Greetings from the Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Team!

This month's newsletter contains:

• Collaboration Classifieds
• Lake Michigan Water Level Update
• Resource of the Month: Science Communications Toolkit

• Around the Great Lakes: Lakeview Wildlife Management Area

• Funding Opportunities
• FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
• NOAA Transformational Habitat Restoration & Coastal Resilience Grants
• NOAA Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)
• NOAA Coastal Habitat Restoration & Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities
• Upcoming Events
• Disaster Recovery and Environmental Justice in Region 5
• Lake Michigan Day
• East River Collaborative Field Trip
• Trainings:
• Hazard Mitigation Assistance Webinars
• NFIP 101: Introduction to Floodplain Management
• In the News: Flooding and Bluff Erosion from Extreme Storms

Lake Michigan water levels have peaked for the season, with 0 inches of change from July to August. Though Lake Michigan is now about 24 inches below the highest monthly water level recorded for August in 2020, the Lake is still about 9 inches above the long-term average water level. Water levels are expected to remain level until the seasonal decline in the fall.

Watch the USACE's "On the Level" Youtube channel for monthly updates and information about the Great Lakes' water levels and forecasts from Detroit District Hydraulics and Hydrology experts.

Science Communications Toolkit

The Science Communications Toolkit is a series of twenty, one-page documents to help students and researchers communicate with a variety of audiences. While the stated audience is students and researchers, these communication guidelines can also be useful for communicating with other audiences such as property owners, community/government official, or policy makers.



The Toolkit provides background on communication basics, guidelines for communicating with non-technical audiences, and various methods of communication.

This Lake Ontario restoration project will develop more semi-marsh habitat that will improve the native fish and bird habitat and limit invasive species. These management efforts will expand on previous efforts for restoration of the area and continue the work of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Before winter 2022, the project partners will conduct surveys to establish the current wildlife population of the park.

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

FEMA funding is available through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program in the 2022 Federal Fiscal Year (starting October 2022). This grant program is focused on mitigating risk to community infrastructure from impacts of climate change (flooding, coastal erosion, etc.). All projects must meet technical eligibility and pass a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) using FEMA’s software.

WEM asks that any community interested in FEMA mitigation funds contact their office by September 1, 2022 with a statement of interest that includes the following:

• The community applying/expressing interest
• Point of contact
• Description of the problem
• Proposed project/solution
• Any background information/work you’ve already undertaken (coastal management funding? DNR grants? Engineering? Etc.)
• Very high level cost estimate

Send statements to [email protected] with “BRIC 2022 Interest” in the subject line.

In addition to the BRIC program, WEM will automatically refer any projects from BRIC to state and federal officials and funding agencies with funding opportunities available.

Up to $85 million in funding is available for habitat restoration and coastal resilience. This funding will support transformational projects that restore habitat for our nation’s fisheries, protected resources. It will invest in projects that have habitat-based approaches that strengthen both ecosystem and community resilience.

Projects selected through this opportunity will help:

• Restore marine, estuarine, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems
• Rebuild sustainable fisheries and contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species 
• Protect the safety and well-being of coastal communities by using natural infrastructure to reduce damage from flooding and storms
• Support the many benefits that healthy habitats provide, such as clean drinking water and industries like boating, fishing, and tourism

Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 6, 2022.

Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is seeking proposals for the 2023 B-WET program. B-WET is a competitive grant program that supports existing, high quality environmental education programs, fosters the growth of new, innovative programs, and encourages capacity building and partnership development for environmental and place-based education programs throughout the entire Great Lakes watershed.

Eligible applicants include city or township governments, county governments, public and private institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments and organizations, independent school districts, and state governments.

Contact the Great Lakes B-WET program coordinator for questions:

[email protected] or (989) 312-3520

Applications Due: Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Applicant Resources: https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet/apply#GL

Up to $10 million in funding is available for habitat restoration and resilience awards for underserved communities. NOAA will engage underserved communities in habitat restoration activities that promote resilient ecosystems and communities. This funding will provide capacity for these communities to more fully participate in developing future transformational habitat projects.

Projects selected through this opportunity may include: 

• Capacity building activities, including participation in municipal or regional-scale resilience planning, project planning and feasibility studies, stakeholder engagement, and proposal development for future funding.
• Restoration activities, including demonstration projects, engineering and design, permitting, and on-the-ground implementation.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

Disaster Recovery and Environmental Justice in Region 5

Join FEMA for a discussion among subject matter experts across the disaster recovery and environmental justice sectors. 

Date: Thursday, August 11, 2022

Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM CDT

Lake Michigan Day highlights the ways people protect and restore our waters throughout the Great Lakes Basin. This year’s theme is “Coastal Connections: Communication and Collaboration in a New Landscape.” The event will be hosted in a hybrid format (in-person and virtual).

Date: Friday August 12, 2022

Time: 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM CDT

Location: Manitowoc, WI

Explore management strategies related to fallen trees and other woody debris for recreation, wildlife habitat and water quality in the East River Watershed. Watch the East River Collaborative website for event details.

Date: Thursday, August 25, 2022

Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT

For questions, contact Kayla Wandsnider. 

Hazard Mitigation Assistance Webinars

Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) webinars bring FEMA subject-matter experts and partners together to provide technical information, best practices, tools, and resources regarding the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, Flood Mitigation Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs.

Dates: August 4th through October 4th, 2022

NFIP 101: Introduction to Floodplain Management

Hosted in partnership with ASFPM, this training will help new and experienced floodplain administrators, emergency managers, elected officials, and others learn more about the NFIP and its requirements. New floodplain administrators will also learn how floodplain management decisions affect insurance, health, and public safety.

This training can be completed at online, at your convenience.

Flooding and Bluff Erosion from Extreme Storms and Impacting Wisconsin's Great Lakes Coastlines

By Dea Larsen, WICCI

"A focus on climate impacts to Wisconsin’s Great Lakes coastal communities in the most recent assessment from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) shows that large fluctuations in Great Lakes water levels along with flooding and bluff erosion from extreme storms are impacting the areas along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coastlines and causing uncertainty for coastal communities. The last two decades have been the warmest on record in Wisconsin, and the past de-cade has been the wettest."

University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute | (608) 262-0905 | 1975 Willow Drive, 2nd Floor, Madison, WI 53706