The restoration of St. Luke’s Marsh

Coastal wetlands around Lake St. Clair are particularly vulnerable to changing conditions. Fluctuating lake levels, intense storms, reduced ice cover and prolonged drought can accelerate erosion, damage wetland infrastructure and affect the plants and wildlife that depend on these habitats. With climate change expected to intensify many of these challenges, DUC recently secured funding for a five-year, multi-phase restoration project to strengthen the marsh and help it thrive into the future.

The work: All hands on deck

DUC conservation specialists, engineers and invasive species leads are coming together to make this transformation a success.

The first priority is the dike system, which has been essential to keeping the marsh on the landscape. Work began in August 2026, led by DUC’s engineering team. To date, 300 metres of re-coring and top and side slope grading have been completed. These improvements will help strengthen the infrastructure that manages water levels and sustains the marsh.

Next is tackling invasive species. Approximately 43 per cent of the St. Luke’s property is covered by phragmites, an aggressive reed that spreads quickly and crowds out native plants, reducing habitat diversity and encroaching on open-water areas important to wildlife. In late August 2026, DUC’s invasive species team carried out an initial herbicide treatment across 40 hectares of dikes and within the impounded areas. Control efforts will continue throughout the five-year project.

Later in the project, the team will create and expand open-water features in part of the marsh, including channels and ponds. These improvements will increase habitat diversity and help the wetland store water, creating a wider range of conditions for wetland wildlife.

St. Luke’s Marsh: A habitat worth restoring

St. Luke’s Marsh supports an abundance of wildlife, including several species at risk. These species depend on healthy wetland ecosystems for food, shelter, nesting and breeding habitat — resources that can be affected by fluctuating water levels, prolonged drought and increasingly unpredictable weather.

Among them are the endangered king rail, a secretive marsh bird, and the threatened least bittern, which relies on wetland vegetation for cover and nesting. The marsh also supports several at-risk reptiles, including the threatened Blanding’s turtle and eastern foxsnake (Carolinian), as well as the endangered queensnake, spiny softshell and spotted turtle.

By strengthening the marsh and improving habitat conditions, DUC aims to maintain the diverse wetland environments these species need. Through our Wetland Restoration Monitoring Protocol (WRMP), developed in partnership with Birds Canada, we’ll be monitoring birds and amphibians to better understand how wildlife is responding to the restoration over time.

Over the next five years, this work will help strengthen an increasingly rare coastal wetland, improve its resilience to changing conditions and support the wildlife that depends on it. By investing in St. Luke’s Marsh today, DUC is helping keep this vital piece of the Lake St. Clair shoreline thriving.

This work is being supported by the Province of Ontario’s Species Conservation Program and the Canada Water Agency’s Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative.