The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded 28 grants totalling $12.5 million through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which will fund projects focused on invasive species prevention, invasive species control, urban watershed management implementation and agricultural watershed management implementation.
The GLRI has provided funding for nearly 3,000 projects, for a total topping $1 billion, since its launch in 2010. It works to protect and restore the Great Lakes, which are the world’s largest fresh surface water system. The GLRI’s focus areas, in keeping with this year’s grants, are restoration work in Areas of Concern, nutrient reduction, invasive species control and habitat restoration.
The Lake Michigan basin received the most grants, with 13 local institutions, agencies and organizations receiving funding to work in the area. The Lake Ontario and Lake Superior basins each received one grant, while the Lake Huron Basin received one grant that will be applied to two projects. The Lake Erie Basin received six grants, and five grants went to organizations whose projects will impact multiple Great Lakes.
The largest grant awarded in this cycle was $650,000, awarded to the Nature Conservancy for invasive species control in Lake Erie, while the smallest was $298,869, given to Ozaukee County for the same in Lake Michigan.
Alerts Sign-up