Lake Michigan’s Green Bay is the largest freshwater estuary in the world. In 2012, a massive undertaking began in the southern end of the bay — rebuilding the barrier island chain that disappeared beneath the waves in the late ’70s. The Cat Island Chain Restoration Project will take another 30 years to complete, but already the hard work is paying off: as the three islands (“cells”) are filled with clean sand and gravel, wild rice and wild celery are being replanted and endangered piping plovers have returned to nest in the area.
These three maps show a 75-year span of this region: 1) the former barrier islands and delta, 2) the effects on the islands from rising lake levels and severe storms, and 3) the progress of the rebuilding process (as of 2024).
Learn more about this massive ecological restoration project here.