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IL Coastal Management Program |
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Monthly Newsletter - May/June 2023 |
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IL Coastal Team receives Outstanding Collaboration Award from the Prairie Research Institute!
The IL Coastal Program team was recently recognized for their Outstanding Collaboration by the University of Illinois' Prairie Research Institute.
Staff from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), and the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) provide capacity support to the Illinois Coastal Program and regularly collaborate on projects to help advance program goals.
Please join us in congratulating our staff on this special award!
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Great Lakes Commission Semi-Annual Meeting
Last week, the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) gathered in Chicago, IL for their semiannual meeting to address issues of concern across the Great Lakes and to develop shared solutions to protect and enhance the region’s economic prosperity and environmental health.
GLC commissioners from the Great Lakes states and provinces and regional stakeholders toured the Illinois coastal region to see firsthand some of the great work being done to protect coastal habitats and communities. The Illinois Coastal Program helped coordinate field trips to Burnham Park, the South Shore, and Wolf Lake-Powderhorn Lake.
Learn more about the Great Lakes Commission and register for their annual meeting taking place in October.
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News
The Great Lakes are the First Freshwater Hope Spot
The Great Lakes were recently selected as Mission Blue’s first freshwater Hope Spot, a special place identified as critical to the health of oceans and aquatic life.
The Great Lakes are the heart of the North American water system. They are a source of drinking water for over 40 million people and provide a home for more than 3,500 plant and animal species, many of which are unique to the region. Designations like this help gain the attention of leaders and policymakers who can advance protections for these critical freshwater ecosystems!
Learn more about what this Hope Spot designation entails, why the Great Lakes are a unique treasure of our blue planet and what you can do to protect and conserve them on the Shedd Aquarium's website.
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Great Lakes to Gulf Virtual Observatory
The Great Lakes to Gulf Virtual Observatory (GLTG) is an interactive application that provides user-friendly access to water quality information about the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Users can:
- Select and compare current and historic water quality conditions in rivers and streams.
- Analyze and graph specific parameters.
- Examine data layers contributing to observed water quality - such as land cover, rainfall, and more.
- Download data for further exploration.
GLTG helps people visualize and better understand nutrient pollution and its potential causes. Recently, the tool incorporated an inventory of green infrastructure across the entire state of Illinois.
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Illinois Groundwork
Illinois Groundwork supports those working on Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) solutions by providing tools and resources to support collaborative and transdisciplinary GSI research, education, and outreach programming.
This new website developed by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the University of Illinois Extension has compiled extensive resources for practitioners looking to learn about and implement GSI design.
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FEMA Publishes Webinar on State and Local Mitigation Policy Guides
The Natural Hazards Center has published a webinar on FEMA's updated State and Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guides, which are in effect as of April 2023. The recent policy changes require a more systematic focus on reducing disaster risk among disadvantaged and underserved communities, calling for greater community engagement in the planning process and more robust use of social vulnerability indicators in risk assessments.
The webinar provides an overview of the changes to FEMA's mitigation planning policies, a summary of resources on effective risk communication and partnership-building, and preliminary research results regarding the inclusion of social vulnerability and vulnerable populations in State Hazard Mitigation Plans.
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Information gathering |
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Chicago Shoreline General Reevaluation study - crowdsourcing tool for public input |
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District would like the share a crowdsourcing tool to aid in the information gathering for the Chicago Shoreline General Reevaluation – a Coastal Storm Risk Management study in the City of Chicago, Cook County Illinois.
The purpose of this tool is to gather input from the public for the coastal storm risk management study. The crowdsourcing tool has three comment types (Concerns, New Idea/Opportunity for Improvement, Questions).
Users can place points on the map at specific locations, mark the comment type, and describe the comment. Additionally, previous comments submitted can be seen, ‘liked’, and commented on in place of creating a new separate comment.
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Webinar Series |
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Incorporating Indigenous Knowledges into Federal Research and Management |
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In this webinar series, speakers will explore what it means to ethically engage with Indigenous Knowledges in resource management and conservation spaces.
We will learn from Tribal and Indigenous communities about the frameworks they use to protect and share their knowledges, and from Federal agencies about how they navigate their responsibility to foster respectful, mutually beneficial relationships with knowledge holders.
Join every other Thursday at 3 p.m. ET from April 6 to June 1 for this series.
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June 1 | 2 p.m.
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Event |
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Gathering Space opening event at Beaubien Woods & Beaubien Woods Celebration Day |
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Join us for the opening of "Prairie Boat": A new gathering space at the Forest Preserves of Cook County's Beaubien Woods.
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, stay for the celebration: bikes, canoes and kayaks, archery, hikes, arts, food, and more!
Ribbon cutting @ Beaubien Woods Boat Launch: 10 - 11 a.m.
Beaubien Woods Celebration Day @ Flatfoot Lake: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
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June 10
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Event |
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Wolf Lake Fishing Derby |
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Enjoy a FREE day of fishing with family, food, and prizes! All ages and skill levels are welcome, with prizes awarded to youth participants. Join us to reconnect with nature & gain experience fishing from skilled instructors at this FREE event!
