Coastal communities across Wisconsin are getting a funding boost to bolster local economies, natural resources and quality of life.
About $1.3 million in grants are going to areas along the Great Lakes. That includes larger cities – like Kenosha, Milwaukee and Sheboygan – and small towns like Gibraltar in Door County.
Gibraltar Town Chairman Steve Sohns said his community was able to acquire, preserve and potentially create recreation trails in a forested wetlands area along Lake Michigan, which should protect local wildlife and water quality.
“If the swamps aren’t protected and maintained properly, I mean that’s the filters of the earth before the water gets out to the lake,” said Sohns. “So, I think it’s pretty pretty important we protect those filters.”
Other grants will go to outdoor education, historic preservation, and even kayak launches. Funding will also go to groups monitoring invasive species, algal blooms and water temperatures.
Wisconsin has been funding similar programs for several years now, and will continue to award money in 2025.
The Badger State has roughly 800 miles of coastline, which Gov. Tony Evers said is a critical cultural and commercial resource. He spoke in a radio address earlier this month.
“Unfortunately,” said Evers, “many of these communities have also experienced shoreline erosion, flooding, pollution, and everyday harmful effects of climate change and more.”
This grant program is supported through federal dollars. The Biden-Harris administration has made environmental restoration and preservation a critical part of its plans to combat climate change.
