Economic and Ecosystem Maps Clarify Great Lakes Restoration Priorities

It’s a given that the Great Lakes’ natural resources and recreational benefits translate into local dollars—but until recently, no one had the economic data mapped with the range of services provided by the natural environment. Without that data, restoration planners could not know which proposed projects were likely to deliver the biggest bang for the buck for the coastal economy, ecosystem, and cultural activities.

To help, the Great Lakes Environmental Assessment and Mapping Project developed a map bringing together NOAA’s Digital Coast economic data on tourism and recreation with their own data, which pinpointed the natural resources that support sport fishing, recreational boating, birding, beach use, and park visitation.

Bringing these data sets together in a visual format enabled Great Lakes officials and planners to “see” where restoration actions could deliver potentially big economic, ecosystem, or cultural benefits. They also found that locations very high in recreational use often suffer greater environmental stressors and therefore might need more restoration attention. These discoveries and others are informing current and future restoration plans. (2016)

More information: coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/stories/gleam and www-personal.umich.edu/~dallan/allan_2015_frontiers_main.pdf

Partners: Great Lakes Environmental Assessment and Mapping Project, Michigan Technological University, NOAA Office for Coastal Management and Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, The Nature Conservancy, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin

Designing the Post-Invasive Species Forest

The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve is working with the City of Superior to study the impacts on local forests of an invasive beetle, the Emerald Ash Borer. This beetle has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America and has cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators, and forest product industries hundreds of millions of dollars.

The partners have designed a demonstration project that will help determine the best tree species poised for success in the non-ash forest of the future. (2016)

Partners: Lake Superior Reserve, City of Superior

Recreation-Friendly Land Buy Safeguards Bird Habitat and Groundwater

In a region experiencing development pressures, the purchase of 102 acres of forested bluffs and farmland will protect 6,600 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline and expand Ozaukee County’s Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve. The area’s clay seepage bluffs are especially important in recharging groundwater and providing stopover points for migratory birds. Another benefit is public access to the Lake Michigan Water Trail, now 75 miles long and running through three states.

The NOAA Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program provided $1 million toward this acquisition through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This conservation program provides matching funds to state and local governments for land purchases that are important ecologically, historically, scenically, or recreationally.

More information: co.ozaukee.wi.us/662/Lions-Den-Gorge-Nature-Preserve

Partners: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, NOAA Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Lake Superior Reserve Works toward Regional Stewardship Goals

Since its designation in 2010, the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, through the efforts of staff members and academic researchers, has supported the mission of long-term research, water-quality monitoring, education, and coastal stewardship.

In its short existence, the reserve has delivered thousands of hours of education and professional development for local students and teachers through both classroom and field-based experiences. The reserve’s coastal management training program further supports stewardship through workshops focusing on community resilience, erosion control for contractors, riparian buffers, and low-impact development. In addition to its numerous education programs, the reserve hosts the annual St. Louis River Summit, which provides a venue for sharing information on the St. Louis River Estuary and western Lake Superior with regional partners. The summit attracted over 300 participants in 2016.

The reserve receives 70 percent of its funding from NOAA and 30 percent from the University of Wisconsin-Extension, totaling about $7.6 million to support its mission. The reserve plans to renovate its interpretive center through grant funding to provide a destination for residents and tourists to improve understanding of Lake Superior and the St. Louis River estuary. (2016)

More information: superiortelegram.com/news/wisconsin/3991537-nerr-works-toward-stewardship-goals

Partners: Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, NOAA, University of Wisconsin-Extension

Environmental Education Supports Tribal Harvests

Over the last decade, the unprecedented loss of wild rice to climate change factors has disrupted traditional tribal harvests of the Lake Superior Ojibwe. The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and University of Wisconsin-Extension realized that science-only models of environmental education were not resonating with audiences, so these programs helped fund the Gikinoo’wizhiwe Onji Waaban (Guiding for Tomorrow) model of environmental education. Nicknamed G-WOW, the model integrates scientific research with real-world evidence to help people understand how key plant and animal species are affected by a changing climate.

The coastal program also funded environmental education programs for local schools and helped G-WOW develop a robust web-based curriculum for students. G-WOW has gained recognition over the past several years and is being used throughout the region. (2016)

Partners: Lake Superior Ojibwe, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program

Protecting Wetland Forests from Invasive Species

The emerald ash borer is an invasive insect that has killed millions of ash trees in the Great Lakes region over the past decade. Natural resource managers in Wisconsin are particularly concerned about the resulting domino effect on riverine wetland forests, as less trees can result in more flooding, which in turn leads to an increase in shoreline erosion and water quality issues caused by higher volumes of sediment flowing into the river.

The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve supported a project that identified forest areas most likely to be impacted by the insects and designed a study to determine resilient tree species to replace the ash trees. Community volunteers assisted, planting more than 800 saplings underneath stands of ash trees, helping the forest sustain itself in the face of this invasive pest.

“It’s gratifying to partner on this effort that will prevent further loss of life from these swimming hazards. This project is a successful example of a collaborative effort to address a coastal community need,” said Todd Breiby of the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.

Partners: Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Michigan Tech University, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, City of Superior, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Superior

First Tribal National Park in United States

An essential part of the coastal management effort is protecting and preserving important natural resources for future generations. The acquisition of 89 acres of old-growth forest and a quarter-mile of shoreline along Lake Superior led to the creation of Frog Bay Tribal National Park, the first tribal national park in the United States.