Fishing poles will be made available to those in need. Registration is required as space is limited. If you have any questions, please click on the link or call 773-646-3270.
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June 17 | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
William W. Powers State Recreation Area S. Avenue O and E. 126th Pl. Chicago, IL 60633
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Event |
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CWA Field Trip: African American Heritage Water Trail and Beaubien Woods |
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Join Chicago Wilderness as we explore Beaubien Woods and the African American Heritage Water Trail to learn about its history, its community connections and cultural collaborations, and its continuing transformation.
This field trip will be an opportunity to learn more about an innovative approach to recreation, cultural engagement, community-based conservation and site activation. Choose between a paddling or biking tour, followed by lunch, facilitated discussion and interpretive walk!
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June 22 | 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Beaubien Woods Boat Launch Chicago, Illinois 60827
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Urban & Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants
Deadline: June 1, 2023
The Forest Service is making up to $1 billion available in Urban and Community Forestry competitive grants for investments that:
- Increase equitable access to urban tree canopy and associated human health, environmental and economic benefits in disadvantaged communities
- Broaden community engagement in local urban forest planning
- Improve community and urban forest resilience to climate change, pests and storm events through best management and maintenance practices
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Midwest Grows Green Technical Assistance Program
Deadline: June 9, 2023
Has your park district/municipality/school district considered transitioning away from synthetic pesticides and fertilizers? The non-profit Midwest Grows Green (MGG) initiative has helped multiple managers transition their landscapes to sustainable, natural and/or organic via its Technical Assistance Program (TAP). Please find MGG's TAP overview video at bit.ly/MGGtapVid.
This year MGG can offer free TAP services to two local authorities in the IL Coastal region. MGG's TAP team of experts in policy, marketing, native plants, soil science and more can support any pollinator protection, water quality improvement or soil health restoration project.
To get started, please fill out MGG's brief five question (three written) 2023 TAP application by Friday, June 9th at 5 p.m. CST.
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GLISA 2023 Small Grants Competition
LOI Deadline: June 23, 2023
This competition will award several 2-year grants of up to $30,000 each to organizations that will collaborate with GLISA to advance equitable climate adaptation in the Great Lakes region. Successful proposals will increase GLISA’s impact and address and amplify dimensions of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in adaptation action.
Letters of intent are due no later than Friday June 23, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET through the online platform Submittable. GLISA will offer office hours throughout May and June to discuss project ideas. To learn more about this opportunity, please visit GLISA's website and see the Call for Letters of Intent.
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GLRI funding to create Great Lakes Environmental Justice Grant Programs
Deadline: August 11, 2023
EPA
announced the availability of $30 million
from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for restoration projects that advance
environmental justice in underserved and overburdened communities across the
Great Lakes.
EPA has published a request for applications for the newly created Great Lakes
Environmental Justice Grant Program that will fund implementation of
environmental protection and restoration projects that will further the goals
of GLRI in communities with environmental justice concerns. EPA will host a
webinar on the request on Tuesday May 23, 2023. Applications are being
accepted through Friday August 11, 2023.
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IL-IN Sea Grant / Illinois Natural History Survey |
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Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Specialist |
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Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is looking to
hire an aquatic invasive species (AIS) specialist to
conduct research and, especially, engage in outreach regarding AIS pathways.
The successful candidate will serve as a full time, 12-month academic
professional who works with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Illinois Natural History Survey—part of the
Prairie Research Institute at University of Illinois—and will work from an
office at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois.
Deadline to apply is June 13, 2023.
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Forest Preserve District |
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Grant Assistant |
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The Forest Preserve District is looking to hire a Grant Assistant to support the Grant Administrator in identifying, soliciting, and managing all administrative processes for grant management.
The Grant Assistant will research opportunities, assist in writing and completing applications, ensure that grant reporting and management requirements are met, and manage the grant database. The Grant Assistant will help support the coordination of donation programs conducted in partnership with the Forest Preserve Foundation.
Work Location: 536 N. Harlem Posting Salary: $60,781 / Annually
Deadline to apply is June 15, 2023.
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What's going on in the Great Lakes this month? Click to read more!
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Federal Policy
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Supreme Court sharply limits federal government’s ability to police pollution into certain wetlands
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Water Safety
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IDNR, Illinois Conservation Police Urge Life Jacket Use, Sober Boating
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Wind Energy
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Offshore wind in the Midwest? Some Great Lakes leaders think so.
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History
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Golden age of train travel brought back to life at Pullman Railroad Days
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Conservation
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This Week in Nature: Conservationists Pinning Hopes for Oceans’ Health on the Great Lakes
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Environmental Justice
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In a Win for Opponents, Army Corps Pulls Back on Pre-Construction Activity at Site of Proposed 25-Foot ‘Toxic Tower’
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Share Your Announcement! |
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Have an event, funding opportunity, or job posting that you'd like us to share? Send us an email and we'll include it in our newsletter next month.
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