From: The News Herald

GIBRALTAR — The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Gateway has undergone an “extreme makeover.”

Those were the words used by U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-15th District) at a press conference Monday afternoon at Carlson High School about the completion of $1.2 million in cleanup and restoration work.

Also speaking were Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano; John Hartig, refuge manager; and Susan Hedman, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region V administrator.

Also announced was $1.39 million in new funding to complete all cleanup and restoration work in 2012 for construction of the refuge’s visitor center.

“The work being done at the refuge gateway is a wonderful story to be told,” Dingell said.

“Right in the middle of a populated urban area, we are taking the site of an old and abandoned automotive manufacturing facility, cleaning it up and restoring it to its natural wonder to provide habitat for thousands of plant and animal species.”

He told the crowd about his experiences hunting with his father in Humbug Marsh, in the area of the refuge gateway.

“By cleaning this site up, we are paving the way to build a beautiful visitor center and allow the nearly 7 million residents in the area to experience and learn about the importance of the almost 6,000 acres of North America’s only international wildlife refuge,” Dingell said.

“Without the support of our public and private partners, especially the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this work would not be happening. Everyone should be proud of their contribution to the work that has been done and continues to be done at the refuge.”

Hartig thanked everyone for attending before introducing Ficano, who joked about it being the “least number of cameras” he has seen recently because of controversies surrounding him, county government and the Wayne County Airport Authority.

He thanked Hartig and said that people ask him how they’ve been able to turn pollution problems into a good quality of life.

“This project is literally transformational in terms of how an industrial brownfield can be the gateway to our international wildlife refuge showcasing southeastern Michigan as an international leader in sustainability development and conservation, really helping to attract and retain employees for a business-enhanced quality of life,” Ficano said.

“It’s really an honor for Wayne County to part of this. And, it really shows how a public-private partnership can work together for really creating a quality of life here, especially Downriver. It’s a model, really, for the rest of the nation to see how well communities and public-private partnerships can work together.”

After the press conference there was an opportunity to take a bus to tour the Refuge Gateway.

The Detroit International Wildlife Refuge covers 48 miles of shoreline along the lower Detroit River and western basin of Lake Erie.

Read this at The News Herald