On August 13, 2018, Sustain Our Great Lakes announced $6.6 million in grant funding for 25 ecological restoration projects in the Great Lakes basin. Approximately $8.2 million in additional project support will be leveraged by this public-private partnership, for a total on-the-ground conservation impact of $14.8 million.
The projects will restore coastal wetland habitat, enhance the quality and connectivity of streams and riparian habitat, control invasive species, restore wetland hydrology, improve nearshore health and water quality through green stormwater infrastructure, and reduce sedimentation and nutrient runoff.
The grants will support projects in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Canadian province of Ontario to sustain, restore and protect fish, wildlife and habitats.
“Sustain Our Great Lakes continues to be a leader in binational ecological restoration and water quality improvements within the Great Lakes region,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The 25 grants announced today supply critical funding for projects within each Great Lakes state and the province of Ontario to help preserve and protect the region’s globally unique habitats and natural resources.”
Sustain Our Great Lakes is a public-private partnership that supports habitat restoration throughout the Great Lakes basin and advances the objectives of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program designed to protect, restore and enhance the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Charlie Wooley, acting Midwest regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said “Sustain Our Great Lakes not only fosters good projects, but also exemplifies the strength of public-private partnerships. Sustain Our Great Lakes brings together local, federal, state, tribal, provincial and non-governmental partners to deliver on-the-ground projects that make a difference to the fish, wildlife and people of the basin.”
Administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the program receives funding and other support from ArcelorMittal, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Collectively, the 25 projects receiving grants will:
- Restore 72 miles of stream and riparian habitat;
- Reopen 103 miles of river for fish passage;
- Remove or rectify 12 barriers to aquatic organism passage;
- Control invasive species on 1,422 acres of wetland, upland and riparian habitat;
- Restore 1,400 acres of wetland habitat;
- Prevent more than 2,500 tons of sediment from entering waterways annually;
- Add 161 million gallons of stormwater storage capacity;
- Install more than 180,000 square feet of green stormwater infrastructure; and
- Prevent more than 33,000 pounds of nitrogen and 8,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering waterways annually.
Five of the 25 grants were awarded under a special initiative in partnership with NRCS in Michigan to improve water quality and enhance habitat in Michigan through landowner technical assistance.
“The Great Lakes region is home to 11 ArcelorMittal facilities as well as the many communities where our employees and valued stakeholders live, play and work,” said Bill Steers, general manager of communications and corporate responsibility for ArcelorMittal’s Americas region. “Our commitment to produce safe, sustainable steel transcends our physical operations and includes sustaining the vitality of Great Lakes ecosystems for future generations. Today, 11 years after joining Sustain Our Great Lakes, our commitment to this powerful public-private partnership remains strong and we believe it embodies the long-term value that trusted partners can deliver when working together to advance collective goals across the region.”
Since 2006, Sustain Our Great Lakes has awarded 312 grants worth more than $73.6 million and leveraged an additional $85.2 million in matching contributions, for a total conservation investment of over $158.8 million.
Photo of Great Lakes dunes courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
See complete list of the new grants and learn more about Sustain Our Great Lakes.