|
|
|
|
IDNR Coastal Management Program
February 2020 Newsletter
|
|
|
Chicago on January 11, 2020.
Photo credit: NOAA National Weather Service, courtesy of Matt Zuro
|
|
|
January Storms Highlight High Lake Levels
and Need for Resiliency Measures
|
|
On January 10th - 11th, our region experienced a storm that blew in with heavy rain and strong winds, causing the most significant lakeshore flooding northeast Illinois has experienced since at least 2014. Influencing this notable flooding were the duration (~18-21 hours) of strong north-northeast winds coupled with near-record high lake levels. Winds gusting 40-50+ mph elevated wave action, with waves reaching up to 20 feet tall. These high waves caused significant damage to Chicago’s Lakefront Trail and structures along the South Shore, where water was reported up to 400 ft. inland west of the shore. Throughout the region, roads and parks flooded, and more than 4,500 ComEd customers lost power. (National Weather Service, ABC7, CBS2).
A January news release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), forecasts Great Lakes water levels remaining well above average over the next six months, and that Lake Michigan will reach record high levels this year. “This sets the stage for coastal impacts and damages in 2020 similar to, or worse than, what was experienced last year.”
Recognizing the need for science-based decision making to improve resilience of the Illinois shoreline to coastal storms and other hazards, ICMP is working closely with other Great Lakes states and the USACE to support and participate in a Great Lakes basin-wide Coastal Resiliency Study.
If the study is funded and approved this year, the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study will give us new data and tools to understand what types of adaptation strategies and policies might be most effective to address lake level rise and storm damage along the Illinois coastline. This is a great opportunity to identify alternative protection options for Illinois’ shoreline that are cost-effective, habitat friendly, and efficient at managing erosion. A Coastal Resiliency Plan will be developed as part of this study which would improve the ability of Illinois’ lakefront communities to receive funding for priority projects through a variety of interagency sources of funding (federal, state, non-governmental organizations).
Stay tuned for more updates about this project!
|
|
|
Hourly loop of modeled wave heights from 3 a.m. through 7 p.m. on January 11th, 2020.
Model Credit: NOAA National Weather Service
|
|
|
|
NOAA Office for Coastal Management Highlights
Waukegan Waterfront Work
|
|
|
|
NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management recently featured a case study about Waukegan on their Digital Coast site! The case study, Environmental Clean-up Unites and Revitalizes a Waterfront Community, touches on the harbor and lakefront’s contaminated past, highlights planning efforts and community engagement since 2015, and offers ‘lessons learned’ for other communities.
While we all know how much important and impactful work has been done in Waukegan, it is exciting to see their story shared to a nationwide community of folks working to address and manage coastal issues. Check it out here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enhancing the Lake Michigan Water Trail - your input is needed!
|
|
|
|
Photo credit: Openlands
|
|
Our program has partnered with Openlands and the municipalities of North Chicago, Beach Park, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor, and Zion to create a plan to expand and enhance the Lake Michigan Water Trail; specifically, the 10-mile section from North Chicago to the Wisconsin border. The goal is to connect local communities and visitors to Lake Michigan through programming and trail-improvement. We believe this will result in a well-used water trail that brings quality of life, economic, and stewardship benefits to the adjacent communities.
As we continue to work towards creating a plan to make this Lake Michigan Water Trail a reality, we would love to have your input on potential projects necessary to realize the vision of a safe, equitable and thriving trail and on the benefits and challenges of enhancing the trail.
Follow this link and take a survey to help prioritize projects to be suggested at a meeting of stakeholders in Spring 2019, suggest additional projects, and let us know what you think are the benefits and challenges to enhancing the trail.
Find more info here, or contact paddle@openlands.org |
|
|
Engage on Great Lakes Issues
|
|
Read the 2020 Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan
The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) has recently introduced the 2020-2025 Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan, which will guide marine debris actions in the Great Lakes for the next five years. This product is the result of a collaborative effort between the NOAA Marine Debris Program and partners in Ontario, Canada and U.S. Great Lakes states.
