This report is available for land managers to use and will be updated with a recommended citation following menu testing with real-world on-the-ground coastal management projects. Note, that this document was created by partners in collaboration with US Fish and Wildlife Service and NIACS, as part of the Great Lakes coastal adaptation effort. 

Download the menu of Great Lakes Adaptation Strategies and Approaches (external link)

Abstract: Natural resources practitioners working in Great Lakes coastal ecosystems face decisions about how to help coastal properties adapt to climate changes. Climate change can amplify existing stressors, interact with past coastal disturbance and management, and potentially increase the rate and magnitude of ongoing change. Practitioners can strengthen their long-term plans through proactive and intentional consideration of climate changes and by selecting adaptation options that address these changes while meeting management goals and objectives. In 2019-2021 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science convened regional managers and scientists to develop a menu of climate adaptation strategies and approaches for Great Lakes coastal ecosystems. This menu can be used along with a structured decision-making framework to facilitate the planning and implementation of climate-informed tactics. The menu was tested with several organizations in project-level planning in the Great Lakes watershed.

How to Cite: Schmitt, K.; Krska, R.; Deloria, C.; Shannon, P.D.; Cooper, M.; Eash, J.; Haugland, J.; Johnson, S.E.; Johnson, S.M.; Magee, M.R..; Mayne, G.; Nelson, C.; Nigg, C.; Sidie-Slettedahl, A.; Brandt, L., Handler, S.; Janowiak, M.; Butler-Leopold, P.; Ontl, T.; and Swanston, C. 2022. Strategies for Adapting Great Lakes Coastal Ecosystems to Climate Change. White Paper. Houghton, MI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Northern Forests Climate Hub. 61 p. doi.org/10.32747/2022.7816961.ch

Download the full adaptation menu: