Maumee River Rapids

The Maumee River Rapids, made of exposed limestone bedrock, is an alvar, a habitat found only in Europe and in the Great Lakes region. Alvars are rocky ledges with cycles of flooding and seasonal low water. Plants and animals live on the limestone with only a thin layer of soil to sustain them. The turbid rapids provide oxygenated water and stir up nutrients and macro-invertebrates that are food for fish and other wildlife. In spring, this stretch of the river is a destination for fisherman as walleye swim upriver to cast their eggs over the protective cobblestone below the rapids. The spawn, or "Spring Run," is the largest of its kind on the Great Lakes.

Maumee, Ohio · United States