Throughout the Great Lakes, numerous organizations work to address marine debris through education, prevention, removal, and research efforts. The Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan establishes a comprehensive framework for strategic action to ensure the Great Lakes and its coasts, people, and wildlife are free from the impacts of marine debris. Read the full plan here! For more information, contact Sarah Lowe (Sarah.Lowe@noaa.gov), Great Lakes Regional Coordinator, NOAA Marine Debris Program.
Live webcast - Coastal Resilience in the Great Lakes Region: Science, Policies, and Programs Furthering Local Resilience Goals
Thursday, February 13 th, 1:30-3pm
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is offering a live webcast of their upcoming D.C. briefing on the actions being taken to manage increasing temperatures, flooding, and other coastal hazards impacting communities and ecosystems in the Great Lakes region. This briefing will showcase nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in rural and urban settings, and show how cutting-edge technology and traditional practices can be used to create resilient communities. Learn more and RSVP here.
Adaptation Planning for Coastal Communities newsletter - Sign up!
ICMP is putting together a newsletter highlighting resources for adaptation planning in the Illinois region. Want a copy of the newsletter? E-mail dnr.cmp@illinois.gov to sign up! If you participated in the October 2019 Adaptation Planning for Coastal Communities training, you will automatically receive a copy of this newsletter,
|
|
|
Funding and Technical Assistance
|
|
Sustain Our Great Lakes 2020 Request for Proposals
Sustain Our Great Lakes is soliciting proposals to benefit fish, wildlife, habitat, and water quality in the Great Lakes basin. The program will award grants in 2020 to improve and enhance: 1) stream and riparian habitat; 2) coastal wetland habitat; and 3) water quality in the Great Lakes and its tributaries. Details about this funding opportunity are provided in the Request for Proposals. The submission deadline for pre-proposals is Tuesday, February 11. Additional application information is available here.
MWRD Stormwater Partnership Program
Local governments, such as municipalities, townships, county agencies, and park and school districts, are invited to apply for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Stormwater Partnership Program, which provides funding, engineering, or other assistance to address local flooding within MWRD's corporate boundaries. Applications are due Friday, February 14, by 5pm.
Great Lakes Fishery Trust Habitat Protection and Restoration Proposals
The Great Lakes Fishery Trust (GLFT) is now accepting proposals under its Habitat Protection and Restoration grant program. This request for proposals (RFP) will be used for the disbursement of up to $500,000 in grants in 2020.
For more information and to submit a proposal, visit the GLFT website.Proposals are due Friday, February 21, by 5pm . If you have questions regarding the program area or a proposal submission, please contact Jonathon Beard, program director, at jbeard@glft.org or 517-371-7468.
Resilient Communities 2020 Request for Proposals
Wells Fargo and NFWF have partnered to create the Resilient Communities program. This $3 million per year program aims to help communities in the United States and territories, prepare, strengthen and bounce back more quickly after a disaster. Through preparedness and by taking advantage of natural and nature-based features like wetlands, resilient shorelines, urban tree canopies, natural forests and healthy upstream watersheds, communities can accrue quality of life benefits today. In addition, these projects enhance fish and wildlife resources and avoid or reduce risk to life, and costly and devastating impacts from events such as floods, droughts, fires and more. For more information and to submit a proposal, click here. Pre-Proposal due date: February 18, 2020 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time
|
|
|
Share your Announcement!
Would you like your event announcement to be included in our next newsletter? Email your submissions to DNR.CMP@illinois.gov
|
|
|
|
The IDNR Coastal Management Program is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the environmental, economic, and social value of Illinois’ Great Lakes coast. We invest in building healthy ecosystems and resilient communities by providing expertise, funding, and other resources for community-driven and forward-thinking efforts within our Lake Michigan coastal region.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
