Along many Great Lakes shorelines, climate hazard impacts, shoreline alterations, and infrastructure development have caused a loss of habitats and diminished cultural resources. Restoration of these shorelines requires an integrated systems approach to identify specific nearshore stewardship goals and place-based actions that will restore coastal biodiversity, cultural cohesion, and ecological and community resilience.
This project focuses on identifying and ranking potential habitat restoration projects. The top-ranked projects are then selected for engineering and design support. Several partnerships, listed below, are involved in this work.
Initiative for Resilient Great Lakes Coasts offsite link (formerly the Lake Michigan Coastal Resilience Initiative)
This partnership between the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and NOAA builds the capacity of Great Lakes cities and communities to design and develop habitat-focused projects. The goal is to improve local climate resilience and respond to challenges such as shoreline erosion, flooding, and increasingly frequent severe storm events.
The effort started in Lake Michigan and has since expanded to include the coastal communities of Lake Superior, St. Marys River, Lake Huron, St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River. It brings scientific expertise, training, technical assistance, and engineering and design support to selected projects to complete nature-based shoreline projects addressing acute coastal problems. Find additional details here offsite link, including how to participate.
Work completed for Lake Michigan communities has involved development of 10 engineering and design plans:
- Bayfront East Living Shoreline and Trail Modification, Petoskey, Michigan
- Bayfront West Living Shoreline, Petoskey, Michigan
- Frankfort Lake Michigan Coastal Resiliency Project, Frankfort, Michigan
- Lincoln Park South Lagoon Shoreline Resilience Project, Chicago Park District, Illinois
- Jackson Park Lagoon Shoreline Resilience Project, Chicago Park District, Illinois
- Openlands Lakeshore Preserve Shoreline Protection Project, Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, Illinois
- McCormick Ravine Bluff and Nearshore Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Project, Lake Forest Open Lands Association, Illinois
- Lighthouse Beach Dune Management, Evanston, Illinois
- Clark Street Beach Dune Management, Evanston, Illinois
- Valley Creek Resiliency Planning–Guenther Pond Restoration, Port Washington, Wisconsin
Coastal States Organization Shoreline Assessment and Design Project offsite link
NOAA and the Coastal States Organization hosted workshops with state coastal programs and other interested parties in all eight Great Lakes coastal states to identify priority restoration projects. From there, engineering and design plans are developed for prioritized projects to bring them to 60–80 percent construction-ready status. There have been 11 engineering and design projects completed as of 2024. Find additional details here offsite link.
- Lake Ontario, New York – Wetland Rehabilitation and Connectivity in Sawmill Cove, Sodus Bay–Shaker Tract
- Lake Erie, New York – Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Connectivity – Tifft Nature Preserve
- Lake Superior, Minnesota – Fish Habitat Reconnection in Sawmill Creek
- Lake Superior, Minnesota – Fish Habitat Reconnection in Tischer Creek
- Lake Michigan, Michigan – Pentwater River Drowned River Mouth Habitat Restoration
- Lake Michigan, Wisconsin – Peshtigo River Streambank Stabilization and Habitat Enhancement
- Lake Erie, Pennsylvania – Restoration of Prime Fish Spawning Habitat
- Lake Ontario/Niagara River, New York – Niagara River Shoreline and Aquatic Habitat Restoration
- Lake Michigan, Indiana – Little Calumet River-Marshalltown Marsh-MLK North Wetland Complex – Nearshore Emergent Marsh and Stream Corridor Restoration
- Lake Superior, Wisconsin – Dwight’s Point and Pokegama Wetlands State Natural Area Resiliency Project
- Lake Superior, Minnesota – Brook Trout Habitat Reconnection in Slaughterhouse Creek, Carlton County, Lake Superior, Minnesota – Brook Trout Habitat Reconnection in Hay Creek, Carlton County
Adapting Living Shorelines to the Great Lakes
Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program selected suitable living shoreline options for three public access sites along Lake Superior. Working with partners, the coastal program is developing shovel-ready designs to enhance habitat, maintain recreational opportunities, and reduce erosion. For more information, contact Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program offsite link.
Funding:
FY2024: $2,100,000
FY2023: $2,100,000
FY2022: $1,800,000
FY2021: $1,290,000
FY2020: $280,000
FY2018: $650,000
Contact: Chiara.Zuccarino-crowe@noaa.gov
Partners: Coastal States Organization, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, the eight NOAA-approved Great Lakes coastal management programs, Great Lakes municipalities