FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2022
Jeff Johnston, Public Information Officer, [email protected], 517-231-9304 Tamara Lipsey, Aquatic Biologist, [email protected], 517-342-4372
EGLE awards 23 grants to conduct stream cleanups and monitoring
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today announced $108,228 in grants to 23 local governments and nonprofit organizations for stream cleanup and monitoring through the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) Program. These annual grants help foster local stewardship and a sense of community while providing valuable data used to protect Michigan’s waters.
The MiCorps Volunteer Stream Cleanup Program provides grants to local governments to clean and improve Michigan waterways. Local governments often partner with nonprofits or other volunteer organizations for the cleanups, which include removal of trash and other manmade debris from streams and stream banks.
The cleanup grant program began in 1998 and is funded by fees from the sale of Michigan’s specialty water quality protection license plates that are available from the Secretary of State’s Office.
The local governments selected to receive cleanup funding in 2022 are:
- City of Ann Arbor, $4,210.
- City of Battle Creek, $3,839.
- Benzie County Conservation District, $750.
- Berrien County Conservation District, $2,051.
- City of Dexter, $979.
- Grand Traverse County Conservation District, $2,550.
- Muskegon Conservation District, $2,888.
- Newaygo County Conservation District, $5,000.
The MiCorps Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program provides grants to enable local governments and nonprofit organizations to conduct volunteer-based water quality and stream habitat monitoring through benthic macroinvertebrate surveys and habitat assessments. Three types of monitoring grants are available: startup grants get organizations started with learning and planning, implementation grants fund the first two years of official monitoring, and maintenance grants help organizations that are already monitoring replace equipment and continue their program.
The organizations selected to receive funding in 2022 are:
Startup Grants
- Antrim County Conservation District, $5,000.
- Gogebic County Conservation District, $4,261.
- Hillsdale County Conservation District, $4,703.
Implementation Grants
- Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds, $18,530.
- Olivet College, $16,391.
- West Michigan Environmental Action Council, $20,000.
Maintenance Grants
- Alger County Conservation District, $1,958.
- Clinton River Watershed Council, $2,000.
- Friends of the Rouge, $2,000.
- Grass River Natural Area, Inc., $1,127.
- Kalamazoo Nature Center, $1,991.
- Manistee County Conservation District, $2,000.
- The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, $2,000.
- Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, $2,000.
- Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, $2,000.
MiCorps is a network of volunteer water quality monitoring programs established by EGLE in 2004 to engage the public in collecting water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. MiCorps is administered for EGLE by Michigan State University Extension, in partnership with the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association and Huron River Watershed Council.
Questions about the grant award process should be directed to Dr. Paul Steen, Huron River Watershed Council, at 734-519-0449 or [email protected]; or Tamara Lipsey, Lake Michigan Unit, Surface Water Assessment Section, Water Resources Division, EGLE, at [email protected] or 517-342-4372.
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