Delivery of LNRP’s Stewardship Investment Fund
Lakeshore Natural Resources Partnership will work with local watershed groups and community partners to fund and support habitat and water quality projects from Sheboygan to Door County. In the past, projects supported by LNRP have ranged from the mapping of invasive species to a full-scale restoration project at the Pigeon River Estuary.
Root River Watershed Restoration Plan
The City of Racine is conducting a baseline assessment of water quality in the Root River in support of the development of a Root River Watershed Restoration Plan. Supported in part by the Fund for Lake Michigan, the data will provide baseline information on current conditions and help to gauge improvements from future restoration projects.
Sauk and Sucker Creeks coastal watershed buffer initiative
The Fund is supporting Ozaukee County’s Land and Water Management department in implementing an agricultural buffer and field border initiative designed to reduce the levels of pollution in Sauk and Sucker Creeks, while restoring and preserving usable habitat for wildlife.
Lake Michigan Shoreline Restoration Project
OWLT is conducting a habitat management campaign along the Lake Michigan Flyway, an important route for migratory songbirds. With support from the Fund for Lake Michigan, OWLT is removing invasive species and replacing them with native vegetation; stabilizing coastal bluffs, gorges, and stream banks; and monitoring restored habitat for use by wildlife.
Pike River Watershed Restoration Plan
The Fund is supporting Root-Pike WIN’s efforts to develop a Watershed Restoration Plan for the Pike River that gathers the input of a diverse group of stakeholders and provides a prioritized action plan for implementing best management practices to improve water quality.
Fish barrier removal and habitat restoration of the Lake Michigan coast
The Fund for Lake Michigan is supporting the City of Port Washington’s efforts to remove fish barriers and restore habitat on the lower portions of Sauk and Mineral Springs Creeks in downtown Port Washington. The project will also improve public access and recreational opportunities.
Riparian Buffer installation in the Root River Watershed and Lake Michigan Watershed in Racine County
With a grant from the Fund for Lake Michigan, Racine County will work with farmers to install 33.3 acres of riparian buffers along the Root River and its tributaries to reduce agricultural runoff and subsequent erosion and sedimentation.
Westlawn Partnership to restore the Lincoln Creek Watershed
As part of a major neighborhood redevelopment, the Fund for Lake Michigan is supporting the installation of bioswales throughout the HACM’s Westlawn Housing Development. The bioswales will reduce and filter runoff by 158,000 gallons per inch of stormwater in Lincoln Creek, preventing harmful sediment and nutrients from reaching local waterways.
Stormwater Treatment Demonstration Project: industrial-size rain barrels
The Fund for Lake Michigan will help Menomonee Valley Partners put into operation two industrial-size rain barrels under the 35th Street viaduct. The rain barrels will capture and filter 68,000 gallons of rainwater a year, reducing the amount of polluted runoff flowing into the Menomonee River.
Gateway to Improved Long-term Spawning (GILS)
The Fund for Lake Michigan has awarded a grant to Groundwork Milwaukee to for their Gateway to Improving Long-term Spawning (GILS) project. Groundwork Milwaukee will install 15 “fish hotels” and 250 “HUBS,” or hanging underwater baskets, to improve habitat for fish along 15 miles of hardened shoreline in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern.