Robin Shepard
University of Wisconsin -Extension
(608) 262-1748
robin.shepard@uwex.edu

Patrick Robinson
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Green Bay, WI 54311-7001
(920) 465-2175
patrick.robinson@ces.uwex.edu

The University of Wisconsin coordinates the Environmental Restoration
Theme for the Great Lakes Regional Water Program.

Featured Initiatives

Joining Forces To Protect Manoomin
(Wild Rice) Resources
The Great Lakes Regional Water Program, in partnership with Ferris State University in Michigan and the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, led a diverse coalition that convened the Wild Rice Restoration and Preservation Conference in August, 2006.
Read about the Wild Rice Conference.

Expanding the National Estuarine Research Reserve Program
in the Great Lakes Region
The National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System is a nation-wide network of protected coastal estuaries that are designated and supported through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). These protected areas are established to support long-term research, education and stewardship related to estuary systems. This partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states protects more than one million acres of estuary land and water, which provides essential habitat for wildlife, offers educational opportunities, and serves as living laboratories for scientists.

The Great Lakes Regional Water Program is working with tribes, state and federal agencies, and citizen groups on Lake Superior to secure designation of a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) site within the Lake Superior Bioregion. Currently, the only freshwater estuary NERR site in the region is at Old Woman Creek in Ohio. Read more about NERR and the effort to protect freshwater estuaries in the Great Lakes Region.

Drainage Ditch Management for Environmental Quality
An interdisciplinary team has been assembled to initiate a research and education program in drainage ditch maintenance with emphasis on the balance between ecosystem protection and restoration and necessary water conveyance. University of Illinois faculty from Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Geography are working together with drainage district commissioners, land improvement contractors, and landowners to develop demonstration opportunities.

Shoreline Restoration
Michigan's Shoreline Restoration project to help shoreline property owners protect water quality and improve wildlife habitat through alternative shoreline management was completed this fiscal year. Highlights of the three-year project include the installation of a variety of soil-bioengineered erosion control structures; the design and installation of four 100-foot alternative landscapes (lakescapes). Read more about this project.

Shoring Up Shorelands for Wildlife, Water and People
During 2006, the Shoreland Education Project in Minnesota reached over 3600 people with workshops in areas of shoreland volunteering, planting, erosion control and aquatic plants. The project continues to produce the Shore-to-Shore newsletter, which reaches nearly 700 shoreland property owners, lake associations, local governments, and others interested in lake and stream health. Read more about this project

Great Lakes Freshwater Estuary Needs Assessment
The University of Wisconsin-Extension, with funding assistance from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, is conducting a Great Lakes freshwater estuary needs assessment for Wisconsin. This project brings together resource experts, community leaders, and knowledgeable citizens for the purpose of identifying and prioritizing Wisconsin’s Great Lakes freshwater estuary needs. Read more about this project....