Wisconsin Governor Doyle Announces $1.7 Million for Wisconsin’s Coastal Communities

April 21, 2009 -- MADISON - Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today announced $1.7 million in grants to protect and enhance Wisconsin’s coastal communities. The Governor awarded 37 grants that will be used by nonprofit organizations, as well as local, state, and tribal governments to assist with projects totaling nearly $4 million.

“The Great Lakes are an important economic, cultural and natural resource in Wisconsin,” Governor Doyle said. “Caring for Lake Michigan and Lake Superior is essential to the well-being of the state. The support to these local organizations will help us to protect our coastal resources. Because of their efforts, the integrity of our lakes will be maintained for future generations.”

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The grants will support projects that will to protect and sustain resources in coastal communities. Funds will be used for enhancing public recreational access to the lakes, wetland preservation, stormwater management, education, habitat protection, and the protection of critical land.

Recipients for this year’s grants were recommended by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Council, a Governor-appointed citizen and governmental advisory group.

The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, who administers the grant program, balances natural resource protection and sustainable economic development along Wisconsin's Great Lakes coasts. Additional information about the Coastal Management program can be found at http://coastal.wisconsin.gov.

A complete list of grants is attached below.

2009-2010 Wisconsin Coastal Management Grant Recipients

Coastwide

Project Name: Technical Assistance to Local Units of Government
Applicant: Department of Natural Resources
Grant Amount: $389,230.00
Category: Technical Assistance/Outreach
Contact: Lois Simon (608) 266-8852

This project will support core waterway and wetland permitting staff and local government technical assistance in the three coastal regions.

Project Name: Enhancement of Wisconsin Coastal Guide
Applicant: University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Grant Amount: $16,911.00
Category: Great Lakes Education
Contact: David Hart (608) 262-6515

This project will produce several enhancements to the Wisconsin Coastal Guide, a web mapping site that encourages exploration of coastal attractions and cultural events along the Great Lakes Circle Tour.

Project Name: Identifying and Addressing Beach Contamination Through Volunteer Action
Applicant: Alliance for the Great Lakes
Grant Amount: $24,976.15
Category: Great Lakes Education
Contact: Stephanie Smith (312) 933-0838

This project will identify and address beach contamination through volunteer action and education through the use of citizen-based monitoring, demonstration projects and education and training sessions.

Project Name: Great Lakes State Natural Area BioBlitzes
Applicant: Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
Grant Amount: $26,800.00
Category: Great Lakes Education
Contact: Jeffrey Potter (608) 261-4392

This project will plan and host Great Lakes BioBlitzes at three State Natural Areas in Kenosha, Douglas and Door Counties. These day-long events will bring scientists, naturalists and the general public together in an educational environment to conduct biological surveys.

Ashland County

Project Name: Ashland Waterfront Access Reclamation and Enhancement
Applicant: City of Ashland
Grant Amount: $31,250.00
Category: Public Access
Contact: Brea Lemke (715) 682-7041

This project will improve winter vehicular access and summer lake access for paddlers to the lake. This project also works on stormwater treatment and provides other site amenities for pedestrian accomodation.

Bayfield County

Project Name: Cornucopia Waterfront Project
Applicant: Town of Bell
Grant Amount: $10,000.00
Category: Public Access
Contact: Frank Romans (715) 742-3445

This project will upgrade the public restrooms at the city marina to accommodate the increasingly large number of people that are currently using the facility.

Project Name: Flood Flow and Sediment Erosion Reduction in North Fish Creek from Upland Runoff Attenuation
Applicant: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grant Amount: $10,240.00
Category: Cumulative & Secondary Impacts:Nonpoint
Contact: John Hoopes (608) 262-2977

This project will monitor a dry detention installation site and stream gauges along North Fish Creek and present a methodology for design and distribution of dry detention basins with the goal of decreasing erosion and sedimentation in North Fish Creek and other hydrologically similar watersheds.

