Seventeen watershed organizations share $600,000 in EGLE conservation, education grants

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today announced 17 grants totaling $600,000 for projects that will support watershed organizations with conservation and educational efforts. 

The Watershed Council grants are funded under Michigan's Public Act 121 of 2024. Grants are limited to $40,000 per applicant, and the projects will be completed within approximately one year of receiving the grants. 

Among the activities funded are organizational and administrative support for watershed organizations, outreach and educational activities for a variety of watershed issues, design and installation of best management practices to improve water quality, purchase of needed equipment and supplies, water quality monitoring, developing watershed management plan elements and proposals for grant opportunities, and desktop and field inventories of nonpoint sources (NPS) of pollution. 

Michigan-based organizations and projects selected to receive funding: 

• Adrian: River Raisin Watershed Council, $39,984.75 

• Bay City: Bay County Soil Conservation District, $40,000 

• Brighton: Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, $29,230 

• Charlotte: Eaton Conservation District, $39,977.75 

• Clarkston: Oakland Conservation District, $39,961.50 

• Flint: City of Flint- Water Pollution Control, $39,970 

• Galesburg: Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, $12,502 

• Gladwin: Gladwin Conservation District, $39,999.99 

• Grand Rapids: Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited, $39,810 

• Hastings: Barry Conservation District, $36,267 

• Marshall: Calhoun Conservation District, $39,259.28 

• Montague: White Lake Association, $6,227.42 

• Sault Ste. Marie: Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District, $39,999.42 

• Scottville: Mason-Lake Conservation District, $38,610.56 

• St. Johns: Clinton Conservation District, $38,211.20 

• Taylor: Friends of the Detroit River, $39,998.52 

• Traverse City: The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, $39,990.61

A total of 42 applications requesting about $1.5 million were received in response to the request for proposals. 

The grants are issued by EGLE's NPS Program, which helps local stakeholders reduce pollution and excess runoff by supporting efforts to develop and launch watershed management plans. The NPS program typically issues three requests for proposals each year. Requests for proposals are posted on EGLE’s NPS webpage. 

To stay up to date on EGLE news, follow Michigan.gov/MIEnvironment.