Wisconsin coastal communities will receive millions of dollars in grants to protect and improve Great Lakes resources, Governor Walker announced Monday.
34 grants, totaling $2.4 million, will go to local and state governments, regional planning commissions, universities and non-profits to assist with various projects. The Wisconsin Department of Administration's Wisconsin Coastal Management Program distributes the grants.
The Bay-Lake Region, which includes Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto and Sheboygan Counties, will receive money for nine projects.
Recipients for this year's grants were recommended by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, a Governor-appointed citizen and governmental advisory group.
The funds are part of Wisconsin's federally-funded Coastal Management Program.
The following projects will receive funding in Northeast Wisconsin:
- Accessible kayak/canoe launch in Sheboygan. The project will construct an ADA accessible launch, trailer parking and walkways at Kiwanis Park on the Sheboygan River.
- Beach Park swim beach expansion in Egg Harbor. The grant will help develop design and engineering plans for expanding the public beach at Beach Park.
- Coastal resource management plan for Bradley Lake-Sturgeon Bay connectivity in Sturgeon Bay. The project will identify issues and opportunities for sediment removal, fishery restoration and habitat improvement.
- Lakeshore coastal recreation study done by the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission. The study will be for Kewaunee, Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties.
- Outreach and education of Door Peninsula Coastal Wetland Ramsar site done by the Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department. The project will provide education and outreach to private landowners next to the site.
- Porte des Morts staircase in Liberty Grove. The money will help construct a staircase at Porte des Morts Park from the top of the bluff to the water below to provide safe, controlled access and enhance use of the park and Lake Michigan waters.
- Technical assistance for the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission. This will support coastal management activities and technical assistance to local governments in the Bay-Lake region.
- Twin Rivers water trail plan by the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission. The plan will create an inventory and assessment of all public access locations to the West Twin River and the East Twin River in Manitowoc County, and develop a plan for a water trail on the East and West Twin Rivers.
- Water quality indicators of human impacts on the wetlands of Door County done by the Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin. The project will investigate potential links between nonpoint source pollution and wetland water quality and habitat health in five Door County wetlands.
Next year's grant application will be available the first week of August 2017.
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