Great Lakes Restoration Initiative â¿¿ Chiwaukee Prairie Land Acquisition

The goal of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem by funding and implementing projects that address these problems. This funding opportunity specifically funds fee title acquisition of land from a willing seller at the Chiwaukee Prairie Preserve in southeast Kenosha County, Wisconsin. The program authorizing statutes for GLRI awards are listed in CFDA number 15.662 located at CFDA.gov. Chiwaukee Prairie is one of the Upper Midwest⿿s premier coastal wetland complexes. The entire Chiwaukee Prairie Preserve is recognized as a National Natural Landmark and most recently has been designated as a RAMSAR Wetland of International Importance. The gently undulating ridge and swale topography at Chiwaukee Prairie is a remnant of the declining levels of glacial Lake Michigan. Chiwaukee Prairie is the only Wisconsin example of a Great Lakes-influenced coastal wetland composed mostly of tallgrass prairie and fen communities and includes one of the largest and most diverse occurrences of wet-mesic prairie in the state. The high quality wetlands of Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area immediately east of the tract available for acquisition are identified as part of the Lake Plain coastal shore of Lake Michigan and host globally-rare wet-mesic lake plain prairie that is reliant on intact hydrology to the west. These wetlands lie entirely within the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Consortium boundary as does the far south east corner of the project site. While there is no lake frontage on the tract currently available for purchase and its wetland hydrology has been altered significantly due to ditching and drainage for agricultural purposes and also by encroachment of invasive species in existing wetland areas, it was historically part of the ridge and swale topography so unique to the greater Chiwaukee Prairie area. The land lies in what is considered the ⿿bluff⿝ area of Chiwaukee Prairie. Groundwater modeling conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey for the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC Memorandum Report No. 142, 2004) predicts that ⿿If development were to occur right up to and all along the bluff, the [groundwater] drop in sensitive areas [groundwater-dependent fens of Chiwaukee Prairie] could exceed 2 feet.⿝ A change of this magnitude would significantly reduce or eliminate these fens and the rare species they contain. Acquisition of tracts in the ⿿bluff⿝ area such as the property currently available for purchase will help assure future commercial and/or residential development does not alter the existing preserve⿿s water regime and will provide a crucial buffer for adjoining State Natural Area lands that support significant populations of rare species.