Ann Arbor, MI – July 11, 2006 - A recently released report found the value of Saginaw Bay coastal marshes is worth $239 million dollars, which breaks down to $3,596 per acre. The report, Economic Values of Saginaw Bay Coastal Marshes With a Focus on Recreational Values, is the culmination of a study coordinated by Ducks Unlimited (DU) with support from the Coastal Management Program, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ); the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Great Lakes National Program Office; Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. The study was designed to quantify the economic contribution to society of Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
Great Lakes coastal marshes are complex ecosystems that provide many important functions valued by society. The diverse benefits of wetlands including cleaner water, flood reduction, healthy fish, and abundant wildlife are vital to our quality of life. Although it is obvious that wetlands provide many important functions, it is often difficult to place a dollar value on nature. However, this report highlights the important economic value of intact, healthy, wetlands along the Great Lakes shoreline.
Through detailed analysis of a mailed questionnaire survey of residents in the Saginaw Bay area, the Great Lakes coastal marshes were determined to have significant economic value. The results revealed that the economic values parallel the personal values people place on recreational activities associated with the coastal marshes and the amount of money they are willing to pay to preserve or enhance the services of these natural areas.
Findings from the report:
Ø The availability of Saginaw Bay coastal marshes for recreation alone has a value of $15.9 million dollars per year with a total present day value for recreation of $239 million.
Ø The majority of the general public living in the Saginaw Bay area place significant recreational and intrinsic values on coastal marshes.
Ø 60% of Saginaw Bay residents visit the bay or coastal marshes for outdoor recreation or leisure and the primary recreation activity is fishing.
Ø 79% of residents believe water quality improvements provided by coastal marshes are important.
Ø As the quality and quantity of these wetlands are reduced, all of these economic values will diminish as well.
These values for coastal wetlands represent only a portion of the overall worth placed upon these complex ecosystems. The primary focus of the report was the value of wetlands for recreational use, but the true importance of these wetlands to area residents goes beyond just recreational use and includes ecological functions and intrinsic values. For example, the total value of all ecosystem services provided by freshwater wetlands worldwide has been estimated to average $10,573 per acre per year.
“The release of this report is critical - at a time when the entire region is unifying behind efforts to restore and protect the Great Lakes, said David Brakhage, director of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited’s Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office. Protection of these crucial systems is recognized by the federal government in recently introduced Great Lakes restoration bills.”
The Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act puts into practice the recommendations of a $20 billion clean-up plan released in December ‘05 as part of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Senator Carl Levin [D-MI], would protect the Great Lakes by restoring fish and wildlife habitat including coastal wetlands, stopping invasive species, halting sewage contamination, and cleaning up toxic pollution.
"The Great Lakes are a unique American treasure, and we must recognize that we are only their temporary stewards," said Levin. "I have introduced bi-partisan legislation to implement many of the recommendations, including restoring our valuable wetlands, from the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy Report. Congress must act to keep pace with the needs of the lakes in order to protect and restore them for future generations."
As our greatest natural treasure, the Lakes are 20% of the Earth’s available fresh surface water. They provide habitat for hundreds of fish and wildlife species and provide drinking water and recreational opportunities for tens of millions of residents and visitors.
“We have a responsibility to protect the ecological and economic benefits of coastal wetlands and the Great Lakes, said Jennifer McKay, policy specialist at Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. The longer we wait to restore and protect the lakes, the more expensive the job gets. In the end, it pays to save wetlands – wetlands are worth more protected than destroyed.”
For more information, visit: http://www.ducks.org/Conservation/GreatLakesRegionalOfficeContacts/2602/GreatLakesAtlanticRegionalOfficeContacts.html
About Ducks Unlimited: With more than one million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. Since its founding in 1937, DU has raised more than $1.5 billion and conserved nearly 11 million acres critical wildlife habitat across North America. Wetlands are nature’s most productive ecosystems, but the United States has lost more than half of its original wetlands and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres every year.
About Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council: Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council speaks for our members including full-time and seasonal residents, lake associations, and businesses. We work to maintain the environmental integrity and economic and aesthetic values of lakes, streams, wetlands, and ground water in Northern Michigan, as well as statewide and throughout the Great Lakes Basin. As the lead organization for water resources protection in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, and Emmet Counties, the Watershed Council is working to preserve the heritage of Northern Michigan – a tradition built around our magnificent waters.
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