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IDNR Coastal Management Program
April 2021
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ISGS Staff prepares drone boat for bathymetric surveying in South Shore, Chicago. April 2021
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Water Resources Development Act of 2020 Comment Period
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASA(CW)) is issuing a notice for a comment period for stakeholders and other interested parties to provide input and recommendations to the ASA(CW) on any provisions in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020. The Office of the ASA(CW) will consider all comments received by May 7, 2021 before any implementation guidance is issued.
Previous WRDAs have authorized the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to conduct a variety of work such as resilience and flood control pilot projects and feasibility studies. Notably, WRDA 2020 provisions mention the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, the Chicago shoreline erosion protection feasibility study, greater use of nature-based solutions, and prioritize planning and work in economically disadvantaged communities and communities subject to repetitive flooding. The official text of the WRDA that can be found here.
Find the federal register notice, contact information, and submit comments here.
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Cody Eskew recently re-joined the CMP team by way of the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute (PRI). Through PRI, Cody’s new role will be Visiting Senior Scientific Specialist - Coastal Studies, detailed at the CMP to provide project management support for CMP objectives on coastal hazards, community resilience, coastal habitats, sustainable economic development, and coastal recreation.
Prior to his new role with PRI, Cody was a National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) Coastal Management Fellow with the Illinois CMP. His major accomplishments as a fellow include supporting the Sand Management Working Group’s beneficial use of dredge material efforts, demystifying the shoreline permitting process by creating an Illinois Shoreline Permitting Guide, linking FEMA pre-disaster mitigation resources to stakeholders, and project management support for the Waukegan Harbor beneficial use pilot project and the Illinois Beach State Park rubble ridge pilot project.
Now that he’s back with the CMP team, Cody is eager to continue some of his work as a fellow including examining Illinois’ potential for beneficial use of dredge material projects and working with CMP partners to continue to support innovative coastal management solutions for our Lake Michigan’s coast.
Cody is a Midwest native and often visited the shores of Lake Erie near his hometown of Cleveland. He received his MS in Coastal System Management from the University of Glasgow and BS in Marine Science/Biology from the University of Tampa. Feel free to connect (or re-connect!) with Cody at cody.eskew@illinois.gov
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Tara Jagadeesh recently joined the Illinois Coastal Management Program as a Visiting Senior Scientific Specialist of Coastal Studies with the University of Illinois' Prairie Research Institute, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. In this new position, she’ll be bringing her expertise in communication, data science, and community engagement to support CMP projects such as the Shoreline Management Working Group.
Tara’s interest in the coast started right here in Chicago – she grew up in the North Shore community of Highland Park enjoying the easy access to Lake Michigan and day trips to the Shedd Aquarium. Her love of the natural world and desire to travel led her to Montreal, Canada where she received a B.S. in Biology from McGill University. After an eye-opening environmental field studies program in Panama, she then decided to pursue a Master's of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While there, she focused on water resources management and worked with a team of graduate students to help a non-profit organization in Hawaii called Mālama Maunalua develop a model to identify areas with high stormwater runoff. While visiting the island of O'ahu, she learned about how management decisions made on land affect the coastal environment, and how important it is to engage with communities who are the experts of their local environments.
After graduating (with great timing– in the midst of the pandemic), Tara decided to move back home to Chicago. She began working as a Research Assistant with the Metropolitan Planning Council and helped advance policy surrounding lead service line replacement. Through MPC, she also became involved with the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative as a consultant to help build the green infrastructure baseline inventory for the Calumet region.
Although Tara misses the salty coast, she’s excited to bring her experiences to CMP and to learn more about the issues that communities are facing in the Great Lakes region. Through her work, she hopes that she can help communities increase their resiliency and ensure equal access to our important coastal resources. This summer she’s excited to explore the region’s natural areas – particularly by bike. If you have any questions or bike trail recommendations, please feel free to reach out at Tara.Jagadeesh@illinois.gov
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Emerging Research
Climate-driven shifts in deep Lake Michigan water temperatures signal the loss of winter
A long-term study published in Nature Communications from NOAA reveals a warming trend in deep water temperatures that foreshadows profound ecological change on the horizon. While less visible than the loss in ice cover and increasing lake surface temperatures, this latest index of climate change adds to the growing evidence of climate change impacts in the region.
