Piping Plover Habitat

The state of Wisconsin, with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, used dredged material to create endangered Piping Plover habitat in the St. Louis River Estuary.  This project successfully established breeding habitat, removed dangerous shoaling sites near the Duluth-Superior Harbor, and increased bird-watching opportunities. This project also successfully created habitat for the endangered hairynecked tiger beetle and generated fish spawning habitat. This beneficial use of dredged material freed up available capacity in the harbor’s confined disposal facility, where dredged material is usually placed.