Crane Creek Bathymetric and Topographic Points

This data set contains all of the elevation points used to model the ground
surface in Crane Creek at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

Over 95% of the original wetland habitats along the U.S. shoreline of western
Lake Erie have been lost since the 1860s. Most of the remaining coastal
wetlands have been isolated by earthen dikes and no longer provide many of the
functions of coastal wetlands (e.g., fish habitat). Unfortunately, most of the
few remaining undiked wetlands are severely degraded. They remain
hydrologically connected to the lake, but the wetland vegetation that provides
vital fish habitat is sufficiently degraded to negatively impact the
approximately 43 species of Great Lakes fish that use wetland habitats. The
2003 EPA project initiated the restoration of the drowned-river mouth wetlands
at Crane Creek, a small stream flowing into western Lake Erie. Since
historical descriptions of the study site suggest a much broader expanse of
wetlands than just the 345 ha (852 ac) in and near the Crane Creek channel, the
diked wetlands bordering the creek were examined to evaluate options for
long-term ecological restoration. The research focused on both reestablishing
wetland vegetation near Crane Creek and exploring whether diked wetlands can be
functionally restored by hydrologically reconnecting them to Lake Erie,
effectively adding habitat to the lake. This work addressed many of the high
priority research areas identified by the 1998 EPA Science Advisory Board
report on marsh management and restored critical coastal wetland habitat,
identified as a special focus area in the Great Lakes Strategy and recently
identified as a priority by the Council of Great Lakes Governors. One aspect
of this research was to characterize the bathymetry and topography throughout
the wetland complex.