Green Bay Area of Concern
Fish and Wildlife Habitats and Populations
in the Lower Green Bay & Fox River AOC
The Lower Green Bay and Fox River Area of Concern (LGBFR AOC) is one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern across the United States and Canada. The LGBFR AOC boundary includes the pelagic zone of the Bay of Green Bay as well as the coastal zone from Long Tail Point on the west shore of the Bay, to Point au Sable on the east shore, and down the lower seven miles of the Fox River below the De Pere Dam.
It was originally listed by the International Joint Commission of Canada and the U.S. in the 1980s because this area was significantly impacted by contaminated sediment, habitat loss, and poor water quality. It is characterized as having 11 of the possible 14 beneficial use impairments (BUI), which are problems or issues that negatively affect the chemical, physical, or biological quality of that Great Lakes system. Improving BUIs will benefit Great Lakes coastal ecosystems as well as the overall quality of life of local communities. For more information on the LGBFR AOC, visit the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ LGBFR AOC page and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's webpage. For the purposes of this project, the study area includes the area within 1 km landward of the ordinary high water mark within the existing LGBFR AOC boundary.
The primary goals of this project were to:
1. Assess baseline fish and wildlife habitat conditions and threats in the LGBFR AOC.
2. Develop and provide important informational resources (e.g., maps, databases) that will be available to support future efforts.
3. Develop a strategy for monitoring and evaluating conditions of two BUIs (degradation of fish and wildlife populations and loss of fish and wildlife habitat).
4. Recommend removal targets for these two fish and wildlife BUIs.
5. Help develop a project list that, if completed, would lead to the removal of these two BUIs.