1. 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

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. 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…

7. Stressors… Combined Sewer System Discharges/Heavy Storm Events o2009, 41 billion gallons of untreated sewage Non-point source pollution/urban runoff o2009, 14 days in beach season 80 beaches were unfit for swimming Invasive species o185 invasive species threaten our ecosystem oa new invader is discovered every 28 weeks

8. Sewage Overflows

9. Trash In 2010 over 10,700 Adopt-a-Beach™ volunteers: 31,295 pounds 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-Beach TM 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: oplanning efforts, oon-the-ground project implementation, and opublic 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 Example Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership

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

16. Chicago Wilderness Ecosystem Partnership Lake Calumet Ecosystem Partnership

17. 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 Identification Process (SSIP)

18. Partnership Priority Sub-watersheds

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

21. 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 Study

22. 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 Partnership Case Study

23. 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 Partnership Case Study

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

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

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: oEncouraged to develop approved watershed plan (IEPA, EPA, GLNPO, EPA Office of Water) oQualify ravine projects for Sec 319 funding oIncrease competitiveness for other sources of funding

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

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

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. 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 Sustain Our Great Lakes

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

35. 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 Initiative

36. 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 Program

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

38. 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-Beach TM program Habitat Assessment Pilot

39. 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 Habitat Assessment Pilot

40. 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 Habitat Assessment Pilot

41. Conclusion

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