Coastal lands, lakes and waterways have always been sought out, settled and worked by humans for their homes and livelihoods, and the corridor connecting Lake Huron to Lake Erie has had no different experience. Rich glacial soils, lush habitat, an abundance of fish and wildlife, and a waterway for transportation brought aboriginal peoples to the area in prehistoric times. Later, with the advent of the fur trade and the eventual establishment of the European settlers in the early 1700s, the landscape slowly began to change. Timber was harvested for the construction of buildings, wetlands were drained and prairie lands were tilled to produce agricultural crops. The abundance of natural resources within the vicinity of the corridor, such as iron ore, copper, oil, natural gas, salt, gypsum, limestone, and lumber, along with the capabilities for water transportation, eventually brought industry to the area.

Today, the natural attributes of the Lake Huron to Lake Erie corridor support ecological and economical activity to perhaps a greater degree. The area provides significant habitat, natural resources, a waterway for shipping, along with an agricultural and recreational component of immense proportion.

Unfortunately, there have been significant losses of near-shore and inland fish and wildlife habitat in the Lake Huron to Lake Erie corridor, primarily due to residential and industrial development pressures resulting in drainage, in-filling and urbanization. Less than five percent of all natural riparian areas and less than seven percent of the original forest in Southwestern Ontario remain today. The more than 750,000 waterfowl arriving during their annual migration are relegated to the remaining three percent of the original wetlands. Prairie habitat has seen the greatest impact, with less than one percent of pre-settlement habitat remaining in Ontario and southeast Michigan today.

The remaining natural areas within the Lake Huron to Lake Erie corridor, although isolated and fragmented, still provide habitat of great provincial, state, national and international importance. Because private landholders manage a large portion of potential habitat, they are critical participants in regional wildlife management efforts. From an ecosystem approach, private landowner participation helps to avoid fragmented efforts that may only provide marginal benefits because a significant component of the system is not included in the plan.

The Lake Huron to Lake Erie corridor, including the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and western Lake Erie, is a unique natural resource which: