoration process that involved diverse partners and the community at large. Little was known about the current status of the area and the cumulative impacts of decades of misuse. Northland College’s Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute led the way on this project by engaging in an assessment of the area to determine status and trends including invasive species, water quality and ecological health. The dominant species in the riparian zone is black willow trees planted for stabilization purposes after flood events of the 1940’s creating an even-aged, single species overstory under which only invasive species will thrive. An integrated management approach was utilized to determine how to transition to more natural balanced condition and removal of hot spots of invasive plant species has taken place.  Additional monitoring and other work will also continue in the future.

Permanent reference sites were established for long term physical, chemical and biological monitoring. SOEI coordinated activities with the Ashland School District, Ashland Tree Management Advisory Board, Park Board, Waterfront Committee, and Beautification Council. This and previous efforts for Bay City Creek have demonstrated the strong historical and cultural ties residents of Ashland have with this resource. It has strengthened the community support system that recognizes the value of  Bay City Creek and it’s estuary. The values of this feeder stream to the Chequamegon Bay ecosystem were quantified for use in future resource planning and promoted to establish long term stewardship by citizens.  Thus, the benefits of this Coastal Program project will be shared for many years to come.