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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2023
EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278
Jeff Johnston, Public Information Officer, JohnstonJ14@Michigan.gov, 517-231-9304
Tamara Lipsey, Aquatic Biologist, LipseyT@Michigan.gov, 517-342-4372
EGLE awards 26 grants to conduct stream cleanups and monitoring
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today announced $97,681 through 26 grants to 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 units of government to clean and improve Michigan waterways. Local governments often partner with nonprofits or other volunteer groups 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, available from the Secretary of State’s Office. The local governments selected to receive cleanup funding in 2023 are:
- Benzie Conservation District, $1,098.
- Branch Conservation District, $1,350.
- City of Ann Arbor, $4,580.
- City of Cheboygan, $4,999.
- City of Flint, $3,731.
- City of Lansing, $4,944.
- Grand Traverse Conservation District, $2,867.
- Muskegon Conservation District, $3,633.
- Newaygo Conservation District, $5,000.
- Van Buren Conservation District, $2,877.
- Joseph Conservation District, $1,865.
The MiCorps Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program provides grants to enable local governments and nonprofits 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 groups started with learning and planning, implementation grants fund the first two years of official monitoring, and maintenance grants help groups that are already monitoring replace equipment and continue their program. The organizations selected to receive funding in 2023 are:
Startup grant
- Wexford Conservation District, $4,990.
Implementation grants
- Gogebic Conservation District; Black River Watershed Stream Monitoring, $19,490.
- Muskegon Conservation District; Mona Lake Watershed Monitoring Program, $14,009.
Maintenance grants
- Berrien Conservation District, $1,981.
- Friends of the Rouge, $2,000.
- Friends of the Shiawassee River, $2,000.
- Grass River Natural Area, Inc., $1,254.
- Kalamazoo Nature Center, $2,000.
- Manistee Conservation District, $2,000.
- Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, $1,999.
- Joseph Conservation District, $1,976.
- The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, $1,999.
- Tip of the Mitt, $2,000.
- Two Forks Conservancy, $1,039.
- Van Buren Conservation District, $2,000.
MiCorps was established in 2004 by EGLE 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 PSteen@HRWC.org; or Tamara Lipsey, Lake Michigan Unit, Surface Water Assessment Section, Water Resources Division, EGLE, at 517-342-4372 or LipseyT@Michigan.gov.
To stay up to date on other EGLE news, follow us at Michigan.gov/MIEnvironment.
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