2008 Grants   |  2009 Grants

2009 Grants

Illinois

• Alliance for the Great Lakes will, with collaboration from municipal and private property owners, revise and operate its Adopt-a-Beach program to support volunteer assessment and restoration of several stretches of the Lake Michigan shoreline.
• BOLD Chicago Institute and partners will educate students from 10 Chicago schools about biodiversity, wetlands, invasive species, and the natural and cultural history of the Lake Calumet region, as well as engage students in stewardship work at seven natural sites.
• Friends of the Forest Preserves and partners will provide local high school students with hands-on environmental training, education and summer employment within the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. 
• Lake County Forest Preserve District will control invasive species and improve hydrology through selective plant removal, prescribed burning and culvert replacement at Spring Bluff, a 234-acre Illinois Nature Preserve.
• South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association and partners will create a Lake Riverdale Sustainable Master Plan that will highlight opportunities to restore natural areas, develop trails and greenways, and improve Lake Riverdale water quality.

Indiana

• Elkhart County Drainage Board will solidify a partnership for the long-term stabilization of the entire Baugo Creek system and implement four habitat improvement projects based on recommendations of the 2004 watershed management plan.
• Save the Dunes Conservation Fund, Inc., will restore 37 acres of riparian wetlands and woodlands and mesic/upland forest and savanna associated with Trail Creek Fen in La Porte County. 
• Shirley Heinze Land Trust and partners will use mechanical vegetation removal, prescribed burning and native plantings to restore 45 acres of fire-suppressed, remnant bur oak savanna habitat in the Hobart Marsh complex of northwest Indiana.

Michigan

• Clinton River Watershed Council and partners will remove two dams on the North Branch of the Clinton River to restore connectivity to 93 stream miles and allow fish access to some of the highest-quality habitat in the river.
• Conservation Resource Alliance and partners will remove the Manton Millpond Dam in Wexford County and restore the currently impounded stream to improve fish passage and aquatic habitat.
• Michigan Department of Natural Resources and partners will remove two dams in the Thornapple River and Butternut Creek to restore floodplain function and restore 165 miles of passage for fish and other aquatic organisms.
• Michigan State University Extension and partners will take a regional approach to assess, prioritize and build long-term capacity for detection and treatment of Phragmites and other invasive plants in northwest Lower Michigan’s coastal zone.
• The Nature Conservancy and partners in the Central Upper Peninsula Cooperative Weed Management Area will restore and protect Great Lakes shoreline and upland habitats by removing invasive plants and educating the public on invasive species. 
• The Nature Conservancy will replace a stream crossing on the South Branch of the Two Hearted River to improve fish access to 24 miles of habitat, improve vehicle access and safety, and improve water quality in the stream. 

New York

• Izaak Walton League of America, Inc., and partners will engage students, schools and community-based organizations in environmental education, water quality monitoring and restoration activities within the Lake Ontario watershed.

Ohio

• Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District and partners will inventory and prioritize potential sites for stormwater retrofit projects and implement a Residential Best Management Practices Program in target subwatersheds tributary to Lake Erie.
• West Creek Preservation Committee will restore 300 linear feet of West Creek immediately upstream of the Cuyahoga River to reduce sediment and pollution loading and improve aquatic habitat.

Ontario

• Bay Area Restoration Council and partners will restore and monitor coastal wetland and tributary habitat associated with Cootes Paradise Marsh and Hamilton Harbour through its Adopt-a-Creek program.

Quebec

• Nature-Action Quebec and partners will conserve and improve habitat along the St. Lawrence River by protecting 700 feet of shoreline against erosion, planting windbreaks along three miles of river and enhancing 85 acres of riverside parks.

Wisconsin

• Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and partners will restore natural hydrology and vegetation to a farmed wetland on the Little Menomonee River to reduce nonpoint source pollution, reduce flood damage and enhance wildlife habitat.
• Gathering Waters Conservancy and partners will use the Trust for Public Land’s Greenprint model to produce a regional conservation plan designed to protect high-priority tributaries and coastal habitat in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan basin.
• Bayfield County Land and Water Conservation Department and partners will provide education, resources and tools to local communities and land owners to help them prevent and control invasive species in the Lake Superior watershed. 
• The Bad River Watershed Association will develop a watershed action plan for the Marengo River basin that coordinates watershed improvement and land-use planning activities among local citizens, governments and natural resource agencies. 