Bay-Lake Region (Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto and Sheboygan Counties)

Project Name: Coastal Wetland Inventory
Applicant: Department of Natural Resources
Grant Amount: $90,691.00
Category: Technical Assistance/Outreach
Contact: Lois Simon (608) 266-8852

This project will convert aerial photographs to digital files for Brown and Door County and update wetland map changes for other coastal counties including providing support to data users.

Project Name: Technical Assistance
Applicant: Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission
Grant Amount: $20,000.00
Category: Technical Assistance/Outreach
Contact: Mark Walter (920) 448-2820

This project will support coastal management activities and technical assistance to local governments in the Bay-Lake region.

Project Name: Comprehensive Planning Data Acquisition and Webmapping Site
Applicant: Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission
Grant Amount: $12,919.00
Category: Land Use & Community Planning
Contact: Mark Walter (920) 448-2820

This is project will develop and maintain a complete, uniform dataset of land use and future land designs for the Bay-Lake region.

Brown County

Project Name: Lower Fox River and Green Bay Shoreline Waterfront Redevelopment Plan
Applicant: Brown County Planning Commission
Grant Amount: $29,960.00
Category: Land Use & Community Planning
Contact: Aaron Schuette (920) 448-6480

This project will create a redevelopment plan for the Lower Fox River and Green Bay shoreline. The plan will provide a framework in which to coordinate local, county, state, and federal efforts to redevelop the waterfront consistent with adopted county and local comprehensive plan goals and objectives.

Door County

Project Name: Hidding Purchase
Applicant: Town of Liberty Grove
Grant Amount: $50,000.00
Category: Coastal Land Acquisition
Contact: Walter Kalms (920) 854-2934

This project is for the acquisition of 6.8 acres with 214 feet of Green Bay shoreline. The parcel is adjacent to an existing Town boat launch and would allow for safer and increased access to Green Bay.

Project Name: Portage Park Land Expansion
Applicant: Town of Sturgeon Bay
Grant Amount: $50,000.00
Category: Coastal Land Acquisition
Contact: Dan Cihlar (920) 743-7844

This project is for the acquisition of 4.9 acres with 424 feet of shoreline adjacent to Portage Town Park on Lake Michigan. This acquisition would provide additional opportunities for beach access to the lake with minimal facilities development or maintenance.

Project Name: Implementation of BMP's at Door County Public Beaches: To Improve Water Quality and Beach Health
Applicant: Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department
Grant Amount: $46,000.00
Category: Cumulative & Secondary Impacts:Nonpoint
Contact: Amanda Brown (920) 746-2214

The final phase in a multi-year project, this project will provide Door County municipalities with a cost-share incentive for the construction of structural and non-structural practices to reduce the amount of storm water contaminants from entering beaches.

Douglas County

Project Name: City of Superior Wetland Evaluation
Applicant: Department of Natural Resources
Grant Amount: $25,000.00
Category: Wetland Protection
Contact: Nancy Larson (715) 395-6911

This project will analyze the cumulative impacts of past wetlands losses and potential future losses in the City of Superior. The analysis will include modeling stormwater storage capacity of wetlands and assessing the floristic quality values that would likely be affected by future wetland losses.

Project Name: Arrowhead Pier Reconstruction, Phase II
Applicant: City of Superior
Grant Amount: $130,317.00
Category: Public Access
Contact: Mary Morgan (715) 395-7279

Phase II of this project will reconstruct Arrowhead Pier in the City of Superior. Construction will include building a new pier on steel pilings with a composite decking system, railing, benches and lighting.

Iron County

Project Name: Protecting Lake Superior Resources in Iron County-Phase II
Applicant: Iron County
Grant Amount: $24,500.00
Category: Land Use & Community Planning
Contact: Mike Saari (715) 561-3375

Phase II of this project will correct zoning map inconsistencies and develop new zoning ordinance language to protect Lake Superior resources.

Lake Michigan Region (Door, Manitowoc, Ozaukee and Sheboygan Counties)

Project Name: Lyme Grass Control on Coastal State Natural Areas and State Parks/Forests
Applicant: Department of Natural Resources
Grant Amount: $14,000.00
Category: Restoration:Habitat
Contact: Joe Henry (920) 662-5194

This project will address a new invasive species of dune grass on Lake Michigan by inventorying rare plant locations within treatment areas, removing lyme grass from five sites (50 acres), and monitoring the treatment results to improve future control efforts.

