Greetings from the Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Team!

This month's newsletter contains:

• June CALM Network Meeting Recap
• Collaboration Classifieds
• Lake Michigan Water Level Update
• Resource of the Month: Equitable Community Resilience Adaptation Toolkit

• Around the Great Lakes: Sandusky Begins Wetlands Work Near Cedar Point

• Funding Opportunities
• NFWF America the Beautiful Challenge
• CRF Coordination and Collaboration in the Resilience Ecosystem Program
• FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
• NOAA Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)
• NRCS Watershed Program Resources
• Upcoming Events
• Water Infrastructure Funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law webinar
• Funding Opportunities for Nature-Based Solutions webinar

The Collaborative Action for Lake Michigan (CALM) Coastal Resilience network meeting was held virtually on June 22, 2022. The meeting featured presentations discussing how connecting planning, zoning, and on-the-ground actions can enhance coastal resilience. Throughout the meeting, speakers shared a variety of planning, decision-support, and funding resources related to this theme.

The meeting recording and summary are now available on the Wisconsin Coastal Resilience website.

Lake Michigan water levels have now peaked for the season, with 0 inches of change from June to July. Though Lake Michigan is now about 25 inches below the highest monthly water level recorded for June 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.

Equitable Community Resilience Adaptation Toolkit

The Equitable Community Resilience Adaptation Toolkit provides resources and guidance on integrating equity into climate resilience planning. The toolkit uses a four-step framework for creating and implementing equitable community resilience plans. This framework, as well as the resources shared within each step, are intended to be a resource for people who represent, work, or volunteer for a municipal or county government.

Check out this toolkit for more in-depth information and resources about integrating equitability in your climate resilience planning. 

To help reduce excess phosphorus entering Lake Erie as well as create wildlife habitat, the city of Sandusky, Ohio has started a wetlands project on the west side of the Cedar Point Causeway. Funded by the State of Ohio and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, this 30-acre project is expected to take five years to complete and cost $3.6 million.

The Corps of Engineers will begin dredging in the fall of 2022. The wetland will be monitored for 10 years post-construction, including invasive-species management. Outcomes of this project include economic, environmental, and community benefits.

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

The Climate Resilience Fund's (CRF) Coordination and Collaboration in the Resilience Ecosystem program will provide up to twenty, $10,000 grants to train climate service practitioners interested in learning to utilize the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit Steps to Resilience.

The grants will support 6 virtual training sessions and a commitment of 60-70 hours over the 6-month grant period. Organizations can apply to send up to 3 team members to this training and request a $10,000 grant for each attendee.

Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, universities, and for-profit entities.

Applications Due: Friday, July 22, 2022

Request for Applications (RFA) 

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 DMAWEMHazardMitigation@wi.gov 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.

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:

sarah.a.waters@noaa.gov or (989) 312-3520

Applications Due: Tuesday, September 20, 2022

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

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.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a webinar about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and how it can help communities improve their water and wastewater infrastructure.

The webinar will cover how state revolving fund program funds work, how the BIL funding can help communities address water infrastructure challenges, what resources are available for information and technical assistance, and where to go for more information.

The webinar will include an opportunity to submit questions.

Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Time: 1:00 PM EDT

NOAA Office for Costal Management is offering a free webinar about the different funding programs that support nature-based solutions in the Great Lakes including NOAA, FEMA, EPA, NFWF, and Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. There will be a dedicated Q&A sessions where attendees can engage with the funding organizations.

The webinar will specifically highlight NOAA's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding opportunities and NFWF's America the Beautiful Challenge.

Date: Thursday, July 14, 2022

Time: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CDT

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