Angela Larsen , Coastal Project Manager , Alliance for the Great Lakes

Angela Larsen, Coastal Project Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes

Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership:Finding Synergies & Funding Opportunities

South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA)Chicago Southland Green Infrastructure

Project Funding Workshop

IntroductionIntroduction

Education

• BA in Philosophy

• Juris Doctorate, Environmental and Land Use Law; Licensure Admitted, MO

• Master in Urban Planning & Policy, Sustainable Development

Experience

• Sustainability/Climate Plan(s) Implementation, University of Illinois-Chicago

• Five (5) Year Strategic Sustainability Plan [w/indicators], University of Chicago

• Build transferable models, funding proposals and partnerships that support implementation of restoration projects, Alliance

Overview • Alliance• Coastal Conservation • Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership (Partnership): past

work/SSIP• Partnership Case Studies

Funding Proposals & Opportunities• Sec 319• Sustain Our Great Lakes• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative• IL Coastal Management Program• Habitat Assessment Pilot

Conclusion• Q & A

RoadmapRoadmap

Alliance Background

Who is the Alliance for the Who is the Alliance for the Great Lakes?Great Lakes?

We are a group of volunteers and professionals working for clean water throughout the Great Lakes watershed.

•Some of the finest drinking water in the world•Largest surface freshwater system on earth•Shared by more than 40 million people•Habitat quality and diversity •Economy & quality of life

Why we care…Why we care…

Stressors…Stressors…

Combined Sewer System Discharges/Heavy Storm Eventso 2009, 41 billion gallons of untreated sewage

Non-point source pollution/urban runoffo 2009, 14 days in beach season 80 beaches were unfit

for swimming Invasive species

o 185 invasive species threaten our ecosystemo a new invader is discovered every 28 weeks

Sewage OverflowsSewage Overflows

TrashTrashIn 2010 over 10,700 Adopt-a-Beach™ volunteers:

31,295 pounds of trash

292 locations

$231,202 dollar value of volunteer hours

Recreational Beach Access: Beach Recreational Beach Access: Beach Closings and Public HealthClosings and Public Health

Data collected by the Alliance and NRDC from beach reports to EPA

What we are up to…What we are up to…

•Adopt-a-BeachTM

•Water Quality•Water Conservation•Great Lakes Compact•Education•Great Lakes Restoration•Invasive Species•Urban Habitat•Sustainable Business•Coastal Conservation

Costal Conservation at the Alliance

Coastal Conservation Coastal Conservation ProgramProgram

• Work with state and local governments to enhance

the quality of unique Great Lakes coastal habitats

through:o planning efforts,

o on-the-ground project implementation, and

o public education

• Protect public trust lands

• Preserve and increase access to the Great Lakes

• Create opportunities for investment of federal, state,

local and private funds in coastal restoration.

Partnership Example

Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership

• Organized by Illinois DNR

• Coalition of public, private, NGOs

• Illinois Lake Michigan Watershed

• Coordinated through the Alliance

Partnership History: 2007-Partnership History: 2007-20102010

Chicago Wilderness Ecosystem Partnership

Lake Calumet Ecosystem Partnership

• Funding through Illinois DNR’s C2000 program

• Identified strategic sub-watersheds

• Baseline data for ravine erosion/sediment issues

• Goal: prioritize restoration efforts to maximize restoration impacts

SSIP found at: http://www.greatlakes.org/Page.aspx?pid=881

Strategic Sub-watershed Strategic Sub-watershed Identification Process Identification Process

(SSIP)(SSIP)

Partnership Priority Sub-Partnership Priority Sub-watershedswatersheds

Top 3 Priorities• Ravine 10L• Ravine 7L• Ravine 3L

Partnership Priority Partnership Priority RavinesRavines

Park District of Highland Park

– GLRI/EPA: $200,000

– Ravine Drive Project, Ravine 7L at Miller Park

– Restore native aquatic diversity & reduce sediment

loading to the Lake

Partnership Case StudyPartnership Case Study

Village of Lake Bluff– GLRI: ~$750,000

– 1,600 ft ravine restoration for erosion control

– Reduce sediment loading to Lake by 302 tons per yr

– Education to general public and municipal staff


Lake County Forest Preserve District (District)– GLRI/NFWF: $998,000

– Dead Dog Creek (also Lake Plains)

– Improve stream and wetland functioning, water-level &

water-quality monitoring to assess restoration impacts

– Reduce invasives, document plant composition, assess

restoration impacts on natives, invasive plant abundance, and

rare plant distributions


• Agreed upon & standardized ravine data– Erosion/sediment & biological

• Propose online tracking system

• Develop funding proposals w/partners– GLRI, others?

