Habitat Restoration Database: Muskegon Lake Area of Concern 2016 Partnership

The habitat restoration projects at Muskegon Lake funded through the 2016 NOAA-GLC Partnership are taking place on five individual locations throughout the Muskegon Lake Basin: the Lower Muskegon River wetlands, Veterans Memorial Park, Heritage Landing, the Muskegon Environment Research and Education Society (MERES) Nature Preserve, and Amoco. Additional monitoring is being implemented at several sites along the Muskegon Lake coastline. These projects aim to provide habitat for native wildlife (fish, turtles, birds) and lake bottom communities, create and soften shoreline, and reconnect and restore wetlands.

The following metrics are being collected during pre- and post- monitoring of the project sites:

Wildlife Data:  Herpetofauna species diversity and relative abundance data are being collected at the MERES restoration site. Macro invertebrate species diversity data are being collected at the Amoco restoration site.

Vegetation Data: pre- and post-  restoration plant species richness, cover, and biomass data are being collected at the Lower Muskegon River wetlands, Amoco, Heritage Landing, Veterans Memorial Park, and MERES restoration sites.

Fish Monitoring Data: Fish abundance data are being collected at the Lower Muskegon River wetlands, Amoco, Heritage Landing, and Veterans Memorial Park restoration sites.

Soil Monitoring Data: Soil analysis samples are being collected during pre- and post- restoration monitoring and tested for metrics such as total phosphorous, soluble reactive phosphorous, and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure at the Lower Muskegon River wetlands, Amoco, Heritage Landing, and MERES restoration sites.

Water Quality Data: Water analysis samples are being collected during pre- and post- restoration monitoring and tested for metrics such as dissolved oxygen at the Veterans Park restoration site.