Greetings from the Coastal Resilience Team! This month's newsletter contains: Lake Michigan Water Level Update Resource of the Month: Updated Shoreline Inventory and Oblique Photo Viewer Community Story: Historic Shanties Saved from High Water Levels in Michigan Funding Opportunity: Sustain Our Great Lakes Funding Opportunity: Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) mini-grants Event: 2021 Great Lakes Sediment Management Workshop

Water Level Update

The water levels on all the Great Lakes have finally dipped below their monthly records as of January 22, 2021. Lake Michigan is now 4 inches below the highest recorded monthly average in January previously set in 1987. Additionally, the basin is 8 inches below mean water levels from a year ago. From this point and through the winter, water levels are expected to continue their seasonal decline. It is predicted that Lake Michigan-Huron will fall about 1 inch by next month. Here are five things to know about water levels on Lake Michigan for January 2021.

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Resource of the Month

Updated: Wisconsin Shoreline Inventory & Oblique Photo Viewer

This interactive map is both a qualitative and quantitative inventory of shoreline conditions on Wisconsin's Great Lakes coasts. It has recently been updated with summer 2020 aerial imagery. Watch our tutorial to learn how to navigate the map and use the photos, shoreline condition inventories, and recession information to identify and prioritize areas for coastal management.

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Coastal Resilience Stories from Around the Great Lakes

Historic Shanties in Fishtown Saved from High Water Levels in Michigan

In Leland, MI, sandwiched between Lake Michigan and the Leland River, there exists an old Fishtown built around the early 1900s. Many of its shanties have been threatened by rising water levels. The foundations on these buildings are deteriorating and if not replaced they will eventually fall into the river. Fishtown Preservation Society (FPS) is helping to raise money for their rehabilitation. In November of 2020, the Morris Shanty was reacquainted with its rehabilitated foundation. As the oldest shanty in Fishtown “it’s been a place where Fishtown’s commercial fishing nets have been mended and stored for decades and now is tied directly to the work of FPS’s two fishing boats, the Joy and the Janice Sue.”

The Morris Shanty is the oldest shanty in Fishtown. Photo Credit: Fishtown Preservation Society

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Funding Opportunity

Sustain Our Great Lakes Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Sustain Our Great Lakes program has announced its 2021 Request for Proposals. Grant funding will be awarded in six categories: Restore and Enhance Stream and Riparian Habitat  Restore and Enhance Coastal Habitats  Expand Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Great Lakes Communities Maintain and Enhance Benefits of Habitat Restoration through Invasive Species Control Restore and Preserve Natural Areas and Biodiversity in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Watershed  Accelerate Implementation of Conservation Practices and Regenerative Agriculture on Working Lands   Pre-proposals are due on February 16th, 2021   A virtual workshop for applicants will be held on February 2nd at 10 am. For more information or to register for the workshop, see: https://www.nfwf.org/programs/sustain-our-great-lakes-program/sustain-our-great-lakes-2021-request-proposals

Visit the SOGL webpage

Funding Opportunity

Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) Mini-Grants

The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) has a mini-grant opportunity for one-year projects ranging from $20k-$150k (USD) that will support Great Lakes observations, data management, and information delivery. Proposals are due on March 12, 2021, and are open to both US and Canadian institutions. Reach out to minigrants-2021rfp@glos.org with any questions or to discuss ideas. GLOS will be maintaining a list of FAQs on the website, as well as any other updates. Please visit the GLOS mini-grant webpage for more information and to download the request for proposals.

Visit the mini-grant webpage

Event

2021 Great Lakes Sediment Management Workshop

This workshop will occur as a series of 4 webinars throughout the month of April. It is being planned in collaboration with the Great Lakes Regional Sediment Management Team, comprised of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. EPA, USGS, USDA-NRCS, and other partners. More information coming soon. Contact Ken Gibbons (kgibbons@glc.org) for further questions. Schedule: April 6: Urban Stormwater and Green Infrastructure April 13: Coastal Systems April 20: Habitat and Restoration April 27: Agricultural nonpoint source runoff Each webinar starts at 1:00 PM (CST)

If you have any questions about Lake Michigan coastal hazards or how to approach, plan, and prepare for them, please contact Adam Bechle bechle@aqua.wisc.edu 608-263-5133  For more information, visit the Southeast Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Project website Follow us on Twitter @sewiresilience for updates

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

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