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

1. Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership: Finding Synergies & Funding Opportunities South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) Chicago Southland Green Infrastructure Project Funding Workshop Angela Larsen, Coastal Project Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes

2. Introduction • 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

3. 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 Roadmap

4. Alliance Background

5. Who is the Alliance for the Great Lakes? We are a group of volunteers and professionals working for clean water throughout the Great Lakes watershed.

6. Why we care… • 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

7. Stressors… • Combined Sewer System Discharges/Heavy Storm Events • 2009, 41 billion gallons of untreated sewage • Non-point source pollution/urban runoff • 2009, 14 days in beach season 80 beaches were unfit for swimming • Invasive species • 185 invasive species threaten our ecosystem • a new invader is discovered every 28 weeks

8. Sewage Overflows

9. Trash In 2010 over 10,700 Adopt-a-Beach™ volunteers: 31,295pounds of trash 292 locations $231,202 dollar value of volunteer hours

10. Recreational Beach Access: Beach Closings and Public Health Data collected by the Alliance and NRDC from beach reports to EPA

11. 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

12. Costal Conservation at the Alliance

13. Coastal Conservation Program • Work with state and local governments to enhance the quality of unique Great Lakes coastal habitats through: • planning efforts, • on-the-ground project implementation, and • 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.

14. Partnership ExampleLake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership

15. Partnership History: 2007-2010 • Organized by Illinois DNR • Coalition of public, private, NGOs • Illinois Lake Michigan Watershed • Coordinated through the Alliance

16. Chicago Wilderness Ecosystem Partnership • Lake Calumet Ecosystem Partnership

17. Strategic Sub-watershed Identification Process (SSIP) • 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

18. Partnership Priority Sub-watersheds

19. Partnership Priority Ravines • Top 3 Priorities • Ravine 10L • Ravine 7L • Ravine 3L

21. Partnership Case Study 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

22. Partnership 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

23. Partnership Case Study 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

24. Partnership’s Goals Nov ’11 – May ‘11 • Agreed upon & standardized ravine data • Erosion/sediment & biological • Propose online tracking system • Develop funding proposals w/partners • GLRI, others?

25. Partnership’s Timeline Implement Comprehensive Ravine/Watershed Plan Implement Monitoring, Database, &/or Projects Confirm Monitoring Data, Central Database & Funding Proposals Baseline Data: SSIP 2007-2009 Nov- Feb 2010 FY ’11-’12 Sec 319 Sustain Our Great Lakes Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) ICMP Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant State Revolving Loan Fund Illinois DNR, C 2000 Sec 319 Sustain Our Great Lakes Funding Proposals Partners/Projects Monitoring Data Central Database Nov Jan Feb

26. Funding Proposals & Opportunities

27. Sec 319: Develop a Watershed 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: • Encouraged to develop approved watershed plan (IEPA, EPA, GLNPO, EPA Office of Water) • Qualify ravine projects for Sec 319 funding • Increase competitiveness for other sources of funding

28. Sec 319: Develop a Watershed Plan • Status • Application under review by partners • Collecting Letters of Support (LOS) • Timeline • ASAP

29. Sustain Our Great Lakes • Status: Submitted full proposal April 21, 2011 • Lead: Alliance/Ecosystem Partnership • Request: $150,000 • > 50% on-the-ground habitat restoration • < 50 % capacity building • Muni/park/count land managers • Private land owners • Match: 1:1 • Term: 18 months from award

30. Partners: Lake County Forest Preserve District (District) Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG) Openlands Conservation Research Institute (CRI) Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) Sustain Our Great Lakes

31. 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 Sustain Our Great Lakes

32. 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 Sustain Our Great Lakes

33. Sustain Our Great Lakes 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

34. Sustain Our Great Lakes Private Landowner Outreach Model • Openlands & Alliance • Assess current on-the-ground conditions • Engage private landowners • Conduct demonstration project • Develop design guidelines and handbook

35. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative 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

36. IL Coastal Management Program 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

37. IL Coastal Management Program Next Steps? • Work through the Partnership with municipalities and land managers to develop projects and matching funds

38. Habitat Assessment Pilot 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

39. Habitat Assessment Pilot 2011 Restoration & Assessments • Site partners (IN, IL, WI) • Conduct Assessments & Restorations – June Training & Outreach • Volunteer Training and Outreach Materials • Technical Advisory Board Evaluation • Collect Data • Evaluate Program

40. Habitat Assessment Pilot 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

41. Conclusion

42. Email me:alarsen@greatlakes.org Call me: 312-939-0838 ext. 233 Fan us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Photo by David Riecks