Door, Kewaunee Snag Coastal Communities Grants

About $100,000 of $1.41 million in coastal grants to 40 Wisconsin communities have come the way of Door County and Kewaunee County.

This week, Gov. Tony Evers announced the awards for the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program grants, which support quality of life, foster economic development, create resilience, and protect and improve the Great Lakes resources in Wisconsin’s coastal communities.

“These grants will help support incredible work being done across the state, including to support public access, restore habitat and control pollution,” Evers said in a statement.

The projects in Door and Kewaunee counties include:

• $26,560 for the Village of Ephraim in the Public Access category to sustainably reconstruct 360 feet of boardwalk bridges in the Village Wetland Preserve to provide ADA-compliant public access. 

• $6,250 for the Town of Gardner in the Land Use and Community Planning category to update the town’s comprehensive plan, including a 20- to 30-page brochure with updated data and recommendations, and a plan poster/graphic-based summary.

• $23,055 for the Door County Invasive Species Team and the Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department in the Great Lakes Education category to address the spread of invasive species through prevention, communication, monitoring and management.

• $12,000 for the Door County Facilities and Parks Department in the Public Access category to support the purchase of four acres of wooded parcel adjacent to Meridian County Park with an easement that leads to the sandy shore of Lake Michigan.

• $27,000 to the Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Department in the Great Lakes Education category for a project that addresses a high-priority need in Kewaunee County for groundwater education, monitoring and protection as recognized in numerous national, regional and local plans.

The next request for proposals for the grant program will be available in August, with an application deadline of early November 2021. Learn more about the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program at coastal.wisconsin.gov.