Greetings from the Coastal Resilience Team! This month's newsletter contains: Lake Michigan Water Level Update New Resource: A Property Owner's Guide to Protecting Your Bluff New Resource: Nature-Based Shoreline Options for the Great Lakes Coasts Highlight: Collaborative Action for Lake Michigan Coastal Resilience (CALM) Funding Opportunity: National Coastal Resilience Fund

November Water Level Update

Lake Michigan water levels have continued their seasonal decline this fall, decreasing by about 3 inches from October to November. Though Lake Michigan is now about 25 inches below the highest monthly water level recorded for November in 1986, the Lake is still about 13 inches above the long-term average water level. Water levels are expected to continue their seasonal decline through the early winter but remain above the long-term average. Watch the USACE's "On the Level" YouTube channel for updates and information about the Great Lakes' water levels and forecasts.

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New Resource

A Property Owner's Guide to Protecting Your Bluff

This new guide explains practices that property owners can use to take care of their bluffs, including informed site usage, proper water drainage, stabilizing vegetation, and if necessary, bluff toe protection. The guide is structured with a “top-down” approach, starting with the bluff top where homes and infrastructure are often located, down to the water line where bluffs interact with the lake. Chapters in this guide include: Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Bluff Top Management Chapter 3: Bluff Face and Toe Management Appendix A: Selecting Suitable Vegetation for Enhancing Lake Michigan Coastal Bluff Stability Appendix B: When Your Home Is at Imminent Risk From Bluff Failure Appendix C: Special Considerations for New Construction

Free Download

New Resource

Nature-Based Shoreline Options for the Great Lakes Coasts

Nature-based shorelines (NBS) use or mimic natural features to stabilize the coast. These features include vegetation, beaches, and dunes. This guide highlights six different types of NBS techniques that may be suitable for the Great Lakes: Vegetation Nourishment Slope Stabilization Edging Sill Ecologically Enhanced Hard Armoring The guide also describes a case study from the Great Lakes for each technique.

Free Download

Project Highlight

Collaborative Action for Lake Michigan Coastal Resilience (CALM)

Collaborative Action for Lake Michigan (CALM) Coastal Resilience is a new coastal resilience network forming in Wisconsin. The project is focused on Wisconsin's entire Lake Michigan coastline. CALM is a network designed to increase coastal resilience by expanding coordination efforts among agencies, organizations, and local governments while sustaining existing coastal management networks and communities of practice. CALM will focus on assisting communities in developing, revising, or adopting local ordinances and/or coastal hazard plans and policies through outreach, data development and management, and promoting products and tools. CALM is a partnership between the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Sea Grant, and the Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office. This project is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Stay tuned for more news about CALM!

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Funding Opportunity

National Coastal Resilience Fund

The National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) is a national funding program that is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. NCRF aims to restore, increase, and strengthen natural infrastructure to protect coastal communities while also enhancing habitats for fish and wildlife. The request for proposals is not yet open but NCRF investments are expected to increase substantially in 2022. Throwe Environmental, Field Liaison to the NCRF, is looking to connect with communities and organizations in the Green Bay area that are interested in learning more about, and/or potentially applying to, the NCRF. Check out this flyer for more information. Register for their January 5 webinar with the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission, titled “Funding Basics for Northeast Wisconsin Communities: Crafting Competitive Proposals for the National Coastal Resilience Fund and Beyond.”

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 or the Northeast Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Study portal 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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