A meeting to discuss coastal resiliency is planned for this week in Chikaming Township. The township has received a grant from the Land Information Access Association to help it update its master plan with coastal resiliency in mind. Land Information Access Association Director Matt Cowall tells WSJM News his group works with lakeshore communities around Michigan to help them position themselves for changing conditions on the Great Lakes.
“Our Great Lakes communities enjoy a large array of benefits, not to mention being on some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, but with that coastal location, there are a lot of unique responsibilities that come with that and some complications,” Cowall said.
Cowall says with near record high water levels on the lakes recently, coastal communities are affected by things like erosion. When planning for the future, everything from infrastructure placement to zoning near the coast should take conditions like that into mind.
“Community planning and zoning help communities take a long view of those ups and downs and look for ways to try to plan for them and as best as you can, be adaptive and responsive to those incidents.”
Cowall says the challenges faced by Lake Michigan shoreline communities differ from those faced by communities on Lake Huron. The Land Information Access Association partners with communities on all of the Great Lakes to be ready for what changes the lakes could bring them. The group will be on hand for the Chikaming Township meeting this week. It’s set for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Township Center on Red Arrow Highway. You can find out more right here.
