Multiple states to benefit from conservation projects
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – June 8, 2010 – The Environmental Protection Agency recently invited Ducks Unlimited to submit seven final applications totaling $2.8 million for wetland habitat projects in the Great Lakes region. The grants will be awarded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a $475 million program designed to revitalize the region. Among the GLRI’s areas of concern are invasive species and habitat and wildlife protection and restoration.
Restoration projects in the region are vital, as the Great Lakes hold 20 percent of the world’s fresh water, include 10,000 miles of coastline and drain approximately 200,000 square miles of land. The Great Lakes basin also supports more than 30 million people in the United States and Canada.
“Seeing this level of commitment to the region is so rewarding,” said Bob Hoffman, director of DU’s Great Lakes/Atlantic regional office. “Organizations working in the Great Lakes region have a real passion for the resource, and so much preparation has taken place. Finally there are resources that will allow very beneficial restoration to take place. DU and our partners are now equipped to take actions that will result in net gains in wetland acres, values and functions.”
DU has been selected to submit final applications for the following projects:
• $974,037 for Anchor Bay/St. Clair Flats phragmites control (Michigan)
• $284,477 for Dusseau wetland/lake plain restoration and fish passage (Michigan)
• $192,862 for a Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area coastal wetland project (Michigan)
• $192,653 for Pointe Aux Peaux coastal restoration and fish passage (Michigan)
• $119,199 for Van Hove coastal restoration (Michigan)
• $436,961 for Middle Harbor hydrology and coastal marsh restoration (Ohio)
• $658,009 for Winegar Pond invasive species control in a Green Bay wetland (Wisconsin)
The administration, congress, federal agencies, states, local municipalities, tribes, businesses and many non-governmental organizations, including the Healing Our Waters Coalition, played an integral part in facilitating this on-the-ground restoration of the Great Lakes region.
Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.
Kristin Schrader
kschrader@ducks.org
734-623-2000