News Releases from Region 05

U.S. EPA Announces 28 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants Totaling Over $12.5 Million to Restore Great Lakes

CHICAGO -- (May 4, 2016) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced 28 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants for projects to restore and protect the Great Lakes. The grants, totaling more than $12.5 million, were announced at an event near Toledo, Ohio.

"With support from a strong alliance of bipartisan senators, representatives, states, tribes, municipalities, conservation organizations and businesses, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will keep making strong investments to resuscitate the Lakes," said Cameron Davis, senior advisor to the U.S. EPA Administrator.

Today’s EPA grants were divided into four categories: invasive species prevention, invasive species control, urban watershed management implementation and agricultural watershed management implementation.

Receiving awards for projects in multiple Great Lakes areas are:

• University of Toledo ($499,991) for invasive species prevention.
• Great Lakes Commission ($340,000) for invasive species prevention.
• New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation ($499,530) for invasive species prevention.
• Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council ($641,077) for invasive species control.
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges ($516,367) for invasive species control.

 Receiving awards for projects in the Lake Erie basin are:

• Cleveland Metropolitan Park District ($316,830) for invasive species control.
• The Nature Conservancy ($650,000) for invasive species control.
• IPM Institute of North America ($408,150) for agricultural watershed management implementation.
• Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments ($497,258) for agricultural watershed management implementation.
• Western Reserve Land Conservancy ($500,000) for agricultural watershed management implementation.
• Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development ($500,000) for agricultural watershed management implementation.

Receiving awards for projects in the Lake Huron basin is:

• Michigan Technological University $648,799 for two invasive species control projects ($648,799 and $470,407).

Receiving awards for projects being implemented in the Lake Michigan basin are:

• Grand Traverse Conservation District ($301,340) for invasive species prevention.
• Grand Valley State University ($405,275) for invasive species control.
• Ozaukee Washington Land Trust ($514,278) for invasive species control.
• Ozaukee County ($298,869) for invasive species control.
• Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District ($380,000) for urban watershed management implementation.
• Lake County Stormwater Management Commission for ($446,603) for urban watershed management implementation.
• Delta Institute ($355,370) for urban watershed management implementation.
• Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps ($390,995) for urban watershed management implementation.
• Grand Valley Metropolitan Council ($340,065) for urban watershed management implementation.
• Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Initiative ($499,370) for urban watershed management implementation.      
• Macatawa Area Coordinating Council ($473,111) for agricultural watershed management implementation.
• Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance ($498,634) for agricultural watershed management implementation.
• Calhoun Conservation District ($160,377) for agricultural watershed management implementation.

Receiving an award for a project in the Lake Ontario basin is:

• Paul Smith's College of Arts and Sciences ($499,816) for invasive species prevention.

Receiving an award for a project in the Lake Superior basin is:

• Regents of the University of Minnesota ($500,000) for invasive species prevention.

GLRI was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world. Since then, GLRI has funded more than 2,930 projects totaling over $1.5 billion. Priority funding areas include restoration work in highly contaminated Areas of Concern, nutrient reduction, invasive species control and habitat restoration.

For more information about the GLRI, visit: http://www.glri.us.

For more information on today’s grant announcement, visit: /great-lakes-funding/great-lakes-restoration-initiative-2015-request-applications. 

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