Financial Incentives for Restoring Shorelands

Carol LeBreck, a Bony Lake property owner and Bayfield County Lakes Forum member, tapped state funding to restore shorelands along the 191-acre lake.

Read Press Release... Lake property owners "turn back the clock" to protect clean water, habitat

Tap into government and lake association grant programs aimed at helping you and other shoreland property owners cover the costs of restoring your site to a more natural state that will better protect water quality and provide habitat. Read how Burnett and Vilas county programs are spurring landowners to restore their shorelands:

At Water's Edge

Incentives for You and Other Individual Property Owners

A growing number of local governments and lake associations offer tax credits or reimburse you for costs associated with maintaining or restoring natural shorelands.

Local government funding opportunities

Check with your local land conservation and water department to see if there are any financial incentives available in your area for shoreland restoration.

Land and Water Conservation Directory 2008- 2010 [PDF exit DNR]
List of county land conservation contacts to call or email

Here are a few examples:

Burnett County: Annual $50 tax credit to property owners enrolled in their Shoreland Incentive Program.; Natural Shorelines - Managing Waterfront Property [exit DNR]
Vilas County: The Vilas County Land and Water Conservation Department helps pay the cost of natural shoreland restoration.; Northwoods Lakes Project
Walworth County: The county's Land Use & Resource Management Department helps pay the cost of natural shoreland restorations.; Land Use & Resource Management Department (LURM)

Lake Organizations

Many lake organizations offer financial incentives for shoreland restoration, using their own funds or grant money secured through government grant programs. The Green Lake Association offers such a program through its Revitalization of Shoreland Vegetation Project.

Check with your local lake organization
Lake List - a searchable directory of lake organizations and the businesses that serve them.
Check with Wisconsin Association of Lakes
Susan Tesarik
Education Coordinator
(608) 661-4313 or
Toll free (Wisconsin only) (800) 542-5253

Incentives for Your Local Organization

Several state programs provide matching grants to local organizations and government to help pass on to property owners funding for shoreland restorations and technical assistance.

Read how municipalities and other local groups have used these programs to create: "The Ripple Effect" - June 2005 Natural Resources magazine article

Lake planning and protection grants

Information on which groups and projects are eligible to apply for grants that can pay for buying land or securing agreements to protect shorelands, to help restore shorelands, or to develop local ordinances to protect lakes. See: Lake Protection and Classification Grants

River Planning and Protection Grants

Wisconsin's River Grants support existing and emerging organizations in planning, protecting and restoring local river systems. See: River Planning and Protection Grants

Last Revised: Monday June 08 2009