Milwaukee County

Project Name: The Erie Street Plaza
Applicant: City of Milwaukee Department of City Development
Grant Amount: $75,000.00
Category: Public Access
Contact: Alyssa Elver (414) 286-5802

This project will construct the Erie Street Plaza in the Third Ward Neighborhood. The plaza is designed as a sustainable garden intended to complement the other uses and features of the neighborhood. The plaza will be a field of interspersed pavers and planted islands of native marsh grasses and lawn, arranged along a gradient from wet to dry, low to high.

Project Name: Master Plan for Recreation and Natural Resource Management in Milwaukee's Central Park
Applicant: Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Grant Amount: $30,000.00
Category: Land Use & Community Planning
Contact: Ann Brummitt (414) 287-0207

This project will develop a master plan for recreational usage and environmental restoration of 800 acres that are adjacent to the Milwaukee River and which are currently protected by a zoning overlay district.

Project Name: Milwaukee River Bulkhead Survey
Applicant: Port of Milwaukee
Grant Amount: $40,000.00
Category: Land Use & Community Planning
Contact: Larry Sullivan (414) 286-8139

This project will utilize results from an updated survey of Milwaukee’s riverfront properties to set up, review and implement new bulkhead lines and property descriptions. By creating a survey of Milwaukee’s river shorelines, the City of Milwaukee will be able to update property records which have remained unchanged for over 80 years.

Project Name: Access Creation & Resource Protection at the Warnimont Park Bluffs
Applicant: Milwaukee County Dept of Parks, Recreation & Culture
Grant Amount: $42,320.00
Category: Public Access
Contact: James Keegan (414) 257-4775

This project in Milwaukee County’s Warnimont Park and at the Warnimont Bluff Fens State Natural Area, includes trail construction and installation of a wood viewing deck. Volunteer trails will be removed and interpretive signage installed.

Project Name: Community-Built Playground at Atwater Beach
Applicant: Village of Shorewood
Grant Amount: $21,579.00
Category: Public Access
Contact: Ericka Lang (414) 847-2647

This project seeks to restore and revitalize Atwater Beach, through the construction of a community built playground and boardwalk. The project will construct an attraction at beach level that will draw the local community back to the beach.

Northwest Region (Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas and Iron Counties)

Project Name: St. Louis River Estuary Monitoring and Assessment Project
Applicant: Lake Superior Research Institute
Grant Amount: $29,271.00
Category: Wetland Protection
Contact: Sue O’Halloran (715) 394-8525

This project will provide baseline monitoring and assessment for several sites within the St. Louis River Estuary using volunteers trained and coordinated by a partnership between UW-Superior, UW-Extension, and DNR.

Project Name: Bayfield County Aquatic Invasive Species Education
Applicant: Bayfield County Aquatic Invasive Species Program
Grant Amount: $7,720.00
Category: Great Lakes Education
Contact: Stefania Strzalkowska (715) 373-6167

This project will educate Bayfield County residents, K-12 schools and visitors on the problems posed by aquatic invasive species to the county's waters.

Project Name: Technical Assistance
Applicant: Northwest Regional Planning Commission
Grant Amount: $20,000.00
Category: Technical Assistance/Outreach
Contact: Jason Laumann (715) 635-2197

This project will support coastal management activities and technical assistance to local governments in the Lake Superior region.

Project Name: Monitoring the Effects of Culvert Replacements on Fisheries and Sediment Delivery
Applicant: Bad River Watershed Association
Grant Amount: $14,920.00
Category: Cumulative & Secondary Impacts:Nonpoint
Contact: Michele Wheeler (715) 682-2003

This project will monitor the effects of fish friendly culvert installations at four sites in the Bad River watershed. Monitoring will allow for the evaluation of how culvert replacements affect fish populations, stream habitat and sediment delivery.

