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Press Release - Monday, November 18, 2024
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IDNR announces more than $1 million in grants for protection and management of Illinois' Lake Michigan shoreline
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management Program has awarded $1,075,395 in grants to Illinois organizations for coastal education, recreation, water quality protection, planning, and design and engineering projects along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Through a federal-state partnership with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, Illinois will pass through these federal funds to support local efforts that protect and restore the Illinois coast, reflecting both a national and local interest in Great Lakes restoration.
The 16 grant-funded projects span the entirety of the Illinois' Lake Michigan coastline and will empower communities, educational institutions, non-profits, park districts and forest preserve districts to improve the state's coastal resources and engage local youth and adults in stewardship and enjoyment of Lake Michigan and surrounding natural resources.
"It takes all of us working together to protect, preserve, and restore the Lake Michigan shoreline, and to ensure this wonderful resource can be enjoyed by all," said Natalie Phelps Finnie, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. "These grants represent an impressive range of investments in education, planning, and coastal resiliency in order to find solutions to unique challenges we face in Chicago and northeastern Illinois."
The 2024 Coastal Grants Program emphasized projects that reflect the program's commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion and that demonstrate a direct project benefit to communities and groups that have historically been underserved or disproportionately affected by environmental harms.
The 2024 Coastal Grant recipients and project titles are:
Chicago Audubon Society - $22,325
Training leaders from diverse communities in birding leadership and bird conservation
Chicago Community Sculling - $25,000
Rowing program executive director
Chicago Park District - $100,000
Updating engineering designs for a water landing at Steelworkers Park
Faith in Place - $74,136.35
Migration and Me Program, Cook and Lake counties
Friends of the Chicago River - $145,000.69
Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance
Friends of the Forest Preserves - $149,156.78
Outdoors for all: Deepening community engagement in forest preserves along the Little Calumet River
Friends of the Parks - $42,632.60
Nature Along the Lake
Lake County Forest Preserve District - $25,845
Branding scope development for the Lake Plain Partnership
Lake Forest Open Lands Association - $64,954.10
Coastal area connections
Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce - $50,000
Belmont-Diversey Trail
Lincoln Park Zoological Society - $38,277.40
Explorando la Naturaleza with Lincoln Park Zoo and Latinos Progresando
Navy Pier - $30,000
Preserve the People's Pier
OAI - $100,000
Sharing services to maintain green stormwater infrastructure
Openlands - $56,342.88
African American Heritage Water Trail curriculum
Urban Rivers - $150,000
Revitalizing ecosystems and reconnecting communities to nature along Chicago's urban rivers
Wilmette Park District - $1,725
Coastal parks interpretive signage
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About the IDNR Coastal Management Program
The IDNR Coastal Management Program works to protect and enhance the environmental, economic, and social value of Illinois' Lake Michigan coast. The program fosters healthy ecosystems and resilient communities by providing expertise, funding, and other resources that:
• engage and connect communities within the Lake Michigan coastal region;
• enhance coastal stewardship;
• promote balanced use of coastal resources; and
• improve coordination between agencies, communities, and other partners.
To learn more about the program and future grant opportunities, go online or subscribe to the program's newsletter.
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