Freedom Seekers: The Underground Railroad, Great Lakes, and Science
Free Curriculum for Middle and High School Educators!
The Freedom Seekers curriculum is a collaborative project between several organizations and schools throughout the Great Lakes. It is part of a professional development effort for educators to increase their knowledge of the Great Lakes and environmental issues while incorporating Environmental Justice Education (EJE) approaches to K-12 teaching. These EJE approaches leverage cross-curricular connections that focus on increasing the awareness of local issues and history in the Great Lakes region. Learn more and view the curriculum here.

New Factsheets on FEMA Hazard Mitigation Programs
The Coastal States Organization (CSO) is working to further connect coastal management programs with FEMA resources to enhance resilience in the coastal zone. As part of that effort, CSO has developed new FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program fact sheets. The goal of these fact sheets is to provide easy to understand information on how to access the four FEMA hazard mitigation grant programs, specifically for coastal management programs and coastal communities.
There are five new fact sheets on:

• Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs Crosswalk
• Public Assistance Mitigation Grant Program
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
• Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant Program
• Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program

Find them all here!

Do you live on the Southeast Side of Chicago?
UIC’s Great Cities Institute wants you to share your thoughts, ideas, concerns, wants, needs, knowledge and vision for what a public 100th Street river access site could become.
Join the online conversation at go.uic.edu/100thStreet

Midwest Grows Green Week
March 22-26, 2021
Save the date! The IDNR Coastal Management Program is proud to support a series of three sustainable landscaping training and informational webinars held by non-profit sustainable landscaping initiative Midwest Grows Green (MGG). Learn more about the events and register here. For more resources regarding sustainable landscaping please email Ryan Anderson at randerson@ipminstitute.org or visit either MidwestGrowsGreen.org or LawnandLand.org

 

Coastal Competitive Grants Pre-Announcement!
We are happy to announce that the IDNR Coastal Management Program will SOON be accepting pre-applications for the next round of coastal grants. Our Coastal Program awards grants to protect, preserve, and restore the natural and cultural resources along the Illinois Lake Michigan shoreline. Funding will be available for projects focused on 1) habitats and species 2) public access, recreation, and economic development, and 3) coastal community resilience. Eligible applicants for the coastal grants include local government and non-profits. Once available, all application materials and resources will be available here and we will send out additional announcements (in the future) to provide more information on this funding opportunity.
 
Smart Great Lakes Mini-Grant Program
The Great Lakes Observing System’s Smart Great Lakes Mini-Grant Program intends to support work that 1) improves Great Lakes observations, data management and/or information delivery, 2) contributes to the development of GLOS information technology platform to better address local, state, provincial, and/or regional Great Lakes information needs, and/or 3) helps advance real-time use and management of the lakes. The program will support projects ranging from $20,000 up to $150,000.  The awards will be made in April 2021, and projects will run for twelve months starting in May 2021.
Learn more about this opportunity here. Proposal submissions are due March 12, 2021. 
 
Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program (GLSNRP) funding
The GLSNRP seeks to address nutrient and sediment loading by funding the installation of erosion and sediment control projects to reduce pollution in the Great Lakes basin. Projects can include streambank stabilization/restoration, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions, ravine projects, or Great Lakes shoreline stabilization. The program provides competitive grants up to $200,000 to local and state units of government and nonprofit organizations.
RFPs will be announced mid-February. Join a webinar to potential applicants on March 3. Applications due April 16, 2021. Find more information and watch for the RFP announcement here.
Reach out to Lisa Krause lisa.krause@illinois.gov (IDNR-CMP Coastal Specialist and IL GLSNRP Task Force representative) to talk about project ideas that may qualify and next steps for the RFP.

In The News