A version of this article was originally featured in SEMCOG’s Economic Development special edition magazine: What’s Our Edge?. Let us know if you would like to request hard copies. Southeast Michigan’s success depends on the unique strengths of its communities, businesses, and educational institutions. Regional cooperation, data-driven strategies, and a skilled workforce are key to driving growth. The Gordie Howe International Bridge, access to water, and education play vital roles in shaping the region’s future. By aligning these assets, the region can achieve greater prosperity, guided by the Economic Development Council’s new strategy.
Proximity and access to the world’s largest source of surface freshwater are high on the list of things that make Southeast Michigan a desirable place to live, work, visit, and conduct business. The collective impact is often referred to as our blue economy.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the American blue economy grew faster than the nation’s economy in its entirety in 2019. The blue economy supports 2.4 million jobs and contributes $397 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product through activities such as tourism and recreation, shipping and transportation, commercial and recreational fishing, power generation, research, and related goods and services.
Southeast Michigan’s Water-Related Industries, by the Numbers
- 350,000 jobs, generating $21 billion in annual earnings
- 120+ public boat launches
- 170+ paddling launches
- 229 public beaches
- 175,774 registered water craft in Southeast Michigan
- 57,576 in Oakland County
- 37,437 in Wayne County
- 32,669 in Macomb County
The benefits of Southeast Michigan’s proximity to and connection with Lake Erie, the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River, and Lake Huron are highly valued by residents, visitors, and community leaders. Over the past several years, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan along with organizations, municipalities, and the private sector created what is now called The Great Lakes Way.
This vision is an interconnected set of greenways and blueways that stretches from southern Lake Huron through western Lake Erie, passing through Monroe, Wayne, Macomb, and St. Clair counties. The vision incorporates roughly 160 miles of greenways and approximately 156 miles of blueways along Southeast Michigan’s shoreline. Learn more about the Great Lakes Way.
Macomb County’s Blue Economy Initiative
Macomb County has been working to leverage its high-value waterfront assets to drive economic development and market its high quality of life since county leadership created its initial Macomb County Blue Economy Strategic Development Plan in 2012. This plan highlights the value of Great Lakes coastal shoreline, access to the Clinton River, and enhancing natural water resources in an economic and ecologically sustainable manner. At present, the county’s Blue Economy strategies are centered on:
- Increasing accessibility to waterways in Macomb County
- Improving the environment, ecology, and perceptions
- Increasing sustainable economic opportunities
Lake St. Clair Metropark
In recent years, Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED) and its community partners have carried out numerous initiatives to protect valuable water resources and enhance coastal places as destinations. A 2023 Lake St. Clair Coastal Study established a baseline of current water assets and quality-of-life amenities within a 12.1 square-mile Coastal Area of Study along the lake’s shoreline. The results are being used to market the region, address deficiencies and opportunities, and support funding requests that will strengthen the natural asset and its surrounding areas.
An overarching goal of the study was to find out what the shoreline means to Macomb County from an economic standpoint, and according to Gerry Santoro, program director for MCPED’s Parks and Natural Resources Team, they discovered that Lake St. Clair was a much bigger economic driver than they initially thought. “We learned that the blue economy is one of the largest sectors in Macomb County and is also significant nationwide. We’re one of the top destinations for boating and fishing,” said Santoro.
Macomb County’s Blue Economy by the Numbers
- Creates 18,960 jobs
- 20,000 boat slips along the coastline
- 10 public parks
- 7 paddling launch locations
- In 2022:
- Macomb County’s 62 marinas welcomed 1.4 million visitors
- Macomb coastline along Lake St. Clair had 17.3 million visitors
Those are big numbers, even more impressive when considering the access issues that come with 94% of the coastline in the county being privately owned.
In 2024, the county created a “Blue Economy Taskforce” in conjunction with the Macomb County Chamber of Commerce, another key result of the coastal study. The taskforce includes more than 50 individuals representing the governor’s office, elected officials, local municipalities, and funding agencies.
The study also identified some deficiencies. According to Santoro, the county learned there was pent up demand for a campground and overnight lodging, particularly within 15 miles of the shoreline. There was also a need for a conference center in the county. The taskforce has commissioned a feasibility study to identify potential locations for a multi-use conference center that interfaces with the waterfront and includes places to walk and enjoy the water. Given that so much of the coastline is privately owned, increasing public access is a big priority. “Creating access for the general public is key for sustainability,” said Santoro.
