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Islands in relation to regional ecological and social values
Islands are unique and important habitats for migratory birds and for a variety of rare plants and animals in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB). There are 1,773 islands in Lake Erie and its two connecting channels, the Detroit and Niagara Rivers. Islands in the Lake Erie basin provide native species with refuge from some of the pathogens, invasive species, and overabundant species that challenge their survival in mainland habitats. They also tend to be less threatened by inappropriate development and habitat fragmentation, and their surrounding waters may even create a refuge for heat-sensitive northern species by acting as a buffer against high temperatures. Colonial nesting waterbirds flock to the rocky, isolated shores of Lake Erie’s islands to find safe areas to build their nests. Wetlands along coasts that are protected from high-energy waves provide habitat for spawning fish and for rare native plants and animals, such as the Lake Erie watersnake (Nerodia sipedon insularum). The isolation and natural landscapes of the Lake Erie islands draw people to their shores as well. The Western Lake Erie islands are particularly popular, drawing more than a million visitors each year. Tourism is the mainstay of these island economies and also supports mainland businesses by creating demand for such services such as entertainment, lodging, food, and transportation. Travelers to islands who come through the two closest mainland counties of Erie and Ottawa, Ohio, spend nearly $1.5 billion for these services at the counties’ local businesses, generating over $2 million in local and state tax revenue. Island stakeholders have particularly identified the need to grow nature-based tourism, which is a growing interest among Ohio residents and across the nation. The Western Lake Erie Coastal Conservation Vision Project (WLECCV) includes this data layer to illustrate the economic and ecological value of island biodiversity and of stakeholders’ interest in developing a sustainable tourism industry founded on their islands’ natural wonders.
Islands data layer
The
Lake Erie Biodiversity Conservation Strategy (LEBCS) established a goal of having 30% of island area in conservation ownership in order to protect their unique habitats and species. This data layer facilitates this goal by showing priority areas for protection in terms of biodiversity. The layer depicts a weighted-area biodiversity score for islands, based on a biodiversity score developed through a previous analysis of Great Lakes Islands. That process incorporated biodiversity data from
Michigan,
Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and
New York State Heritage Programs and from the
Ontario Conservation Data Centre, and accounted for the biological diversity, physical diversity, protection status, and threats to each island’s biodiversity. For the WLECCV project, a weighted biodiversity score was calculated by multiplying the total area of islands within each 10 ha planning unit by the biodiversity score from the Islands analysis, then dividing by 125. The Great Lakes Islands analysis designated islands that scored higher than 125 as high priority for conservation, so this calculation either increased or decreased the final score depending on whether an island was a high or low priority in the Great Lakes Islands analysis