DTE preserves wetlands in Monroe

The DTE Energy power plant in Monroe is surrounded by nearly 200 acres of wetland and prairie, a sort of wildlife preserve, and is home to a variety of species including bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, and peregrine falcons, as well as frogs, deer, and milkweed, a plant essential for the monarch butterfly population.

"It's really (about) keeping common species common," said Matthew Shackelford, principal environmental engineer for DTE corporate.

The wetlands are of particular interest since it sits right on Lake Erie, and lakefront wetlands have become scarce due to property development along the shoreline.

Lake Erie is an especially productive lake, producing fish, nutrients, and plankton for wildlife to feed on. Lakefront wetlands, according to Shackelford, are important buffers to keep water from eroding the mainland and too many nutrients from getting absorbed into the soil.

The wetlands around the plant provide a stop for migrating birds, as it's in direct line of a popular fight path between the south and Northern Michigan and Canada. It also provides a haven during the winter for these birds. The water used for cooling at the plant is poured into the wetlands, heating the water, causing fish to congregate in large numbers. As a result, birds flock to this area and are able to feed.

"We're lucky that we were in a position to be able to preserve (the beauty of nature) because we have so much land, and we have the resources at our disposal within our enterprise to be able to prioritize things like maintaining wildlife habitat," said Kate Mitchell, DTE's corporate communications senior strategist.

The land was originally farmland leased out by DTE. When Shackelford joined the plant in 2001, however, he thought this area would be better used as wetlands. This land, combined with other property the company had, combined to form this preserve.

"I thought, 'It's a waste,'" he said. "Just from a fossil fuel standpoint it's a waste, and it's out of public view, so it's not a blight issue."

So, Shackelford took some of the farmland out of the plant's lease agreement and stopped the mowing, letting the land grow and change naturally.

"As a community partner, not just a human community, but a wildlife community, it's the right thing to do," he said.

— Connor Veenstra can be reached at CVeenstra@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: DTE preserves wetlands in Monroe