Using a 30-year dataset of deep water temperature measurements, NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory scientists investigated how Lake Michigan’s seasonal mixing patterns are being influenced by climate change. As it turns out, what’s happening on the lake’s surface during the summer is actually impacting the lake’s deep waters during the winter.
The deep-water conditions of the Earth’s largest lakes are considered a missing piece of the global climate change puzzle. NOAA’s work on Lake Michigan will pave the way for gaining a better understanding of this puzzle piece in the future. For the millions of people who rely on the freshwater lakes for drinking water, fisheries and more, studying the changes that large lakes are experiencing is essential to maintaining our resilient ecosystems, communities, and economies.
Read the full overview in NOAA Research News. The study was also reported on by CNN, 'Winter is vanishing' from the deep waters of Lake Michigan, and the Chicago Tribune, First-of-its-kind study shows water hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Michigan is warming (Tribune article available for free on phys.org here).
Report Highlights Great Lakes Lower Food Web Changes and Invasive Mussel Impacts
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) has released a new report that summarizes the status and trends of several key components of the lower food web from the late 1990s-2018. Across the Great Lakes, proliferation of invasive dreissenid mussels has been coincident with major food web changes, especially lakes Ontario, Michigan, and Huron. Dreissenid mussels can have significant effects on nutrient cycling and decrease the abundance of algae in offshore waters, impacting the food web. The Report is available here.
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Webinars + Events
TWO Lakefront Clean-Up Events THIS WEEKEND!
April Lakefront Clean-Up at 6300 S. Lakeshore Dr.
Saturday, April 24, 11am-2pm
Join State Representative Tarver as they clean up the lakefront to promote conservation and keep the neighborhood green. Email office@RepCurtisJTarverII.com to RSVP or for more info.
Earth Day Lakefront Clean-Up at Waukegan Harbor & Marina
Saturday, April 24, 8am-12pm
Volunteers needed to join cleaning up the harbor property – simply show up! Stick around from 12-3pm to see Dive Teams from Waukegan Fire Dept. and DJ’s Scuba Locker clean the water and see what unique items they find.
EPA Watershed Academy webinar: Addressing and Managing Plastic Pollution
TOMORROW! Wednesday, April 21, 1-3pm
This webcast will explore findings from Pew’s Breaking the Plastic Wave report, discuss the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act of 2021, and touch on federal efforts to reduce plastic pollution, highlighting the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee, NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, and EPA’s Trash Free Waters Program. Find more info and register here.
Fish to Fork: Cooking Great Lakes Fish webinar
Wednesday, April 28, 12-1pm
Join the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative and Ohio Sea Grant for a webinar about resources for Great Lakes fish and a demonstration of how to dress, prepare, and cook fish at home! Register here.
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Funding Opportunities
EPA Environmental Justice Grants – proposals due soon!
The EPA recently 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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In The News
- Park District expands habitat at Montrose Beach ahead of expected return of plovers Monty and Rose (Tribune)
- Chicago expands protected site for endangered shorebirds (AP)
- New Analysis Shows Large Swaths of Chicago at High Flood Risk (WTTW)
- Audubon eyes Great Lakes for wetland restoration (Tribune)
- Forecasting Lake Michigan’s Meteotsunamis (Tribune)
- Sturgeon at Montrose: catch and release of a rare and endangered lake sturgeon (Sun Times)
- Flip. Float. Follow: How to survive when caught in a rip current (Daily Herald)
- Obama Center prep construction work to kickoff in Jackson Park (Chicago Sun Times)
- Obama Presidential Center’s pre-construction work in Jackson Park begins (Chicago Tribune)
- Openlands Lakeshore Preserve in Highland Park closed after explosive material found near Fort Sheridan (Tribune/ Pioneer Press)
- Discarded protective gear trashing the world’s beaches (AP)
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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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