These 7 Michigan conservation projects are receiving $1.7M in grants

What’s happening: Conservation efforts in the Great Lakes Basin are receiving a boost of financial support thanks to $3.85 million in 2023 federal funding by way of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act grant program. There are sixteen research and restoration projects receiving support throughout the greater region, with several of them in Michigan.

What it is: The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act was enacted in 1990 and reauthorized in 1998, 2006, and 2016, in efforts to restore and protect fish and wildlife resources throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The grant program beginning in 1998 has supported 226 such research and restoration projects with approximately $39.6 million in federal funds. Adding the required matching funds and that’s $57.6 million for associated conservation efforts throughout the region.

What’s coming: Of the sixteen research and restoration projects selected in this latest grant round, seven are located in Michigan, the most among the Great Lake states. Those projects include:

Michigan Natural Features Inventory receives $168,838 for their researching climate-driven uncertainty in the suitability of Great Lakes shoreline habitat for Michigan’s at-risk species;

Grand Valley State University receives $281,071 for predation risk assessments for the wood turtle in the Great Lakes Region;

Central Michigan University receives $384,342 for the comprehensive evaluation of unionid habitats in lower tributaries of Lake Michigan;

Michigan State University receives $349,962 for enhancing Great Lakes lake sturgeon restoration via the development of novel lake sturgeon herpesvirus detection and transmission prevention methods;

Little Traverse Conservancy receives $150,000 for filling knowledge gaps and increasing the capacity of Michigan Land Conservancies to restore ecosystems;

Michigan Department of Natural Resources receives $234,363 for the Saginaw River Headwaters Rec Area habitat restoration and reclamation project;

And the Grand Rapids Public Museum receives $149,597 for a broad-based partnership to evaluate lake sturgeon in the Grand River Watershed.

How to apply: Visit the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act online to learn more about the grants, how to apply for funding, eligibility requirements, and more.

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