Measuring progress toward shared goals
How do we know if we are making progress? Together with Blue Accounting partners, the Great Lakes Coastal Assembly is working to identify and track specific metrics that measure how well we are advancing toward reaching our objectives.
We have identified the following metrics so far. Click below to learn more.
If wildlife are thriving, then it follows that their homes must be in good shape. One way to track progress towards healthy wetlands is to look at wildlife that depend on wetlands. The first group is wetland breeding birds, or birds that must have wetland habitat for nesting and raising their young.
Amphibians (mostly frogs and toads) are intimately connected to water, literally able to breathe underwater through their skin. With this close association with water, they are especially sensitive to changes in wetland habitats. A community of wetland breeding frogs can indicate that a wetland is healthy and functioning well.
Goal: A resilient system of Great Lakes coastal wetlands that is able to function within an extended range of variability, supports diversity of wetland types throughout the region, and adapts to changing climatic and hydrologic conditions.