Last month, Spring got a jumpstart at the Dixon Refuge—and at Square Marsh in the Calumet region, where TWI conducts restoration efforts—thanks to a series of prescribed burns. TWI ecologists and restoration technicians took to the fields to burn around 400 acres at the sites over three days. While fire may not be the first thing that comes to mind when envisioning the needs of a wetland, when it comes to prescribed burning, fire represents opportunities for new life and abundant vegetation!
When ecology meets engineering: Restoring wetlands in the Calumet
At TWI, successful wetland restoration involves more than getting rid of invasive species and planting native wildflowers and sedges. While these are important steps, it’s ecology combined with engineering that makes the magic happen. This is especially true in the Calumet region along the southern shores of Lake Michigan, where the hydrology has been extensively altered by industrial and residential development.