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IDNR Coastal Management Program
March 2021
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Illinois Beach State Park, February 26, 2021
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Coastal Competitive Grants Program
The 2021 round of Coastal Grants are now available on our website! The IDNR Coastal Management Program grants provide funding for projects that protect, preserve, and restore the natural and cultural resources along the Illinois Lake Michigan shoreline. Funding is available for projects focused on 1) habitats and species 2) public access, recreation, and economic development, 3) coastal community resilience.
Grant guidelines, application materials, and other resources are available on our website. We held a virtual information session March 16 – if you weren’t able to attend, a recording and slides from the session will be added to our website soon. The pre-application deadline is April 14, 2021.
We're looking forward to your pre-proposals!
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Winter on the Great Lakes: Ice, Evaporation & Water Level Impacts webinar
From November 2020 through January 2021, the Great Lakes had a very low ice-cover winter. However, significant change happened recently during February 2021. An extended disruption of the polar vortex hovered over the Great Lakes and caused rapid increases in ice cover. Lake Erie, for example, was below 5% ice cover during most of January and now is over 80% ice cover. This is winter on the Great Lakes – dynamic, and often with rapid changes.
Michigan Sea Grant recently hosted a webinar Winter on the Great Lakes: Ice, Evaporation, and Water Level Impacts to unpack these complex relationships with implications for Great Lakes water levels and coastal impacts of ice. Watch a recording on their Youtube channel here.
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USACE Water Levels Update
The most recent news release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District shows Great Lakes water levels lower than last year as we head into the seasonal spring rise. Still, Lake Michigan remains well above long-term average levels. The most recent six-month forecast of Great Lakes water levels predicts levels to remain below record high levels, but above average on Lake Michigan and all lakes, except Lake Ontario.
"Drier conditions this winter aided in seasonal declines on all the lakes," said Detroit District Watershed Hydrology Branch Chief Chris Warren. "However, as water levels begin their seasonal rise there is still potential for coastal impacts since water levels remain high."
Shoreline owners considering construction projects to alleviate erosion or flooding may require a permit. Find more information on the permitting process in Illinois through these regulatory agency websites:
1) USACE Chicago District – Illinois Regulatory Program
2) IDNR Office of Water Resources – Permit Program
3) Illinois Environmental Protection Agency – 401 Water Quality Certification Program
Also check out our detailed infographic explaining the permitting process and timeline for lakefront projects (NOTE: The timeline infographic was last updated in August 2019; while it is a useful guide, please also check the relevant regulatory agency websites for the latest updates on processing timelines).
Interested in nature-based shoreline protections? Reach out to Vidya at vidya.balasubramanyam@illinois.gov to learn more about options and examples!
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Calumet Spotlight
We have so many Calumet-related updates for you this month, they’re getting their own spotlight section!
NOAA Coastal Impact Stories
Two new NOAA Coastal Impact Stories focus on Illinois, specifically on CMP’s work with the Calumet Conservation Compact and Illinois International Port District. Check out the stories:
Calumet Collaborative Updates
The Calumet Heritage Area Management Plan is open for public comment and everyone is encouraged to read through the details and share comments, suggestions or additions. The Management Plan will be an important tool for the Collaborative to continue to promote the Calumet Heritage Area and execute programs that will tell the stories and support the region’s communities, environment and economy. Public comments are welcome through March 22, 2021.
Also, the Sun-Times recently ran an article on the Collaborative’s Calumet Reinvestment Mapping Tool that was developed by the Brownfield Working Group, organized and analyzed by partners at the UIC EDA Center/Voorhees Center and funded by The Chicago Community Trust.
Calumet Stormwater Collaborative needs your Green Infrastructure Data
The Metropolitan Planning Council, in coordination with the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative, is developing the Green Infrastructure Baseline Inventory to document existing green infrastructure (GI) installations in the Calumet region of Illinois. This dataset will help inform decisions and strategic planning to improve stormwater management across the Calumet region. The Green Infrastructure Baseline Inventory will be a free and publicly accessible resource to document where GI already exists, and how it is performing, to inform future stormwater planning endeavors. Data is being collected now through June 30, 2021. Anyone with information on green stormwater infrastructure in this region is invited to participate by submitting information online at www.metroplanning.org/gibi.
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Emerging Resources
IISG Weather and Climate Educational Toolkit
The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant developed an educational Weather and Climate Toolkit with support from the Center for Great Lakes Literacy and the Midwestern Regional Climate Center. The toolkit provides a sortable list of external resources for K-12 on the general topics of weather, climate, and climate change. Many of the resources can be used as-is or adapted for virtual learning and at-home teaching environments. Check it out here.
New Factsheets on FEMA Hazard Mitigation Programs – link fixed!
Last month we shared new factsheets on FEMA Hazard Mitigation Programs that were developed by the Coastal States Organization (CSO). Unfortunately, the links weren’t working at the time, but they’re now up and running!
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!
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Webinars + Events
Chicago Wilderness Racial Equity Series
Join Chicago Wilderness for several upcoming webinars as part of their Racial Equity series:
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
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Funding Opportunities
National Coastal Resilience Fund RFPs
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is pleased to announce the 2021 National Coastal Resilience Fund Request for Proposals (RFP). NFWF will make investments in planning, design, and restoration of natural and nature-based solutions to help protect coastal communities from the impacts of storms, floods, and other natural hazards and enable them to recover more quickly and enhance habitats for fish and wildlife.
NFWF will award approximately $34 million in grants to create and restore natural systems in order to increase protection for communities from coastal storms, sea- and lake-level changes, inundation, and coastal erosion, while improving habitats for fish and wildlife species. NFWF will invest in projects in four priority areas:
- Community Capacity Building and Planning
- Site Assessment and Preliminary Design
- Final Design and Permitting
- Restoration and Monitoring
Learn more about this opportunity here. Pre-proposals are due by Wednesday, April 7, 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.
Find additional information, application instructions, and a recorded informational webinar here. Applications are due April 16, 2021
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.
EPA Announces Availability of Up to $6 Million in Annual Environmental Justice Grants
The EPA has announced the availability of up to $6 million in grant funding under The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program and The Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) Program. EPA will be giving special consideration to the following focus areas:
- Addressing COVID-19 concerns faced by low-income communities and communities of color
- Climate Change and Natural Disaster Resiliency outreach and planning
- New applicants to either opportunity
- Ports Initiative to assist people living and working near ports across the country
- Small non-profits
Applicants interested in either opportunity must submit proposal packages on or before May 7, 2021. Applicants should plan for projects to begin on October 1, 2021.Learn more about EJCPS pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding here. Learn more about EJSG pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding here.
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Share your Announcement!
Would you like your event announcement to be included in our next newsletter? Email your submissions to DNR.CMP@illinois.gov
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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.
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