How Some Favorite Childhood Destinations Inspire Me During Coastal Awareness Month

One of my favorite trips this summer was to the Riveredge Nature Center in Ozaukee County.

I had visited the center with my friends in middle school, growing up in Milwaukee, and retained fond memories of my time there, hiking the trails, seeing beautiful flowers, wading in the Milwaukee River, seeing frogs, egrets, and so many other animals that call the nature center home alongside the Milwaukee River. ?Those memories flowed back when I returned with Governor Tony Evers to learn about the center’s plans for new watershed education programs, made possible by a Wisconsin Coastal Management Program grant.

It was impossible not to share in the staff’s excitement about the possibilities this grant would open for a new generation of learners. For me, the visit not only rekindled childhood memories but also underscored the responsibility we carry as stewards of our Great Lakes region.

September is Coastal Awareness Month, a perfect opportunity to reflect on all the amazing resources we get to enjoy as Wisconsinites, and the shared responsibility in making sure we’re doing what we can to preserve them for future generations. ?

More than 800 miles of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan shorelines in Wisconsin provide far more than scenery. They supply jobs and drinking water. They fuel international commerce. They host diverse ecosystems and vibrant communities.

Our Great Lakes are among our state’s most precious resources, and it is up to all of us to safeguard them. That’s why the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program was created in the first place. Through partnerships across 15 counties, the Coastal Management team has helped coastal communities and stakeholders promote science and stewardship, improve public access, clean up pollution, restore habitats, foster resilience, and much, much more. For more than 40 years, this program has worked with local, Tribal, and federal governments, state agencies, organizations, and businesses to preserve and enhance Wisconsin’s Great Lakes shoreline and coastal resources.

Visiting some of these projects, I’ve seen firsthand the positive effects of partnerships, and the way that businesses, nonprofits, and local governments are working together to do the right thing.

I had the pleasure of visiting Bayfield County after the Coastal Management Program helped support an acquisition over 2,000 acres of land crucial for the protection of Lake Superior’s coastal resources.

Bayfield County Board officials graciously presented me with a key to the county as well as a resolution recognizing the Department of Administration for helping Bayfield achieve their conservation and watershed protection goals. It was amazing to get this official recognition, but I felt I owed them the debt of gratitude. Their passion for conservation and watershed protection filled me with hope for the future.

Stories like these abound thanks to local partnerships and dedicated stakeholders. Working together, we have helped revitalize and clean up beaches along Lake Michigan, helped Wisconsinites with disabilities be able to enjoy access to kayak launches, rivers, and beaches, put Green Bay on the path to creating a National Estuarine Research Reserve, and so much more. We are sharing our resources, expertise, and knowledge to confront the threats of flooding and coastal erosion, while preserving public access to our shared coastal resources.

This is why I am optimistic about the future of our coasts despite the perils of a changing climate.

There are many stakeholders and organizations across the state who are committed to educating the next generation, protecting native ecosystems, and providing a space for research and learning.

I was reminded of that common purpose last week when I visited Whitefish Bay’s Klode Park, another favorite childhood haunt where I grew up playing tennis and watching the annual 4th of July fireworks show. I revisited the park to present the Village of Whitefish Bay with a Coastal Management grant to help manage stormwater runoff and curb erosion, alongside other projects. I left feeling inspired and confident that because of our joint efforts, this popular lakefront destination is going to be clean and accessible for residents and visitors for years to come.

As summer draws to a close, I invite you to join this dialogue about how we protect our coastal resources. Visit coastal.wisconsin.gov to learn more. The Coastal Management Program grant application period is currently open thru November 3, and we’re excited to see new proposals.

It takes all of us to protect our coastal communities, and the amazing resources they provide for all of us to enjoy.

Happy Coastal Awareness Month!