Four Species, Four Perspectives on Climate Change

This roadmap of “natural highways and neighborhoods” shows where plant and animal species have the best chance to find suitable habitat nearby in a changing climate. Our challenge is to accelerate the pace and scale of conservation in these key regions, and establish a representative network of resilient, connected lands that can continue to provide for the needs of both people and nature.

The Michigamme Highlands represent some of the largest remaining unbroken swaths of northern hardwood forest in North America. Protected lands in the Michigamme Highlands provide abundant habitat for a range of mammal species including moose, bear, marten and lynx, as well as many bird species. Migratory birds that prefer these mature forests include black-throated blue warbler and northern parula, and species of conservation concern such as wood thrush and Canada warbler.

The invasive pests harm the health of the forest and its resilience to the effects of climate change. By planting a diverse array of trees along the shore, to replace the damaged trees, we can proactively encourage forest health while protecting the future of our streams (and the osprey’s lunch).

TNC has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to restore and protect forests along streams and rivers in the Ottawa National Forest, planting trees on over 1,100 acres. In the spring of 2023, we continued that work by planting more than 44,000 native seedlings, particularly in areas threatened or impacted by pests like the spruce budworm and emerald ash borer.

The project, long-term, will create a canopy over the river which will help keep the temperatures down and aid in healthy fish habitats. It also diversifies the forest cover near streams that is needed for both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and protects water quality by stabilizing stream banks to reduce erosion potential.

By rebuilding the limestone rock cover along damaged spawning grounds, iconic Great Lakes species like lake trout, cisco and whitefish have a better chance of building a healthy population. While we continue to monitor the Elk Rapids reef alongside our partners, attention has shifted to the unknown. 

We still have a lot to learn about the quality of other reefs in the Great Lakes. Accessing them requires training and the right equipment. TNC is working closely with the Michigan DNR, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and CMU to assess the status of underwater reefs in eastern Lake Michigan. Together we’re building a better picture of how Great Lakes reefs are used by native fish species. This information will help us to identify priorities for reef protection and restoration.  

Work is happening across the state to address the rapid loss of our wetlands so that nature and people can continue to benefit. For more than 10 years, TNC has worked to restore 2,200 acres of highly altered, degraded wetland habitat that had been divided by barrier dikes and separated from Lake Erie since the 1950s.  
 
Native fish and other aquatic life are now accessing new breeding and spawning areas for the first time in more than 60 years at the Erie Marsh Preserve. The reconnection between wetland and lake has also helped control invasive Phragmites, allowing some of Michigan’s few remaining colonies of the state-threatened American lotus and swamp rose-mallow to thrive.

However, leopard frogs don’t just rely on wetland habitats. They use adjacent uplands for foraging in the summer before returning to the wetlands and ponds for hibernation. Just protecting and restoring wetlands won’t cut it. It’s essential we preserve a diverse array of local habitats. You can see this work in action at Nan Weston Nature Preserve where the wetlands nested within an upland landscape offer critical habitat for amphibians.