Oconto County

Project Name: Oconto County GIS Wetland Restoration Inventory
Applicant: Oconto County Land Conservation Department
Grant Amount: $22,237.00
Category: Wetland Protection
Contact: Jill Hapner (262) 227-6404

This project will develop a GIS inventory of 300 wetland restoration projects on private land in Oconto County. The GIS would be used by County, State, and Federal agency staff to better implement land and water conservation programs, and would help complete a coastwide inventory of private wetland restorations.

Project Name: Boat Ramp Reconstruction
Applicant: City of Oconto Parks Department
Grant Amount: $52,536.00
Category: Public Access
Contact: Kale Proksch (920) 834-7706

This project is for the reconstruction of eight city boat ramps on the Octonto River and the Bay of Green Bay.

Ozaukee County

Project Name: Rain Garden Initiative in Ozaukee County
Applicant: Ozaukee County Planning, Resources and Land Management Department
Grant Amount: $9,000.00
Category: Cumulative & Secondary Impacts:Nonpoint
Contact: Geoff Schramm (262) 284-8270

This project will establish seven rain garden demonstration sites on Ozaukee County property and properties owned by the Villages of Grafton and Fredonia and the Town of Cedarburg to educate the public about controlling storm water on private property. A rain garden fair and a training day will be established for outreach and education.

Project Name: Little Menomonee Creek Wetland Restoration Project-Phase II
Applicant: Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Grant Amount: $50,000.00
Category: Restoration:Habitat
Contact: Robert Schermeister (414) 225-2053

This project will restore wooded wetlands and natural streambanks at a 103-acre site in southern Ozaukee County. This site was identified through several regional studies as having high values for potential flood storage and for improving water quality and wildlife habitat.

Project Name: Education & Outreach of Bluff and Beach Profile in Response to Coastal Structures in Ozaukee County
Applicant: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grant Amount: $29,985.00
Category: Great Lakes Education
Contact: Chin H. Wu (608) 263-3078

This project will evaluate the impacts of a shore protection system at Concordia University in Ozaukee County. Students will use oblique video imaging techniques, laser range finder and combined ground penetrating radar and sub-bottom profiling geophysical instruments to measure bluff and beach profiles.

Racine County

Project Name: Increasing Public Access to the Root River
Applicant: City of Racine
Grant Amount: $9,890.00
Category: Public Access
Contact: Donnie Snow (262) 636-9131

This project will provide access to the Root River in the City of Racine by implementing public access plan recommendations that includes boat launches along the Root River, access and overlooks, adequate signage in each park along the river for non-motorized boats and fishermen and increasing handicap accessibility to public canoe/kayak launches.

Project Name: Identifying and Accounting for Potential Nonpoint Source Contributions in Ambient Waters by QPCR
Applicant: City of Racine Health Department
Grant Amount: $29,117.00
Category: Cumulative & Secondary Impacts:Nonpoint
Contact: Julie Kinzelman (262) 636-9501

This project will conduct parallel testing on surface water samples along the Root River and at North and Zoo Beaches in the City of Racine to continue research into quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction development and validation.

Southeast Region (Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine and Sheboygan Counties)

Project Name: Development of a Tool for Predicting and Reducing Bacterial Contamination at Great Lakes Beaches
Applicant: Department of Natural Resources
Grant Amount: $40,295.00
Category: Cumulative & Secondary Impacts:Nonpoint
Contact: Adam Mednick (608) 261-6416

This project will modify and link the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) and Virtual Beach (VB) modeling tools into a single user-friendly decision-support tool to support real-time prediction of E. coli levels.

Project Name: Technical Assistance
Applicant: Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
Grant Amount: $20,000.00
Category: Technical Assistance/Outreach
Contact: Don Reed (262) 547-6721

This project will support coastal management activities and technical assistance to local governments in the Southeast region.

Project Name: Managing Invasive Species: Our Coastal Roadways and Parks
Applicant: Town & Country Resource, Conservation & Development, Inc
Grant Amount: $25,000.00
Category: Great Lakes Education
Contact: Jill Hapner (262) 335-4802

This project will provide classroom and training to government land managers on implementing scientifically sound weed management practices along public roadways and within county and municipal parks.

Source: Wisconsin Governor