Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Program

The Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program (GLCWMP) helps EPA satisfy statutory requirements under section 118 of the Clean Water Act to establish a Great Lakes system-wide surveillance network to monitor the water quality of the Great Lakes, with a special emphasis on the monitoring and reporting on the health of the coastal wetlands in each of the five Great Lakes. The GLCWMP uses a comprehensive approach to sample and assess all major coastal wetlands throughout the Great Lakes Basin using standardized procedures. Monitoring of all coastal wetlands is logistically impractical and cost prohibitive, so the GLCWMP strategically monitors wetlands that are greater than 4 hectares (about 10 acres) in area and have a surface water connection to one of the Great Lakes or their connecting rivers. A total of 1,014 coastal wetlands meets these criteria and are sampled at least once every five years under a rotating schedule where approximately 200 wetlands are sampled each year. Monitoring of birds, amphibians, fish, macroinvertebrates and plant communities, and water quality occurs at a subset of the Great Lakes coastal wetland sites annually. The data collected at these sites are used to inform indicators and indices to assess the status and trends of Great Lakes coastal wetland conditions. Since the GLCWMP began in 2011, over 1,000 wetland sites representing over 400,000 acres of coastal wetland habitat have been monitored. All of the coastal wetlands that have been sampled for this effort can be viewed at: https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-monitoring/how-cwmp-data-are-being-used. Information on the GLCWMP protocols can be viewed at: https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-monitoring. The targeted audience for this funding announcement is entities that are capable of conducting coastal wetlands field sampling and analyses of coastal wetland condition in support of GLWQMP established metrics. EPA is seeking applications for funding to support the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program (GLCWMP) activities. The GLCWMP was established to monitor and report on the health of coastal wetlands in each of the five Great Lakes. The GLCWMP helps satisfy statutory requirements to establish a Great Lakes system-wide surveillance network to monitor the water quality of the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes coastal wetlands are important ecosystems that provide habitat for diverse plant and animal communities, ecological functions, and opportunities for recreation. Despite their importance, more than 50% of these wetlands have been destroyed or degraded over the past century. Currently, approximately 500,000 acres of coastal wetlands exist in the Great Lakes and assessing the overall quality of these remaining coastal wetland habitats is of high importance. To assess the status of Great Lakes coastal wetlands and inform restoration and protection efforts, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) supports the GLCWMP.