Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge


Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge

Parks Directory of the United States / National Wildlife RefugesAddress:9311 Groh Rd
Grosse Ile, MI 48138
Phone:734-692-7608
Fax:734-695-7603
Web: midwest.fws.gov/DetroitRiver
Established: 2001.
Location:Lower Detroit River in Michigan and Canada.
Facilities:Undeveloped; refuge is in planning and remediation stages.
Activities:Boating, bird watching, hunting, fishing, interpretation.
Special Features:North America's first international wildlife refuge seeks to restore lands that were once one of the most significant migratory staging areas for diving ducks. In the past 100 years, discharges from the steel and chemical industry and municipal sewage effluent, along with the effects of large, deep-draft vessels, have degraded the lower Detroit River ecosystem. Only a remnant of the once vast numbers of migratory waterfowl can be seen today.
Habitats: 4,211 acres of islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and riverfront lands along 18 miles of the Lower Detroit River.
Access: Not yet open to the public.
Wild life: 29 species of migratory waterfowl and 300 other types of migratory birds. Also 65 species of fish.
See other parks in Michigan.