Watersheds Share $600,000 in EGLE Conservation, Education Grants

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has awarded 20 grants totaling $600,000 for projects that will support watershed organizations with conservation and educational efforts.

The Watershed Council Support grants are funded under Michigan's Public Act 87 of 2021. Grants were limited to $40,000 per applicant, and the projects will be completed within a 12-month timeline.

Activities funded include environmental outreach to underserved communities and non-English speaking households, K-12 environmental educational efforts, watershed management planning, boat cleaning stations, farm-based conservation efforts, establishing buffers to control erosion, and design and installation of urban storm water controls.

Michigan-based organizations and projects selected to receive funding:

• The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City, $39,974.
• Charter Township of Ypsilanti, $19,372.
• City of Kalamazoo, $29,500.
• River Raisin Watershed Council, Adrian, $14,512.
• Pine River/Van Etten Lake Watershed Coalition, Oscoda, $12,917.
• Mastodon Township Planning Commission, Crystal Falls, $7,720.
• Village of Fife Lake and Fife Lake Township, $40,000.
• Iron County Watershed Coalition, Iron River, $40,000.
• White River Watershed Partnership, Hesperia, $4,200.
• Calvin University, Grand Rapids, $40,000.
• Grass River Natural Area, Inc., Bellaire, $20,494.
• Friends of the Detroit River, Taylor, $39,996.
• West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission, Muskegon, $39,998.
• Kent Conservation District, Grand Rapids, $40,000.
• Michigan Technological University, Houghton, $40,000.
• Friends of the Shiawassee River, Corunna, $30,012.
• Square One Education Network, Southfield, $21,305.
• Flint River Watershed Coalition, Flint, $40,000.
• Friends of the St. Clair River, Port Huron, $40,000.
• City of Ferndale, $40,000.

EGLE received a total of 54 applications requesting more than $1.8 million in response to the request for proposals.

The grants are issued by EGLE's Nonpoint Source Program, which helps local stakeholders reduce pollution and excess runoff by supporting efforts to develop and implement watershed management plans. The Nonpoint Source Program anticipates issuing a request for proposals for planning projects later this spring and the annual request for proposals for implementation projects in mid-July. They will be posted at Michigan.gov/NPS.

EGLE invests more than half of its budget in local communities in the form of financial assistance to address environmental and public health efforts.