Wildly varying Lake Michigan water levels have played havoc with the state’s shoreline and infrastructure. What do we need to know and how can we weigh in? Join us at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, for a discussion of our water future.
Vaccinated persons are invited to attend at Crossroads at Big Creek for a panel discussion followed by a deeper dive conversation. To attend please register as there is limited capacity. The panel discussion will also be live-streamed and recorded and have a separate registration to receive the link.
The Great Lakes region will spend nearly $2 billion over the next five years combating coastal damage exacerbated by climate change, according to a recent survey of local governments. Wisconsin will bear an estimated burden of at least $245 million as a climate “tug of war” — evaporation from warming temperatures and increasingly intense storms — drives extreme shifts in water levels. Low-water years require expensive dredging of waterways so boats can reach their destinations. But high water brings destructive storm surges that swallow beaches, swamp docks, erode lakeside bluffs and shutter businesses. Shoreline erosion — and how to afford infrastructure improvements needed to protect against damage from high water — challenges urban centers and small towns along the Great Lakes.
This event will explore the ways Northeast Wisconsin communities can protect their shorelines from Lake Michigan’s volatile waters in the coming years. And it will feature insights gathered during the reporting of Wisconsin Watch’s upcoming series: Imperiled Shores. Look for the first two stories from that series on Oct. 30 and Nov. 4 at WisconsinWatch.org.
Among confirmed experts are:
- Ryan Sorenson, Mayor of Sheboygan and board member of the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Cities Initiative
- Mike Friis, Director of the Resource Policy Team of the Wisconsin Coastal Management, Land Information and Comprehensive Planning Programs
- Tony Wilkin Gibart, Executive Director Midwest Environmental Advocates
- Moderator: Wisconsin Watch reporter Mario Koran
This event is sponsored by Beyond the Headlines: Wisconsin’s Water Future, a program of Wisconsin Humanities in partnership with Wisconsin Watch and NEW News Lab, a consortium of news media in northeast Wisconsin. Beyond the Headlines is funded in part by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Special thanks to Crossroads at Big Creek for hosting us.
