Shorewood Nature Preserve Restoration

Surfrider’s Climate Action Program – working with nature to protect our coastlines from the impacts of climate change.

Climate change is unleashing a range of devastating consequences, from rising seas to increasingly intense storms to the loss of habitat and wildlife. Through our Climate Action Program we are taking meaningful steps towards mitigating and adapting to these impacts through nature-based solutions.

Nature-based solutions harness the power of nature to address environmental challenges and benefit people and nature. This includes the conservation and restoration of carbon-storing blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, as well as coastal dunes.

Project Overview

The Shorewood Nature Preserve is a beloved 7.6-acre natural area along the Lake Michigan shoreline, owned by the Village of Shorewood. This preserve is home to mature hardwoods, spring wildflowers, and a resting stop for migratory birds. This project builds on years of dedication from Friends of Shorewood Nature Preserve, whose volunteers have cared for this site through regular workdays, bird hikes, and wildflower walks. Now, that work is entering a new chapter.

The Surfrider Foundation Milwaukee Chapter, the Village of Shorewood, and Friends of Shorewood Nature Preserve are working together on a multi-year effort to restore and enhance the preserve. Their work laid the foundation for what's possible here. Through Surfrider’s Climate Action Program, the project is supporting ongoing restoration, building coastal resilience, improving safe public access, and creating opportunities for community volunteers to get involved.

Why This Matters

As climate change brings stronger storms, changing water levels, erosion, and other pressures to Great Lakes shorelines, protecting and restoring natural coastal areas like Shorewood Nature Preserve is increasingly important. Healthy native habitat can help absorb wave energy, support natural coastal processes, and provide essential habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.

This project will strengthen the preserve’s ecological resilience while improving safe access for the community. By restoring this special place, we can help ensure it remains a healthy habitat and a place to explore, learn, and connect with nature for generations to come.

What is Happening

This work follows the roadmap set out in the preserve's 2023 Land Management Plan, developed by Marek Landscaping.

Planned Restoration Activities:

Removing invasive species and restoring native plant communities
Restoring the coastal bluff and shoreline
Creating ephemeral pools for seasonal wildlife habitat
Improving trails for safer, more accessible use
Adding interpretive signage so visitors can learn about the preserve as they explore it

Bader Philanthropies has awarded a two-year grant to help move this work forward. Additional funding will be pursued to complete the project. The timeline will depend on funding secured

Fighting Climate Change with Nature

The fight to protect our ocean is taking on a new urgency. Everyday, our network is experiencing how extreme weather is changing local shorelines. Sandy beaches are being lost, infrastructure is crumbling into the ocean – exacerbating pollution problems – and vital coastal ecosystems are threatened by stronger storms and rising seas. U.S. scientists estimate that about 50% to 70% of our coastlines are at high risk for ‘beach loss’ due to sea level rise and coastal erosion. However, nature is capable of providing a new path forward – powerful nature-based solutions to help mitigate the effects of climate change on our coasts.

Upcoming Activities

Shorewood Nature Preserve Restoration and Enhancement Community Meeting: Come to the October 6 community meeting and share what matters most to you about the preserve. Sign up here and more details.
- Tuesday, October 6, 2026 |. 6 - 7:30pm
  
  Shorewood Village Center Meeting Room

Shorewood Nature Preserve Restoration Community Workday: Join us for this upcoming community workday and get involved in hands-on restoration and stewardship at the preserve as part of the Shorewood Nature Preserve Restoration Project and Surfrider's Climate Week.
- Saturday, October 10 | 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
  Shorewood Nature Preserve
Hazardous Tree Removal: Hazardous tree removal is planned at the preserve, led by our restoration contractor Marek Landscaping. This is an early step to prepare the site for the restoration work ahead.
- Hazardous Tree Removal Date: TBD

The Surfrider Foundation’s Climate Action Program goal is to empower and support chapters to restore and protect coastlines and oceans, mitigating and adapting to climate change impacts and preserving coastal environments for all future generations through nature-based solutions.

Together, we can make a lasting impact on our environment and create a sustainable future for generations to come. Join us in our commitment to address climate change by protecting and restoring our precious oceans and beaches. Together, we can create a world where nature thrives and communities flourish!

Shorewood Nature Preserve Restoration

A Nature-Based Approach

Project Overview

Why This Matters

What is Happening

Fighting Climate Change with Nature

Upcoming Activities

Join us!

Program Goals

Resources