Wildlife Management Actions Projects (WildMAPs) Completed
The Maumee Area of Concern (AOC) achieved a significant environmental accomplishment: the successful completion of all designated Wildlife Management Action Projects (WildMAPs), aimed at restoring habitat and addressing key ecological issues in the Maumee River and surrounding watershed areas.
Over the past seven years, a combined investment of more than $27 million—including over $19.3 million from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and an additional $8.4 million from other sources—was dedicated to restoring over 3,517 acres of wildlife habitat. This figure exceeds the initial goal by 90 acres. These projects directly targeted Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) 14b: Loss of Wildlife Habitat, moving the Maumee AOC closer to removing this impairment.
This success builds on strategic planning efforts that began in 2015, when the Maumee AOC Advisory Committee (MAAC) brought together more than 30 regional stakeholders and scientists to identify restoration needs and recommend long-term, science-based solutions. From a broad review of potential efforts, the MAAC finalized a list of 20 wildlife habitat restoration projects. This proposal received approval from the Ohio EPA and the U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office in February 2018, which paved the way for project implementation.
These habitat restoration projects, including grassland prairies, wetlands, and full forests, have significantly improved the region’s ecological health and support progress toward addressing BUI 14: Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat. While the WildMAPs are now complete, work continues on AquaMAPs, Sediment MAPs, and other projects which are essential for addressing the remaining six BUIs and eventually delisting the Maumee AOC entirely.
Summaries of all Maumee AOC Management Action Projects are available to view here. The Maumee AOC program is part of a broader initiative to restore severely degraded portions of Great Lakes watersheds. The program is primarily funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and is a collaboration of Ohio EPA and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, in partnership with the U.S. EPA and local partners. For more information, visit https://maumeeaoc.org/.