The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have awarded $500,000 in federal funding to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative for projects focused on coastal resilience and shoreline restoration.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, co-chair of the bipartisan House Great Lakes Task Force, made the annoucement last week.
This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded $500,000 to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative for the organization’s Resilient Coastal Projects Initiative. RCPI is a program that brings together city leaders and environmental resource managers from more than 50 Great Lakes cities – including Toledo and Sandusky – to identify and implement coastal resilience and shoreline restoration projects.
The $500,000 award will support GLSLCI’s work to provide planning, technical, and engineering expertise to Great Lakes communities for local projects designed to protect public property and assets from coastal hazards, assure thriving natural environments for fish and wildlife, and build long-term ecological health and economic vitality.
“The Great Lakes region is already confronting the challenges associated with rising waters, flooding, and shoreline erosion,” Kaptur said. “At the front lines of the mission to protect our environmental and economic assets is the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and its partners, the cities of Toledo and Sandusky. As the freshwater kingdom of North America, I am grateful for NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s commitment to America’s fourth seacoast. As additional resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act become available, I will work with our local and federal partners to secure the resources needed to safeguard our Lake Erie treasure.”
