On December 1, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced $590,190 in federal funding for fish and wildlife restoration projects in the Great Lakes Basin. The projects will be matched by $309,949 in partner contributions and will focus on the rehabilitation of sustainable populations of native fish and wildlife and their habitats.
“Projects funded through the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act support the environmental health of fish, wildlife and habitats associated with the largest freshwater resource in the world,” said Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Not only will these projects serve to protect the integrity of Great Lakes ecosystems, they will also help sustain the economic opportunities generated by commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries.”
Ten projects were selected for funding with 2009 funds. One project that could possibly provide direct benefit to Cook County is the University of Minnesota- Duluth project to determine migratory bird stopover sites and evaluate impacts of towers and wind turbines relative to shoreline migration within the Lake Superior Coastal Region of Minnesota.
Other grant recipients include: Michigan State University for its development of non-lethal sampling of fish species for disease detection; Pennsylvania Game Commission for a scaup habitat and waterfowl management plan; Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for wetland restoration and open land enhancement at French Creek Wildlife Area and an additional grant for Chiwaukee Prairie wetland restoration; Conservation Resource Alliance for a project to install 2,000 lineal feet of woody debris as habitat for fish and wildlife on the Pere Marquette River near Baldwin, MI; Calhoun Conservation District which will reconnect creek and floodplain in Rice Creek, MI; Ducks Unlimited for an update to the National Wetlands Inventory and wetland change analysis for the Lower Peninsula of Michigan; Ohio Department of Natural Resources for its pelagic bird survey to identify suitable areas for offshore wind turbines; and Great Lakes Indian and Fish and Wildlife Commission for its pilot study to reduce incidental catch of lake trout in the gill net fishery for whitefish in Michigan waters of Lake Superior.
The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act Proposal Review Committee, a 25-member body representing states and tribes in the Great Lakes Basin, reviews project proposals and develops recommendations on projects and funding for approval by the Service.
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