DULUTH — St. Louis County received a $1.8 million grant to address climate change impacts on the Lake Superior coast.
According to a Aug. 1 news release, the funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Commerce Department will be paid over four years.
In the release, St. Louis County reported it will use the funding with project partners such as the tribes at Fond du Lac, Grand Portage and Bois Forte and Carlton, Cook and Lake counties.
Together, they will develop a regional resilience plan while also providing resources and support to communities.
The project is one of two in Minnesota awarded competitive Inflation Reduction Act funding.
Incorporating Indigenous knowledge is an important component of the effort, the release stated.
"There is no separation between how the bands manage and interact with a resource and how their culture endures: one is dependent on the other," the grant application read. "Climate change, however, is threatening the very viability of many natural resources important to the Ojibwe."
In applying for the grant, St. Louis County pointed to observations and projected changes in temperature and precipitation along the Lake Superior coastal region. These changes contribute to a wide variety of issues including fluctuating lake levels, shoreline erosion, changing forests and more non-native species.
"We are grateful for the funding from NOAA, which supports our efforts to better prepare our communities, infrastructure, economies and ecosystems for climate resilience," said Karola Dalen, St. Louis County sustainability and capital planning coordinator, in the release.
