Great Lakes Restoration Project - Ohio Department of Natural ...

Great Restorations Wisconsin’s Great LakesHabitat and public access on Lakes Michigan and SuperiorClean water and pristine shores. Healthy and abundant wildlife. Bluewater recreation.Wisconsinites set high standards for their Great Lakes.However, pressures from a burgeoning population threaten fragile coastalhabitats and prized tracts of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior shoreline.In 2001, Congress recognized its responsibility to the Great Lakes bywisely directing resources for coastal restoration.Wisconsin coastalmanagers leveraged the federal commitment with local resources andstrategies to protect Wisconsin’s Great Lakes coasts.The Public Shoreline. Wisconsinites value their time spenton the coasts of Lakes Michigan and Superior. However, unspoiledshorelines are increasingly subdivided for residential and commercialpurposes. Once coastline is developed, it islost to the public forever.Great Lakes Restoration grants preservedseveral pristine shorelines, buffers andwetlands in perpetuity. In addition to theirobvious ecological benefits, coastal naturalareas enhance the overall character of theircommunities and the state. Preserved coastalareas strengthen Wisconsin’s economy byenticing tourists and relocating families andbusinesses to visit and invest in the state.Improved Habitat for Healthy Wildlife.Wisconsin’s coasts support diverse aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. GreatLakes Restoration grants will improve degraded habitats from Kenoshato Bayfield. For instance, purple loosestrife plants supplant indigenousflora and threatens wildlife in fragile wetlands. Great Lakes Restorationgrants will restore wetlands and reduce the effects of land-based invaders.Unfiltered storm runoff increasingly harms water quality. Great LakesRestoration grants will relocate a storm sewer discharge to control thespread of lakebed contaminants. A wet detention basin and streambank project also reduce the impacts of runoff in Lakes Superior andMichigan.Reduced Contaminants for Safer Water. Wisconsincontends with an unwanted legacy from its industrial past.Contaminated lands and sediments threaten drinking water, habitat andrecreation along the coasts.Great Lakes Restoration grants will fund removal of contaminatedsediments in a troubled Lake Superior tributary. Major projects inSheboygan and Milwaukee will cleancontaminated waterfronts and provide publicaccess at former industrial sites.The Future of Great LakesRestorations. Federal Great LakesRestoration grants are popular inWisconsin.The first allocation will leverage$12 million of habitat improvements alongWisconsin’s coasts. Numerous localinitiatives stand ready to restore morethreatened areas.Wisconsin citizens and visitors want access to more – not fewer –miles of coastline and acres of wetlands. Many excellent projects arepoised to provide vital habitat, clean water and access to LakesMichigan and Superior.The wise investment of federal resourcestoday will ensure a healthier, more sustainable Great Lakes forgenerations to come.[16] GREAT LAKES RESTORATION PROJECT