Partnership’s Goals Nov ’11 Partnership’s Goals Nov ’11 – May ‘11– May ‘11

Illinois DNR, C 2000

Baseline Data: SSIP

2007-2009 Nov- Feb 2010

Confirm Monitoring Data, Central Database & Funding Proposals

Implement Monitoring, Database, &/or Projects

FY ’11-’12

Implement Comprehensive Ravine/Watershed Plan

Sec 319Sustain Our Great Lakes

Monitoring Data Central DatabaseFunding Proposals Partners/Projects

Nov Jan Feb

Sec 319Sustain Our Great Lakes

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) ICMP

Illinois Green Infrastructure GrantState Revolving Loan Fund

Partnership’s TimelinePartnership’s Timeline

Funding Proposals & Opportunities

Sec 319: Develop a Sec 319: Develop a Watershed PlanWatershed Plan• Request: $50,000

• Match: $32,000• Lead: Alliance/Ecosystem Partnership• Partners: LCSMC, PDHP, Village of Lake Bluff, Park District of Winnetka, LCFPD,

Openlands, Lake Forest, Lake Forest Open Lands Assoc.• Boundaries: ravines south of Waukegan• Term: 1 year• Purpose:

o Encouraged to develop approved watershed plan (IEPA, EPA, GLNPO, EPA Office of Water)

o Qualify ravine projects for Sec 319 fundingo Increase competitiveness for other sources of funding

• Status

– Application under review by partners

– Collecting Letters of Support (LOS)

• Timeline

– ASAP

Sec 319: Develop a Sec 319: Develop a Watershed PlanWatershed Plan

• Status: Submitted full proposal April 21, 2011

• Lead: Alliance/Ecosystem Partnership

• Request: $150,000

– > 50% on-the-ground habitat restoration

– < 50 % capacity building

o Muni/park/count land managers

o Private land owners

• Match: 1:1

• Term: 18 months from award

Sustain Our Great LakesSustain Our Great Lakes

Partners:

• Lake County Forest Preserve District (District)

• Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG)

• Openlands

• Conservation Research Institute (CRI)

• Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS)


Purpose

• Develop biological monitoring protocol for ravines

• Develop model ravines through on the ground restoration

activity

• Build capacity of local land managers and private land

owners to implement restoration projects


Restoration Work

• LCFPD (District) – Jane’s and Scott’s Ravine

• $70,000

• Reintroduce of matrix community species, such as sedges and grasses,

as well as rarer species

– 25,000 plant plugs of at least 30 local ecotype species

– Seed 27.5 acres

• Plant 6600 shrubs to increase native woody diversity

• Complete control on isolated invasive plant populations


Biological Assessment Protocol, Land Manager

Trainings, Data Analysis/Reports

• District, land manager training site (Jane’s & Hutchinson Ravine)

• CBG, Plants of Concern

• CRI, Floristic Quality Assessment

• INHS, Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP)

• Northwater, erosion/water quality

• Alliance, coordinate & develop protocol handbook


Private Landowner Outreach Model

• Openlands & Alliance

– Assess current on-the-ground conditions

– Engage private landowners

– Conduct demonstration project

– Develop design guidelines and handbook


IL Lake Michigan Implementation Plan

• Status: submitted

• Lead: IDNR

• Partners: Alliance, Chicago Wilderness, Biodiversity Plan

• Request: $300,000

• Term: July 1, 2011– July 1, 2013

• Purpose:

– Create a shared vision and agenda for the restoration and protection of

coastal resources, to guide resource allocations, improve prioritization and

implementation, and increase the # and diversity of on-the-ground partners

– Wiki – use to develop the Implementation Plan through

Great Lakes Restoration Great Lakes Restoration InitiativeInitiative

What is the status of the CMP in Illinois?

• December 10, 2010, Governor Quinn signed Executive Order

• February 18, 2011, public comments on CMP program docs

• Upcoming: – Public comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

– Governor review / sign-off

– Publish and distribute program document/FEIS

• Approval Sept, 2011

IL Coastal Management IL Coastal Management ProgramProgram

Next Steps?• Work through the Partnership with

municipalities and land managers to develop projects and matching funds

IL Coastal Management IL Coastal Management ProgramProgram

Goal• Develop a transferable model that supports

volunteer assessment and restoration of natural habitats, and can be expanded to compliment the Alliance’s regional Adopt-a-BeachTM program

Habitat Assessment PilotHabitat Assessment Pilot

2011Restoration & Assessments• Site partners (IN, IL, WI)• Conduct Assessments & Restorations – JuneTraining & Outreach• Volunteer Training and Outreach Materials• Technical Advisory BoardEvaluation• Collect Data• Evaluate Program


Next Steps:• Identify partners interested in data• Identify interested site partners• Develop funding proposals to:

– Automate and develop electronic forms – Database integration/synchronization– Expand sites


Conclusion

Email me:Email me: [email protected]

Call me: Call me: 312-939-0838 ext. 233312-939-0838 ext. 233

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Photo by David Riecks

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Angela Larsen , Coastal Project Manager , Alliance for the Great Lakes