Clark McCreedy
In the event of an oil spill, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 authorizes Natural Resource Trustees (Trustees) to “develop and implement a plan for the restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or acquisition of the equivalent, of the natural resources under their trusteeship.” Trustee agencies for the 2010 Enbridge Oil Spill include the Michigan Department of Environment Quality1, Michigan Department of Natural Resources2, Michigan Department of the Attorney General3, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribe4, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians5, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration6, Department of the Interior7 – US Fish and Wildlife Service8. We briefly characterize the spill and spill response, development of the Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (DARP), and progress related to implementation of the restoration effort. Projects already implemented include the replacement of large wood within 38 miles of the river, dam removal, improvement of tributary fish passage, development of recreational access, on-going monitoring, and treatment of invasive species. Projects scheduled for future implementation include floodplain reconnection, aquatic passage, an assessment of turtle recruitment and demography, oak savannah restoration and enhancement of lakes within the Fort Custer Recreation Area, wild rice restoration, and the identification and fostering of traditional ecological knowledge related to tribal cultural resources.