Located within the historic boundaries of the Red Cliff Reservation, Frog Bay Tribal National Park is an ecological gem, home to nearly 90 species of birds, rare and endangered plants, and bobcats, black bears, and wolves. Nearly two miles of rustic trails wind through the park, and a number of interpretive signs along the trails describe the ecology of the area and its cultural importance to the tribe. The park has allowed the Red Cliff community to retrieve a rich part of its history, preserve cultural traditions, and share its beauty with both tribal members and the public.

Private donors provided half of the project funding through donated land value. The other half came from NOAA’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, with funds from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2016)

More information: www.doa.state.wi.us/Documents/DIR/Coastal Management/Program Docs/Chronicle13-web.pdf

Partners: Bayfield Regional Conservancy, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program

Introducing Green Infrastructure to Great Lake Communities

Recent Wisconsin legislation requires coastal communities to create resilience plans, and the state has identified green infrastructure as a viable alternative to traditional gray infrastructure (seawalls and other built structures). The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve is providing scientific research and stewardship expertise, and creating the partnerships needed for communities to successfully apply for funding assistance.

One of the more interesting partnerships crossed state boundaries. Reserve staff members learned that coastal managers from Duluth, Minnesota, were also seeking green infrastructure solutions. The reserve used both social and natural science to provide the information needed to help citizens embrace this new approach. The two states connected and developed a successful joint application for a NOAA-funded project. Listen to an interview about the Lake Superior Research Reserve’s efforts. (2016)

Partners: Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Sea Grant, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Wisconsin Sea Grant

Academic and Governmental Partnership Leads to Safer Lake Michigan Surf

Rip currents—strong channels of water that flow out from the shore—claim more lives annually than tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, and floods combined. Lake Michigan swimmers will be much safer from the risk of rip currents and other dangerous waves thanks to a new real-time effort that matches academic know-how with coastal issue expertise and resources.

A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor partnered with the Wisconsin Coastal Management program and Wisconsin Sea Grant to begin testing and implementing the pilot Integrated Nowcast/Forecast Operation System (INFOS) at two beaches in Wisconsin. Through this project, a similar system is being piloted along Lake Superior, in Duluth, Minnesota. The equipment will identify and more accurately pinpoint the movement and behavior of hazardous wave conditions.

“It’s gratifying to partner on this effort that will prevent further loss of life from these swimming hazards. This project is a successful example of a collaborative effort to address a coastal community need,” said Todd Breiby of the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. (2016)

More information: www.seagrant.wisc.edu/home/Default.aspx?tabid=643&PostID=2195&Mode=View

Partners: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Sea Grant, Milwaukee County Parks Department, Minnesota Sea Grant, NOAA Coastal Storms Program

Visualizations Drive Home Flood Risk Message

A number of Green Bay, Wisconsin, residents don’t realize how close they are to potential floodwaters from Lake Michigan, leaving these residents susceptible to costly property damage from strong coastal storms.

To communicate this risk, Brown County worked with the Association of State Floodplain Managers to gather photos of two vulnerable residential properties and used NOAA’s CanVis tool to create photorealistic visualizations of various flooding scenarios. CanVis, available from the Digital Coast, allows users to insert their local picture and use the tool icons (flood waters, docks, bulkheads, buildings, etc.) to simulate proposed change. These visualizations helped drive home the warning. (2016)

More information: coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/stories/greenbay

Partners: Association of State Floodplain Managers, Brown County, Wisconsin, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Digital Coast Tool Used to Prioritize Wetland Restoration Efforts

Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, is seeking alternatives for managing nonpoint source pollution, a major contributor of phosphorous in the Mullet River. Healthy wetlands represent a natural approach to this problem, and stakeholders wanted to identify restorable wetland sites that could best provide these needed ecosystem services.

NOAA’s Digital Coast OpenNSPECT tool was populated with local land use data and runoff coefficients to model and understand surface water runoff and phosphorus loads. The results were integrated into a broader assessment of wetland function to identify sites that might benefit most from wetland services. OpenNSPECT’s “what-if” management scenarios were used to estimate impacts from various suggested approaches.

The resulting recommendations guide sustainable farming, watershed management, and restoration priorities within the Mullet River watershed. Additionally, the results were combined with 20-year development projections to determine areas where future development pressure may inhibit the health and growth of wetlands. (2016)

More information: coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/stories/Sheboygan-WI

Partners: The Association of State Floodplain Managers, City of Plymouth, Wisconsin, The Nature Conservancy, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Sheboygan County Planning Office, Wisconsin Sea Grant

Bluff and Shore Erosion Hotspots Identified for Lake Michigan Shoreline

In recent years, bluff erosion along the Lake Michigan shoreline has become a major concern, and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, which chairs the Wisconsin Coastal Natural Hazards Work Group, has funded several projects on this issue.

One project investigated and mapped erosion “hotspots” from the Illinois state line through Port Washington in Ozaukee County. The results indicate that wave erosion is a significant cause of coastal bluff instability and bluff top recession. Bluff height, offshore bathymetry, groundwater seeps, and shoreline orientation also can play a role, and shore protection proved to be an important variable in determining slope stability. This information is helpful for future planning efforts. Results are available as GIS layers at www.floodatlas.org/wcmp/obliqueviewer. (2016)

Partners: Association of State Floodplain Managers, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, University of Wisconsin─Madison