Wisconsin Department of Administration to Receive $1.9 Million for Conservation Projects from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

STATE OF WISCONSIN

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

Tony Evers, Governor

Kathy Blumenfeld, Secretary

Wisconsin Department of Administration to Receive $1.9 Million for Conservation Projects from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

$2.5 Million in Climate-Ready Coasts NOAA Initiative Projects Geared for Wisconsin

Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld announced that Wisconsin is set to receive a total of $2.5 million as part of a climate resilience investment from the Biden Administration’s Investing In America initiative, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.  

Of that total, $1.9 million has been directed to DOA, as part of a Sand River Headwaters conservation project in Bayfield County. The funds would allow Bayfield County to acquire over 2,000 acres of ecologically significant land vital to the health and functioning of Lake Superior’s coastal resources. The ecosystems within the acquired land provide stopover habitat for migratory birds, spawning areas for Great Lakes fish, aesthetic views of Lake Superior, and passive recreation. The acquisition also completes a broader agreement with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for the County’s reinvestment of proceeds from an earlier land sale that repatriated nearby land formerly owned by the County to the Red Cliff.   

Two additional projects would support the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, as well as the Wisconsin Sea Grant.

“Our coastlines and adjacent communities face many climate challenges, and require collaborative solutions from the local, state, and Federal level,” said DOA Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld. “We’re honored by these impactful investments and look forward to spearheading a successful conservation project that will have long-term impacts for communities along Lake Superior.”  

Since 1978, the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program at DOA has balanced natural resource protection and sustainable economic development along Wisconsin's Great Lakes coasts. The program awards federal funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management in the U.S. Department of Commerce to local governments and other entities for innovative coastal initiatives.

The latest coastal sustainability investments were first reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Senator Baldwin’s office (press release here).