Harbor Island is more than a local treasure.  It also plays critical roles in state, federal and global ecological and humanitarian schemes.  Here are highlights of some of them.

The Grand River.  Harbor Island is a 23-acre mixture of land mass and marsh sitting at the mouth of the Grand River, Michigan’s largest and longest river.  First named O-wash-ta-nong, meaning Far-Away-Water, by local Native Americans.  Meandering over 250 miles from Hillsdale to Grand Haven.  Flowing steady at a rate of 3-4 mph.  The island is a stoic sentinel keeping constant vigil over more than 2.5 million gallons of river water flowing into Lake Michigan every day.  Over a trillion gallons each year. 

The Grand River Watershed.  Harbor Island is an environmentally critical piece of the complex and ecologically important Grand River Watershed, the largest in Michigan, covering over 5,500 sq. miles.  Accounting for almost 15% of Lake Michigan’s entire drainage basin.  Home to abundant wildlife; 95 native fish species, 215 bird species, 50 mammal species.

The Great Lakes Basin.  Harbor Island also is a key component of the Great Lakes Basin which impacts two nations, the United States and Canada.  Touching Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, as well as the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Québec.  The Great Lakes Basin is home to some 37 million people and encompasses massive parts of the two nations, covering over 94,000 sq. miles.  The Basin has an enormous effect on both countries.  Nearly 25% of Canada agricultural production and 7% of U.S. farm production.  More than 35 million people, roughly 10% of the U.S. population and more than 30% of Canada’s.

The Grand River Coastal Corridor.  Harbor Island, perched at the mouth of the Grand River, serves as a crucial gateway and main connecting link of the 2,400-acre Grand River Coastal Corridor (GRCC).  The Corridor boundaries stretch over 50 miles north and south along Lake Michigan’s shoreline.  From north of Muskegon State Park to south of Port Sheldon Township.  And easterly inland from two to 10 miles along the stretch.  Harbor Island sits strategically in the middle of the Corridor, precisely at the intersection of two major conservation corridors, acting as a visual beacon and inviting refuge to the transitory wildlife moving up and down the Corridor throughout the year.  The GRCC is an ecologically significant area that connects people and wildlife across Grand Haven, Muskegon, and Grand Rapids through landscape-scale natural area restoration and inclusive recreational access.  The Corridor is regionally and globally important for birds.  It is part of a globally recognized Important Bird Area for migratory and overwintering waterfowl.  Its core area contains hundreds of acres, composed almost entirely of top 20% designated wetlands critical for marsh bird conservation in the Great Lakes region.  The Corridor is home to some of the highest quality natural communities in the entire state of Michigan and supports high levels of biodiversity, including sensitive or rare species of conservation concern.  The GRCC supports significant numbers of migratory birds each Spring and Fall, serving as a migratory hotspot and stopover site as they rest and renourish on their way to and from wintering grounds.  The Corridor also provides ecosystem services to communities in the form of stormwater and carbon storage, water filtration, and more, making it extremely climate resilient, particularly among Lake Michigan’s shorelines.  The GRCC also holds cultural value for the Gun Lake Tribe for Wild Rice (a wild rice called “Mnomen”, given by the Creator, that grows on waterbodies and an important sustenance and ceremonial food to Native American tribes in the United States for thousands of years), and fisheries management and restoration.  Ref. National Audubon Society; Audubon’s Vision: Restoring the Great Lakes for Birds and People.

Harbor Island is an impact player on the local, state, federal and global stage.  It plays critical roles in the climate and ecological balance of humans, plants, wildlife and water.  It must be respected and protected.