Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Newsletter

Greetings from the Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Team!


This month's newsletter contains:

  • NEW Feature: Collaboration Classifieds
  • Lake Michigan Water Level Update
  • Resource of the Month: ReduceFloodRisk.org

  • Case Study: Kemper Center Shoreline Protection Design Project

  • Around the Great Lakes: Brandenburg Park Shoreline Restoration Project

  • Funding Opportunities
  • USACE Floodplain Management Services Program
  • NFWF America the Beautiful Challenge
  • NRCS Watershed Program Resources
  • Upcoming Events: Funding and Financing Coastal Resilience webinar


Collaboration Classifieds


The Collaboration Classifieds is a dedicated space to share opportunities for collaboration with, or to request lessons learned and resources from, other communities and organizations within Wisconsin's Lake Michigan region. See the Collaboration Classifieds section below.


Submit your opportunities or requests for this network to

Lydia Salus, lydia.salus@wisconsin.gov.

Collaboration Classifieds

Request for Lessons Learned from Implementing Coastal Flood

Hazard Mitigation Tool

Background: The Brown County Planning Commission (BCPC) is creating a coastal flooding pre-disaster mitigation plan for the Bay of Green Bay. The plan will examine existing coastal conditions around the bay, identify possible coastal flooding hazards, and offer a range of policies and procedures that communities may use to help reduce or minimize negative coastal flooding impacts.  

Request: BCPC is looking for information from people and/or communities who have experience with implementing coastal flood hazard mitigation tools, especially on a municipal level. If there are best practices that can be implemented at a municipal level, they are especially interested in hearing about those experiences (including what worked or what didn’t).

Please reach out to Devin Yoder at devin.yoder@browncountywi.gov. Thank you!
Water Level Update

Lake Michigan water continue their seasonal incline this spring, increasing by about 3 inches from April to May. Though Lake Michigan is now about 25 inches below the highest monthly water level recorded for May in 2020, the Lake is still about 10 inches above the long-term average water level. Water levels are expected to continue their seasonal incline until late summer but remain above the long-term average.


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.

Go to full update
Resource of the Month

Reduce Flood Risk

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Reduce Flood Risk is a new, interactive flood mitigation resource library from the Association of State Floodplain Managers that helps property owners, particularly those in flood-prone areas, understand their flood risk and the most effective flood mitigation strategies for their particular property.

This tool guides property owners through a series of questions to help them understand their risk and the specific steps they can take to better protect their home or business. The tool is available online for free at ReduceFloodRisk.org

Read More
Case Study

Kemper Center Shoreline Protection Design Project

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For this project, Kenosha County used a phased approach for developing sustainable strategies to adequately protect their Lake Michigan shoreline while maintaining public access to the Kemper Center shoreline.


The main strategies for this effort included:

  • Rehabilitate the degraded shoreline revetment
  • Extend or relocate stormwater outfalls
  • Regrade the site to preserve the use of activity spaces in the park


The phased approach allowed Kenosha County to make design progress while leveraging their funding.


Check out the case study for a full description of the project phases and their lessons learned.

View Case Study
Around the Great Lakes

Brandenburg Park Shoreline Restoration Project

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The Brandenburg Park Shoreline Restoration Project will improve habitat for fish and wildlife by restoring 740-feet of hardened shoreline on Lake St. Clair and installing of offshore habitat shoals. This project is a collaborative effort between the Great Lakes Commission and Chesterfield Township. 

They are currently finishing the construction phase and expect to complete the project this fall. Outcomes of this project include economic, environmental, and community benefits.

Read more

Funding Opportunities

Floodplain Management Services Program

The Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District is seeking applicants for its Floodplain Management Services (FPMS) program. The FPMS program enables the Corps to provide services to communities to reduce flood risk. It is 100% federally funded, so no cost share is required of communities. FPMS projects are typically long-term projects including flood warning plans, hydraulic & hydrologic modeling, flood communications plans, and more. These studies do not result in construction but can help communities better manage their local flood risk.


Requests need to be packaged/supported by Wisconsin Emergency Management. Please contact Robyn Fennig (Robyn.Fennig@wisconsin.gov) with questions or ideas for projects.


Requests Due: Friday, June 17, 2022


FPMS Fact Sheet


Sample Request Letter

America the Beautiful Challenge

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced the 2022 RFP for the America the Beautiful Challenge. This is a public-private grant program designed to support locally led, voluntary ecosystem restoration projects. Approximately $85 million in grant funding is available for projects addressing key priorities including reconnecting wildlife corridors; restoring rivers, costs, wetlands and watersheds; and expanding access to the outdoors, among others. Applicants are encouraged to develop large landscape-scale and/or cross-jurisdictional projects that advance existing conservation plans or are informed by Indigenous Traditional Knowledge.


Full proposals Due: Thursday, July 21, 2022, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time


Request for Proposals (RFP)


Fact Sheet

Learn More

Watershed Program Resources

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging local sponsors to submit project requests for funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers several programs to help communities improve land and water resources within watersheds as well as relieve imminent hazards to life and property created by a natural disaster. Funding is available for new projects as well as those already submitted to NRCS. NRCS will consider projects in historically underserved communities that directly benefit limited resource areas or socially disadvantaged communities. Eligible project sponsors include state government entities, local municipalities, conservation districts, and federally recognized tribal organizations.

Learn More

Upcoming Events

Funding and Financing Coastal Resilience

Building Capacity in Communities to Access Funding

NOAA's Office for Coastal Management is hosting a virtual event to hear from two organizations working with communities to overcome barriers to funding and financing resilience projects.


Date: Tuesday 21 June 2022,

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM CDT

Register Here
For questions about the CALM Network, or to submit something to the Collaboration Classifieds, contact:

Lydia Salus
608-266-3687

For questions about Lake Michigan coastal hazards or how to approach, plan, and prepare for them, contact:

Adam Bechle
608-263-5133
For more information, visit the Wisconsin Coastal Resilience website.

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