As natural resource economists, Michael Kaplowitz and Frank Lupi of Michigan State University study the choices people make—particularly the environmental trade-offs they’re willing to accept. Photo: Brenner

Great Lakes Wetlands

How Much is a Wetland Worth?
In order to protect wetlands, it helps to know what people are thinking. For instance: What do people generally know about wetlands and what features do they value?

Often, says researcher Michael Kaplowitz of Michigan State University, wetland assessment decisions are based on easily measured features such as acreage and water flows. Yet other traits, sometimes called ecological services, are typically more important to the average person.

“Wildlife habitat and biodiversity are examples of characteristics that are recognized as being highly valuable,” says Kaplowitz. “But they’re hard to put into a simple formula that allows decision makers to analyze a wetland project and say thumbs up or thumbs down.”

That could change in the coming year. Kaplowitz, and researchers Frank Lupi and John Hoehn, also of MSU, are conducting a specially designed survey on Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Funded by Michigan Sea Grant and other partners, the survey draws upon several years of research and numerous focus groups and will be mailed to more than 3,800 Michigan residents in three phases. Ultimately, the researchers hope to identify how people value Michigan’s coastal wetlands and
the protection programs they’re willing to support.

“Here, the context is on programs to preserve and restore wetlands as opposed to wetland mitigation [or replacement] projects,” says Lupi, who explains that this is partly due to the ecological complexity of coastal wetlands. Mirroring this complexity, the survey requires participants to make tough choices. Respondents surveyed in 2004 weighed issues such as biodiversity, open space, improved water quality, fish habitat, waterfowl habitat and non-game species habitat. They were also asked to accept or reject a proposed coastal wetland protection program.

“We’re not just asking people what they like about wetlands,” says Kaplowitz. “We’re giving them a very structured program and varying the elements to allow us to better understand people’s preferences. We will be able to measure the trade-offs embedded in their choices.” Economic analyses will allow the researchers to identify the wetland characteristics viewed as top priorities, estimate “willingness to pay” and provide a sense of preferred protection program characteristics.

Understanding public support for various wetlands projects is critical information, particularly in the hands of policy-makers. Suppose, says Lupi, that you want to know which wetland preservation program most people would support: “You could use this information to help design that program.”

Researchers plan to implement phase three of the project in 2005, when an additional 645 people will be surveyed to determine estimates of willingness to pay.

Contact: Michael Kaplowitz, (517) 355-0101.

Coastal Plants Identification Guide
The Coastal Plants ID book is first in a Great Lakes guide series to be produced as a cooperative project between Michigan Sea Grant and University of Michigan Press. Michigan Sea Grant is working with the UM Press to produce publications for a variety of readers in the Great Lakes region and beyond.

Ellen Elliott Weatherbee, author of the Coastal Plants ID book, is an active botanist and teaches for the University of Michigan at Matthaei Botanical Gardens/Nichols Arboretum. She is the former head of the Adult Education department. Now a private consultant, Ellen specializes in wetland delineations, threatened and endangered species surveys, natural features inventories, and court cases that involve plants and mushrooms. She also leads botanical trips that concentrate on areas of special botanical interest and has taught state wetland regulators at yearly training sessions since 1997.

Contact: Elizabeth LaPorte, (734) 647-0767.

Purple Loosestrife Project
As part of the Purple Loosestrife Project, volunteers help identify and control significant stands of purple loosestrife around the state. The invasive plant threatens the biodiversity and function of Michigan wetlands. Sponsored by Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University, the Purple Loosestrife Project began in 1997 and helped establish a network of volunteers to raise and release Galerucella beetles, which feed exclusively on purple loosestrife.

Since 1997, more than 250 people, including classroom teachers, naturalists, and volunteer leaders, have been trained in biological control techniques. An estimated 4,000 students have participated in the project by raising and releasing the beetles, and conducting site monitoring. Follow-up research confirms that Galerucella beetles have effectively controlled loosestrife within several miles of early release sites, allowing native vegetation to reemerge.

Contact: Mike Klepinger, (517) 353-5508.
See: www.miseagrant.umich.edu/pp