The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it has completed the first phase of a project to restore the Braddock Bay ecosystem.
Restoration ecologist Josh Unghire says phase one involved the use of heavy machinery to excavate channels and potholes within the existing marsh.
"And the purpose of that is, by opening it up and creating some potholes of variable depth and some channels to access those potholes, we're improving the habitat. We're improving the accessibility of the march to species like the Northern Pike. We're also creating open water areas for water birds and water fowl."
Unghire says kayakers recently reported that they saw fish accessing the newly excavated area.
Phase two of the project will begin in August and it will involve recreating an historic barrier beach at Braddock Bay that once measured 100 acres in the early 1900s.
"We think it's going to be really important for water birds and water fowl. One species we targeted was the Black Tern. It's a state endangered species that historically used to nest in Braddock Bay. It really depends on these open water areas within an emergent marsh."
The nearly $8 million restoration effort is being funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.