The famous "Rock of Gibraltar" endured as a fortress because it was so solid. Ironically, the Humbug Marsh of Gibraltar, Michigan endured because it was so soft. Its swampy interior foiled the schemes of developers while three centuries of settlement burgeoned around it, leaving it as an embattled bastion of nature. Its endurance was rewarded when it became the linchpin in the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, the only such project in North America. Designated in 2001, the Refuge comprises a string of individual parcels under local, state and federal jurisdiction, stretching from the downriver communities to the western shore of Lake Erie. While 97% of our original coastal wetlands have succumbed to the bulldozer, the 465-acre Humbug parcel provides a window into a previous era.

Consisting of the marsh, a lagoon protected by Humbug Island and adjacent upland habitat, the Humbug parcel comprises a complex ecosystem that is home to a wide array of species and provides a temporary haven for many migratory birds as well. The inventorying process is well under way. Officials of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, assisted by such partners as the Audubon Society and the Friends of the Detroit River, are witnessing the marsh's continued ability to amaze them with its variety.

Not surprisingly, there has been enormous community interest in seeing this amazing relic firsthand. Unfortunately, the same inaccessibility that served to protect it from its enemies thwarts its friends as well. Enter DaimlerChrysler, which in 2002 provided a parcel of land directly to the north. Once the site of a paint plant, it will soon be the home of the Refuge's gateway complex, with an interpretive center, classrooms and labs-and a trailhead for visitors to explore the refuge on foot.

Until then, public access to the marsh is restricted to official events, such as bird counts. Not wanting to let interest fade in the meantime, the nascent International Wildlife Refuge Alliance planned an "amphibious assault"-of a friendly nature. On September 18, the group held its inaugural "Paddle by Your Refuge" event. Under crystalline blue skies, some 200 hardy souls-the young and not-so-young, old river hands and nervous beginners-took to the river in kayaks.

Those new to the sport plied the canals of Trenton's Elizabeth Park in boats provided through Wyandotte's Riverside Kayak Connection outfitters. As one participant observed, "a lot of folks who had never even been in a kayak before had the chance to get out on the water and have a good time."

Fully 110 of the kayakers made the five-mile round trip to the Humbug Marsh. As they entered the Detroit River, paddlers observed the park's new, soft shoreline engineering. In addition to their erosion control and aesthetic properties, these sloped structures help absorb the waves created by passing boats, unlike vertical seawalls. At the marsh, they were rewarded with sightings of osprey, heron, egret, cormorant and other waterfowl. They also witnessed firsthand the invasion of exotic plants such as Asiatic milfoil and Phragmites. Detroit River Keeper Robert Burns kept a watchful eye on the groups from his skiff as they negotiated the open waters between the mainland and Grosse Ile.

Meanwhile, back at the park, an open-air expo featured information booths sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Downriver Linked Greenways, Wayne County Parks, DTE Energy, U.S. Steel, Audubon Society and Friends of the Detroit River. Friends' Chairman David Howell expressed his satisfaction: "This event combined both our mission of defending the river and promoting its recreational potential. Such opportunities to meet new people and tell them our story are very valuable." The event coincided with Trenton's "Somewhere in Time" festival, accentuating the awareness of days gone by when the river was the only "freeway" in what was later to become Motown.

For more on the Refuge, visit: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/detroitriver.