Multiple States/Provinces

• Bird Studies Canada will coordinate bird and amphibian surveys to track progress toward achieving wildlife and habitat delisting criteria identified within the Buffalo River and Niagara River Area of Concern Remedial Action Plans. (New York and Ontario)
• The Field Museum and partners will engage teachers and students in environmental education in the 15,000-acre Calumet region of northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana. (Illinois and Indiana)
• Fishin' Buddies will coordinate a Youth Conservation Conference and follow-up internships that expose at-risk high school students to conservation management careers while engaging them in hands-on restoration actions. (Illinois and Indiana)

2008 Grants

Basin-wide Projects

• Izaak Walton League of America – The Great Lakes Clean Boats Campaign will help to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species by raising awareness among boaters and anglers about invasive species through educational events and public service announcements.

Illinois

• Lake County Stormwater Management Commission – The project will produce a stream corridor restoration plan for Dead Dog Creek, guide stewardship and restoration activities, and help improve water quality in Lake Michigan.

Indiana

• The Nature Conservancy – This project will establish a program to detect an invasion of Hydrilla verticillata in Indiana. The effort will provide a framework to coordinate surveillance efforts between state agencies and community partners.

Michigan

• Alger Conservation District - This project will reduce sediment by replacing inappropriately sized culverts at four priority sites on tributaries to Lake Superior.  This effort also involves stream restoration and an inventory of road-stream crossings in Alger County. 
• Monroe County – This project will increase the amount of land devoted to natural habitat in the county by converting 10 acres of county parks into native habitat, controlling exotic species on 200 acres and providing examples of native habitats on public lands.
• Michigan State University – This project will develop quantifiable metrics for prairie fen restoration projects and create a pocket field guide that supports fen restoration and monitoring.
• The Nature Conservancy – In an effort to improve reproductive success for piping plover, the project will remove invasive species from 30 miles of prime nesting habitat and provide educational information to visitors near plover nesting sites.
• Superior Watershed Partnership – This project will improve sections of the Salmon Trout River watershed by restoring three miles of stream habitat for fish, reducing sediment input into the river, and collecting data for long-term evaluation of coaster brook trout habitat.
• Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council – This project will protect the diversity of aquatic habitats in the Cheboygan River by controlling sediment, nutrients and invasive species.
• Watershed Center of Grand Traverse Bay – This project will conduct a survey of macrophyte beds, comparing current growth and densities of macrophytes to previous studies in Grand Traverse Bay to better understand the ecosystem dynamics and avian botulism.

New York

• The Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper – The project will restore 14 acres of floodplain forest and riparian wetland on Buffalo Creek. In addition, workshops with local landowners and a manual on watershed restoration will to promote local stewardship.
• The Nature Conservancy - This project involves a comprehensive analysis of invasive species on portions of the Tug Hill plateau, as well as the development of an invasive plant identification guide, training workshop and best management practices to control the spread of invasive species.

Ohio

• The Lake Erie-Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity – This project will promote collaborative conservation among more than 20 conservation organizations in Northeast Ohio by setting up a funding mechanism for wetlands restoration and water quality improvement.
• Ohio Environmental Council - This project will advance vernal pool conservation by promoting a vernal pool curriculum, training volunteers in monitoring and developing a vernal pool video.

Wisconsin

• The City of Manitowoc Parks and Recreation Department – The project will stabilize 400 feet of shoreline in Red Arrow Beach Park through the creation of sand dunes, restoration of native dune vegetation and development of public educational displays about dune ecosystems.
• Ozaukee Washington Land Trust – Through the removal of invasive plants on 600 acres, planting of 10,000 tree seedlings and volunteer education, the project will restore and improve 1,000 acres of forests, wetlands and prairies in the Lake Michigan basin.