Over the last 50 years, Lake Ontario's coastal wetlands have been knocked out of balance, strangely enough, by a plan to balance lake levels.

The plan, which dates back to 1963, tries to balance the needs of hydropower facilities, commercial shipping, recreational boating, and waterside property owners. All are significantly affected by even small changes in lake or seaway levels.

The plan didn't take the needs of coastal wetlands into account, and they've suffered as a result.

But this week, the International Joint Commission released details on its new plan for regulating lake levels. The proposal factors in the relationship between lake levels and coastal wetlands and allows for a more natural cycle of lake level increases and decreases. In short, the effect of levels changes on wetlands will be considered alongside the effects on hydropower, shipping, and waterside property.

Coastal wetlands rely on seasonal variations in water levels to maintain plant diversity. The existing plan hasn't provided that; rather, it often provides wetlands with too little water in wet parts of the year and too much water during dry periods. That's caused cattails to crowd out desirable plants and habitat, says Jim Howe, executive director of the Nature Conservancy of Central and Western New York.

The new plan, Howe says, encourages plant diversity which, in turn, will mean higher quality wetlands. That, in turn, will mean better habitat for a variety of birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Some of those species have been in decline, including the black tern, a threatened bird species, and northern pike, a popular sportfish that spends much of its early life in or near coastal wetlands.

Wetlands also help filter stormwater and groundwater. Lake Ontario has struggled with runoff-related water quality problems, which makes the filtering functions of coastal wetlands important. Healthier wetlands provide better filtration.

The proposed lake levels management plan is not final. The IJC still has to develop a detailed draft, which will be followed by public information meetings, public hearings, and a comment period before it makes a decision.

Comments on the plan sent before June 15 will be considered in developing a draft. They can be e-mailed to Commission@washington.ijc.org or mailed to the following address: International Joint Commission, U.S. Section, 2000 L Street, NW, Suite #615, Washington, DC 20440.