On the Water at Allouez Bay: Restoring a Critical Lake Superior Wetland

Audubon Great and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), recently brought conservation partners together for a boat tour and luncheon at Allouez Bay near Superior, Wisconsin – a site that shows first hand how years of collaboration with over 25 partners are helping to helping restore one of the most significant coastal wetlands in the St. Louis River Estuary. 

With continued support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program that has funded thousands of restoration projects across the Great Lakes basin, Audubon and its partners are working to ensure Allouez Bay remains a thriving habitat for rails, bitterns, native plants, fish and the many other species that depend on this region.  

During the tour, partners saw thriving beds of Manoomin (wild rice), the restored hemi-marsh habitat, and efforts to manage invasive narrowleaf cattail. Participants included the  Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Karen Hyun and other WDNR officials, Mayor of Superior Jim Paine, Tribal representatives from Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and St. Croix Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), St. Louis River Alliance, Tsuga Consulting, and  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

Together, participants learned about the science and partnerships guiding the project and observed and visited areas where restoration is already helping create a healthier, more diverse wetland. 

Allouez Bay contains one of the largest intact wetland complexes remaining in the St. Louis River Estuary. It is also designated as an Important Bird Area and is the last known breeding site for Black Terns within the estuary, making its protection and restoration especially important for birds and other wildlife. 

Restoring a More Diverse Wetland 

 Over time, portions of Allouez Bay have become increasingly dominated by invasive narrowleaf and hybrid cattail. These invasive cattails can spread rapidly, forming dense stands that crowd out native plants and reduce the mixture of open water and vegetation that marsh birds, fish and other wildlife need. 

Audubon Great Lakes, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and project partners are working to control invasive cattail, restore hemi-marsh habitat and protect high-quality native wetland communities with support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. 

Restoration began in 2024, when crews mechanically mowed and hand-cut approximately seven acres of invasive cattail. Later that year, approximately 12 acres of hemi-marsh habitat were created within dense cattail stands by excavating channels and pools and seeding native wetland species. Crews returned in 2025 to re-treat approximately six acres as part of the project's adaptive management approach. 

Early results are encouraging. Manoomin and other native wetland plants have begun establishing in some of the newly created channels and pools, while seeded native plants are competing with regenerating cattail and other invasive species.

 Letting Science Guide Restoration 

Restoration at Allouez Bay is designed to adapt as the wetland responds. Partners are monitoring vegetation and bird populations to understand what is working and where additional management may be needed. 

Audubon partners at Tsuga Consulting are tracking changes in vegetation and the spread of invasive cattail, while bird monitoring conducted with the Natural Resources Research Institute is documenting how marsh birds respond as habitat conditions change. Researchers collected three years of bird data before restoration and are continuing surveys afterward, creating an important opportunity to measure the project's impact over time. 

Virginia Rails remain a hallmark of Allouez Bay, with monitoring also detecting species including Least Bitterns, American Bitterns and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. What partners learn here can help inform restoration not only at Allouez Bay, but at other coastal wetlands throughout the Great Lakes. 

What's Next at Allouez Bay 

In 2026, partners continued vegetation and bird monitoring to assess how the wetland is responding and guide the next phase of restoration. 

Upcoming work will include testing an additional method of invasive cattail control on approximately five acres. Crews will grind cattail vegetation and root material closer to the ground to determine whether the approach can more effectively weaken dense stands and slow regrowth. More selective methods will continue to be used near Manoomin and other high-quality native vegetation, while drone imagery will help partners document changes across the wetland. 

The goal is straightforward: learn from the wetland, adapt management accordingly and protect the high-quality habitat that remains while restoring areas that have been degraded. 

The recent boat tour demonstrated what is possible when conservation organizations, agencies, researchers, Tribal partners and local communities work together toward a shared goal. 

With continued support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and a commitment to long-term monitoring and adaptive management, Audubon Great Lakes and its partners are working to ensure Allouez Bay remains a thriving coastal wetland — for Black Terns, rails, bitterns, native plants, fish and the people and communities that depend on the St. Louis River Estuary.