Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)

EPA Announces Wisconsin´s Funding for the 2011 GLRI

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded eight Wisconsin organizations and agencies $3,754,554 in grants under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. These grants are among 70 grants totaling nearly $30 million awarded by EPA under the GLRI in 2011. Wisconsin DNR is committed to working together with our partners to restore and protect our Great Lakes. Funding for these projects will support those efforts and move us closer to our goals.

The funded 2011 projects announced in Milwaukee include:

• $85,733 – UW–Milwaukee (Stormwater Management at UW–Milwaukee Power Plant)
• $385,307 – WDNR (Reducing Invasive Plant Species in Trade in Great Lakes Water Bodies)
• $286,843 – WDNR (Red Swamp Crayfish Prevention, Containment and Eradication)
• $1,073,630 – UW–Oshkosh (Implementation Mitigation Strategies at Wisconsin Beaches)
• $300,000 – Northland College (A Targeted Landowner Approach to Watershed Protection)
• $173,000 – Northland College (Lake Superior Binational Forum Lakewide Management Plan Implementation)
• $702,300 – Door County Soil & Water Conservation District (Implementation of Beach Management Practices to Improve Water Quality)
• $747,741 – Outagamie County Land Conservation Department (Plum and Kankapot Creeks Riparian Protection)

Click here for additional details about the grant awards [PDF 16.7KB].

Map of funded projects [exit DNR]

GLRI Project Updates 2010–2011

More than 60 protection and restoration projects receiving nearly 39 million in federal Great Lakes Restoration funds are underway in Wisconsin.

Take a look at two projects unfolding on Lake Michigan shores:

Northern Pike Habitat Restoration

GLRI funds will support continued restoration of northern pike spawning habitat in Brown county. The Brown County Land and Water Conservation Department is taking the lead on this important project. Additional funding and technical assistance is provided by the Lower Fox River/Green Bay Natural Resource Trustee Council, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Green Bay Area Sports Fishermen, Ducks Unlimited, the Brown County Conservation Alliance, and the Wisconsin DNR.

Construction continues in Brown County to improve spawning habitat for northern pike. Spring sampling of fry in completed wetlands and streams showed encouraging results. Watch the construction of a wetland and learn how this project will benefit northern pike and other fish and wildlife species.

Non–Native Phragmites Removal

Federal funds awarded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will support work to remove giant reed grass (Phragmites australis) on 3600 acres and 118 miles of the Lake Michigan shore in an effort to restore valuable wetland habitat. The Wisconsin DNR is leading this effort and additional funding is provided by Marinette County and Ducks Unlimited.

Watch as crews begin a massive Phragmites australis removal project along the shores of Lake Michigan. Removal of this aggressive invasive species will allow native plants to become re–established, and continued management will help restore valuable wetland habitat.

Phragmites Removal Project FAQs [PDF 15KB]

For more information about Wisconsin´s 2010 & 2011 funded projects.

Wisconsin 2010 GLRI Funded Projects [PDF 80KB]

GLRI 2011 UPDATE – UP TO $40 MILLION AVAILABLE FROM EPA

On February 25, 2011, the U.S. EPA announced a request for applications from states, municipalities, tribes and nonprofit organizations for new projects to protect and restore the Great Lakes. President Obama has proposed a total of $300 million in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in Fiscal Year 2011, with approximately $40 million of that total allocated to EPA for distribution through this competitive grant program. The final budget is subject to Congressional appropriation.

April 11, 2011 was the deadline for Wisconsin State agencies and organizations to submit their applications to the U.S. EPA for the second round of GLRI grants. Grants are available to fund a wide range of projects, including work to target invasive species, to reduce the impact of toxic substances and nonpoint pollution, to protect public health, and to clean up heavily contaminated "Areas of Concern" around the Great Lakes Basin. Please check back to see this year´s funded GLRI projects.

We can help!

Please continue to talk with our WDNR staff to develop project proposals. Even though the deadline for U.S. EPA´s Request for Applications is past, development of proposals will ensure that we are prepared for future funding opportunities. We can help you develop your project proposal and coordinate with other partners to ensure that we submit the best projects for Wisconsin. We would like to share a list of project ideas on our website to facilitate collaboration. As we saw last year, projects that demonstrate strong partnerships compete very well for funding. Staff list

A note about projects in Wisconsin´s Areas of Concern

Please work with your local AOC coordinator [PDF 695KB] for projects that may benefit the 5 AOCs. We want to help move those projects forward to help secure the necessary funds. Collaboration is critical. Our AOC Coordinators are currently working with local citizen and technical advisory groups and have a good sense of what work is needed to remove sources of impairments. Send project proposals or pre–proposals to your local AOC coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to the application deadline for WDNR letters of support. Local citizen and technical advisory groups can also provide letters of support for your project.

For more information, please visit:

• U.S. EPA Great Lakes Funding [exit DNR]
• Great Lakes Restoration [exit DNR]

Greetings from Steve Galarneau:
Many of you already know me, but for those of you who don´t I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and the WDNR´s Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) and Regional Staff working on Great Lakes. I was named the Director of the Office of the Great Lakes in Oct. 2010 after working in the role on a temporary assignment since Feb. 2009. I´m very excited about our Great Lakes Program and the Office of the Great Lakes is looking forward to working with our many partners on addressing the myriad of challenges and opportunities that our treasured Great Lakes offer.

In 2010, EPA´s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) provided additional funding to each of the Great Lakes states as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to increase their capacity (staffing) for working on Great Lakes issues to align with the increase in funding for projects in the Great Lakes. To meet these new challenges, WDNR used these additional funds to hire 10 positions statewide, 7 new positions to work on Areas of Concern (AOCs) and Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) in our regional offices and 3 positions in OGL in Madison. We now have DNR staff for each of the 5 Areas of Concern (AOCs) and 2 positions each for the Lake Superior Binational LaMP and the Lake Michigan LaMP. We´ve attached a map showing the locations and contact information.

Lake Michigan Stakeholder Symposium Presentations – October 13, 2010

• NOAA GLRI Presentation [PDF 997KB]
• NRCS GLRI Presentation [PDF 1.18MB]
• USEPA GLRI Presentation [PDF 473KB]
• USFS GLRI Presentation [PDF 402KB]
• USFWS GLRI Presentation [PDF 49KB]