The Village of Pleasant Prairie has applied for $22,000 in grant funds from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. The funds will be used to develop a planning report that outlines findings, analyses, conclusions, and recommendations to restore Prairie Shores Beach into a Conservation area. Processes to obtain grant funding began in June 2018, with a land survey that evaluated erosion conditions along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The assessment was conducted by Clark Dietz Inc., who provided maps identifying what parcels have good, fair, or inadequate erosion protection. The information from the evaluation is helping Pleasant Prairie seek grant funds to design and develop wave tripping methods that protect the public lakefront.
Erosion is a natural process, and Lake Michigan’s shoreline is continually changing shape. The lake is at near-record-high levels, and waves frequently attack the coastline. The $22,000 grant will provide the Village with a shoreline restoration plan that includes preliminary engineering to stabilize the dunes and enhance existing natural features. The research will contain habitat restoration plans for re-vegetation in the shoreline area to re-establish native flora. It will also include engineering that focuses on shoreline protection to prevent further erosion from rising lake levels.
The planning report will help Pleasant Prairie identify the level of protection needed to preserve and restore natural habitats on specific public sites. The proposed project focuses on developing a plan for habitat restoration, converting Prairie Shores Beach into a conservation area to protect the space, generally referred to as Chiwaukee Prairie. The restoration plan will include dune stabilization, habitat restoration, vegetation restoration, and shoreline protection measures. The planning effort will guide how to create, manage, and maintain local conservation areas.
With the help of grant funding, the Village plans to install offshore submerged breakwaters or stills that will trip waves earlier, lower wave energy, and protect the public coastline from future erosion. This project focuses on conserving public lake frontage and is in the planning stage; protection efforts will not begin until 2022 or later.