Project Update — West Foundation Supports LNRP Projects in the Manitowoc River Basin

Friends of Stony Brook’s 2023 Trout in the Classroom program

This year, LNRP received a grant from the West Foundation, which funds work in the Manitowoc River Basin. With this generous support, LNRP will be able to increase investment in ongoing initiatives in this region, expand support through our partner groups, and leverage additional funds for project grants. 

West Foundation funding will be used to provide administrative support and fiscal oversight to five LNRP partner groups, increasing their already large impact in the region. Both Friends of Hika Bay’s intern program (in partnership with UW-Green Bay Manitowoc) and Friends of Stony Brook’s Trout in the Classroom program facilitate age appropriate, hands-on learning in outdoor spaces, training the next generation of scientists, researchers, and conservationists. Friends of the Manitowoc River Watershed and Friends of the Twin Rivers support local aquatic recreation through beach cleanups, paddling events, and stormwater education and outreach. The Friends of the Branch River Watershed works to improve and preserve the Brown and Manitowoc County communities with paddling tours, crayfish removal events, Branch River clean-ups, and annual educational programs. The dollars invested in LNRP by the West Foundation will magnify the impact these grassroots partners are having on their communities. 

Tree planting at Fischer Creek Conservation Area in Manitowoc County

In addition to supporting LNRP partner groups in Manitowoc County, the West Foundation is contributing to the impact of LNRP restoration projects. The Coastal Resiliency Community Impact Project (CRCIP) works with the City of Manitowoc to prioritize, fund, and implement projects that increase community resilience to climate change. With funding from the US Forest Service, LNRP is increasing the climate resilience of the county, both by mitigating the destruction of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), and by reforesting public parks in the area. Currently, trees are being planted in 14 different sites including parks managed by Manitowoc County, the City of Manitowoc, Woodland Dunes, the Village of Cleveland, the Village of St. Nazianz, and the Town of Two Creeks.  

LNRP has also successfully collaborated with other organizations working in conservation. In partnership with the Manitowoc County Lakes Association and UW-Stevens Point, LNRP is working to finalize a pilot sedimentation basin to reduce the amount of phosphorus loading in Carstens Lake. Too much phosphorus will create algae blooms in the water, which reduces oxygen and harms ecosystems.  Wetland scrapes, shallow cut-outs in the landscape that fill with water during times of high runoff, were constructed on the site in Fall 2023. Working closely with Glacierland RC&D and Stantec, LNRP has helped fund the removal of invasive Phragmites in Manitowoc and Calumet Counties and Japanese Knotweed in Manitowoc City Parks. 

LNRP thanks the West Foundation for their support of our work, and their contribution to the health and vitality of the Manitowoc River Basin.