Resilient Beaver Island Project Information

What is Resilient Beaver Island?

The purpose of the Resilient Beaver Island project is to engage the residents of Peaine Township and St. James Township in the development of a new joint master plan for the two island jurisdictions. Much like a blueprint, a master plan serves as the public’s guide for the development of a community and the management of its resources. Although portions of the current joint master plan have been updated throughout the years, the last comprehensive update to the master plan was completed several years ago.

What is Resilience?

“Resilience” is a measure of the sustained ability of a community to utilize available resources to respond to, withstand, and/or recover from adverse situations. Communities that are resilient are able to learn from adversity and adopt quickly to change, both of which are hallmarks of successful communities today. The Resilient Beaver Island planning process will address a wide range of concerns such as natural resource preservation, efforts to build the local economy, and ways to manage the impacts of climate variability.

Funding Information

Most of the resources for the Resilient Beaver Island effort are being provided through the Traverse City-based nonprofit Land Information Access Association (LIAA), which is also managing the project. Most of the project costs will be covered by a grant provided to LIAA by the Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program, Office of the Great Lakes, Department of Environmental Quality.