Goal One: Habitat and Species

We will protect and improve coastal habitats for the species
that use them, with a focus on species and areas identified as priorities.

Strategies we employ in meeting our goal:

1. Enhance and restore wetlands within Illinois' coastal area
   
2. Protect and restore important coastal habitats with an emphasis on publicly owned and accessible land
   
3. Improve, expand, and connect stopover sites within the Lake Michigan migratory bird corridor
   
4. Protect, restore, and enhance important ravine habitats
   
5. Improve understanding of habitat impacts due to physical changes to the Lake Michigan coast
   
6. Address sources of water quality degradation in order to improve nearshore, in-lake habitats
   
7. Improve stormwater management to reduce negative impacts of polluted stormwater into Lake Michigan
   
8. Improve access to educational programming and resources that highlight coastal region-specific habitats, species, and natural value
   

CMP in Action

ILLINOIS BEACH STATE PARK is the last wild and open coastline in Illinois. Home to rare coastal ecosystems and species, IBSP has been experiencing rapid rates of erosion and habitat loss. The CMP has been supporting data collection partnerships that are helping guide management action, not only for protecting these rare habitats but also in understanding the ecological benefits of the wetlands for carbon sequestration, filtering stormwater runoff and mitigating floods. The CMP is working with landscape architects, scientists, municipalities, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other partners in pursuing a pilot project for passive sediment management using nature-based solutions, looking at case studies that demonstrate ways of engineering with nature in order to disrupt the powerful waves and protect one of our state treasures.