Map illustrating the Clinton River Spillway Vision
In Chesterfield Township, recent improvements at Brandenburg Park have helped land the Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament in 2025. In addition to it’s immediate impact, this event brings national television coverage and heightened awareness of the region’s premier angling opportunities.
Kayakers in Anchor Bay at Brandenburg Park in Chesterfield Township
The county is also working with the City of Mount Clemens to move their municipal offices and fire station downtown, which will free up about 3.5 acres of land along the Clinton River. The goal is to build a multi-use, multi-story building on about 1.5 acres and allow the remaining acreage to be developed for pedestrian and public use. This project is still in the exploratory design phase.
Turning Towards the Water in St. Clair County
Kayaker on the St. Clair River
Further north, community partners in St. Clair County have also been working to create stronger connections between environmental and recreational assets and the abundant shoreline along Lake Huron, the St. Clair River, and Lake St. Clair.
A vision for a connected system of water trails was born back in 2010 when St. Clair County received a Coastal Management Program grant from EGLE (then MDEQ) and NOAA to create the Blueways of St. Clair, which encompasses over 150 miles of water trails on 17 unique paddling routes along 10 different waterways through St. Clair County. The Blueways provide a wide variety of natural and urban paddling experiences for people of all ages and abilities. In 2014, the Island Loop National Water Trail became the first water trail in Michigan to receive the national water trail designation from the U.S. Department of the Interior. It has since been designated as a state water trail as well.
In 2019, St. Clair County partnered with MCPED to develop the St. Clair-Macomb Birding Trail, which was funded in part through another Coastal Management Program grant from EGLE/NOAA and highlights 38 bird viewing sites in St. Clair and Macomb counties, including the different bird species you can expect to see and the different amenities, such as parking, restrooms, and boat and kayak launches at each location. Many of the birding trail sites are public parks along the Lake St. Clair and St. Clair River shorelines, as well as inland tributaries and nature areas.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2022 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis, “trip-related and equipment-related expenditures associated with birding in 2022 supported $279 billion in total industry output, 1.4 million jobs, and $90 billion in job income.” The St. Clair-Macomb Birding Trail is featured prominently on the MDNR’s statewide birding website.
Building off a two-decade vision to connect and complete the 54-mile Bridge to Bay Trail, three projects have given community partners in St. Clair County a comprehensive overview of existing and planned trails:
- In 2019, the county received a planning assistance grant from SEMCOG to update the countywide trails plan.
- While that planning process was underway, the Community Foundation of St. Clair County also commissioned a study to examine how regional trail systems impact the economy and better understand how other successful trail sustems have developed and flourished over time.
- The Metropolitan Planning Commission adopted a rating system for evaluating the condition of road surfaces to rate the conditions of the exisiting trail infrastructure to better understand maintenance needs.
The main driver of the updated countywide trails plan was to ensure the trail network connected people to important community assets such as downtowns, waterfront, and other recreation facilities. It also identified preferred and alternative routes to complete gaps in the trail network. The plan to complete the Bridge to Bay Trail, stretching from New Baltimore to Port Huron, includes three phases estimated at $12 million and will add another 18 miles to the network. Once completed, the Bridge to Bay Trail will provide an essential link to other trails in Southeast Michigan.
Community partners have been focusing on phased implementation and established the Regional Trails Governing Board with oversight by Friends of the St. Clair River and coordination from local governments who own, lease, or operate land that touches the Bridge to Bay Trail. That board is informed by five local trail advisory committees comprised of citizens and trail users.
Many of the communities in St. Clair County are increasingly focused on placemaking and outdoor recreation, bolstered by philanthropic support from the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, which has increased its support for outdoor recreation projects in recent years (particularly in smaller communities).
Community Foundation of St. Clair County Investments
- $25,000 for a new pocket park in the Village of Capac, which included help from the DTE Energy Foundation and another $15,000 from the Four County Community Foundation.
- $47,000 for improvements to River Park in East China Township
- $140,000 for improvements to Klecha Park in the City of St. Clair
- $465,000 for three projects in Marine City, including the Tot Lot, the Belle River Fishing Pier, and the new Marine City Marina. A generous portion of this grant funding came from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation
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