Feb 9, 2023 - Things to Do
Exploring Belle Isle's Blue Heron Lagoon
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Belle Isle's Blue Heron Lagoon Trail. Photos: Samuel Robinson/Axios
āš½ Sam here. Walk all the way down Belle Isle's Blue Heron Lagoon Trail and you'll be surrounded by rich natural texture.
The intrigue: After passing the lighthouse and bridge, there's a little bird house with a 3 x 5 notepad inside. On the front: "WRITE A LOVE LETTER TO BELLE ISLE."
- Naturally, I did.
- Email [email protected] with a photo of my note and I'll send you some exclusive Sam swag.
Zoom in: The trail also has informational boards showing the location of manmade fish-spawning reefs around the island.
- The construction of shipping canals in the early 1900s destroyed the fish's natural habitat.
- Just 1% of the sturgeon population that once called the Detroit River home still exists today ā an estimated 6,000 now swimming in the river, according to research by Canadian conservation groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- That's sadly one of the healthiest remaining populations in the Great Lakes.
Flashback: Someone caught a 100-year-old, 240-pound sturgeon in the Detroit River in 2021.
