The NERR headquarters on Green Bay will serve as a research hub for Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. At the local level, the NERR will offer a coordinating force to better manage, restore, and promote the Green Bay ecosystem. A grant from the Fund will continue to support the position at UWGB responsible for shepherding the NERR through the remaining three steps of the designation process. These steps include creation of an EIS and management plan for the sites, identifying a location for the visitor/education center and signing an MOU with the 11 land holding partners for the NERR.  Once designated, the NERR comes with significant financial support from the federal government to construct facilities and hire a staff of researchers and educators. It is estimated that the facility will operate with 14 FTE employees and around $1,000,000 in federal support.