Healing Our Waters Coalition » Implementation Program

Coalition Grants Helping Groups Participate in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Jordan Lubetkin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:24:44 +0000

For Immediate Release:
January 26, 2012

Contact:
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, 734-887-7109

$200,000 in grants leads to more than $1.6 million in federal funds for restoration projects in high-priority areas

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (Jan. 23, 2012) —The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today announced that $200,000 in grants it issued in 2010 to help local conservation groups participate in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has resulted in more than $1.6 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds for restoration projects—an 8-to-1 return on investment.

The $200,000 in coalition grants also led to an additional $4.2 million in state, federal and private funds to support restoration work.

“The coalition’s grant program is producing results,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “The program is successfully helping local groups participate in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and other state and federal restoration programs. Our seed grants, and the additional funds they leveraged, will accelerate restoration activities in the areas most in need of restoration and in places that can provide the most ecological benefit.”

Total 2010 Coalition Grant Awards	$200,000
Total GLRI Applications	12
Total GLRI Awards	6
Total GLRI Funding Leveraged	$1,693,963
Return on Investment (GLRI)	8-to-1
Additional Funding Leveraged	$4,215,832
Total Restoration Funding Leveraged	$5,909,795
Return on Investment (All restoration programs)	29-to-1

A complete list of the coalition’s 2010 grants and evaluation can be found here.

For the past two years, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has awarded grants of up to $15,000 to local groups so that they can compete for federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants, which support activities to clean up toxic sediments, restore habitat and wetlands, confront invasive species and reduce polluted run-off from cities and farms.

The coalition focuses its grants program in five geographic priority areas, as selected by scientists, where restoration dollars will be most beneficial: The St. Louis River and St. Louis Bay in Lake Superior; the waters of Lake Michigan in the Chicagoland area; Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay; western Lake Erie and eastern Lake Ontario.

“The coalition grants have provided a boost for local groups that are on the front lines of Great Lakes restoration efforts,” said Jill Ryan, executive director of Freshwater Future, which acts as the Healing Our Waters Coalition’s Implementation Coordinator. “We’re glad to see high-priority areas receive funding and look forward to working with the U.S. EPA to continue investing federal dollars so that we get the most restoration bang for our buck.”

The coalition grants supported a variety of restoration projects that are addressing serious problems facing the Great Lakes, including: phosphorus pollution; noxious algae; failing septic systems; and the invasive reed Phragmites, which is crowding out native plant species at numerous sites across the region. The grants also supported efforts to remove dams, restore wetlands and other fish and wildlife habitat.

Among the coalition’s grant recipients, Alliance for the Great Lakes in Chicago, Ill., received a $15,000 coalition grant, which helped the group win $150,000 from Sustain Our Great Lakes and $226,950 from EPA through the competitive grants process under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

“With a jump start from HOW’s investment, communities up and down the Illinois shoreline are making the most of their unique glacial ravines,” said Angela Larsen, Coastal Program manager for the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “Great Lakes coasts are home to a stunning array of biodiversity, and we’re ecstatic to help landowners make the restoration connection to the lakes.”

Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association in Toledo, Ohio, received $15,000 from the coalition, which was leveraged to receive almost $500,000 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

“Getting a grant for preliminary work to set up an invasive species early detection project in western Lake Erie was great,” said Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper. “Invasive species pose a real threat to the Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes. The initial small grant helped establish new networks to connect research with Lake Erie community-based education and outreach—collaboration that will continue with the support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant.”

The Bad River Watershed Association in Ashland, Wis., received a $3,000 grant from the coalition that helped the organization earn a $300,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant.

“The Healing Our Waters grant the Bad River Watershed Association (BRWA) received in 2010 was an important part of helping BRWA strengthen relationships with local natural resources partners” said Matt Hudson, Watershed Action Director for the Bad River Watershed Association. “These strong relationships helped BRWA receive a portion of a 2-year GLRI grant in 2011 and lay the foundation for much of our work to maintain and improve the health of the Bad River Watershed.”

The St. Louis River Alliance in Duluth, Minn., received two seed grants from the coalition. The first, for $10,000, led to $250,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The second award for $14,976 led to a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for $268,401.

“The coalition grant program provided key funding that made it possible for us to seek Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding,” said Julene Boe, executive director for the St. Louis River Alliance. “I’m very pleased that these efforts were successful in receiving funding for two projects that will make a difference in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.”

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has provided $775 million for Great Lakes restoration projects in its first two years. The program received another $300 million in fiscal year 2012.

Restoring the lakes is good for fish and wildlife, tourism, human health and the economy. A study by the Brookings Institution found that every $1 investment in Great Lakes restoration leads to $2 in economic benefit for the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

A recent study by Grand Valley State University economists found that a $10 million restoration project at Muskegon Lake in Michigan produced more than $66 million in economic benefits via increased property values, more tourism and higher tax revenues.

“Great Lakes restoration produces results,” said Skelding. “But there is more work to do. We look forward to working with the U.S. Congress and President Obama to maintain funding in the fiscal year 2013 budget for this essential work. Cutting funding will cost more money, because projects will only become more difficult and expensive the longer we wait.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition consists of more than 120 environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos, aquariums and museums representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

For more information visit: http://healthylakes.org/

Coalition Awards $115,000 in Great Lakes Restoration Grants

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:26:11 +0000

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today announced $115,000 in grants that will be awarded to nine organizations poised to jump-start restoration projects on four of the five Great Lakes. The coalition grants will help conservation organizations participate in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program to clean up toxic pollution, confront aquatic invasive species and restore habitat and wetlands.

One organization funded by the coalition last year—the Alliance for the Great Lakes—leveraged a $15,000 grant into a recently announced $150,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative award to improve 28 acres of habitat along Lake Michigan in northeastern Illinois.

”We’re excited to be working with local groups to continue progress on Great Lakes restoration,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Restoration projects produce results—but there is more work to do. These grants will address a variety of issues that are important to the health of the Great Lakes and economy.”

Read the press release and list of projects funded by the coalition in 2011.
Learn more about the coalition’s implementation program.

Tips for a Winning Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Application

Jordan Lubetkin — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:19:26 +0000

Last Thursday the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition partnered with River Network and Community Action Partners to host a webinar entitled “Tips and Tactics for a Winning Application under the GLRI Request for Applications.”

The webinar featured tips from Janet Cohen of Community Action Partners, who is a professional grant consultant on maximizing points in each section of your GLRI application and pointers for strengthening your proposal. In addition, Gildo Tori of Ducks Unlimited presented on the importance of establishing partnerships and tips for managing partnerships throughout the application and project.

The webinar recording is now available. Check it out here.

In addition, two factsheets, one with general grant writing tips, and one summarizing important information relating to the EPA’s current Request for Applications are also posted on the site.

Finally, EPA has also posted a recording of their webinar hosted in the beginning of March to their site.

Great Lakes Triumphs Provide Background Knowledge to Congress

tpache — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:38:45 +0000

There are plenty of stories in the Great Lakes region that show how successful restoration efforts have been over the years. Today, a number of people are coming to Washington representing a league of success to show Congress what has been done and what can be done with future investments in the Lakes.

The stories that our Congressmen will hear will be of thriving restoration efforts that we would like to see replicated across the Great Lakes region. These informative sessions should enlighten the leadership in Washington so that they can envision what federal investments in our region can produce. The people coming here are the same who wield the shovels “on-the-ground” and can provide the best education to our Representatives as to what works and why it works. The volunteers will be supplying background that will be helpful to lawmakers when they consider appropriations funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

At the end of the week, healthylakes.org will publish these restoration success stories so that you too can share the information with anyone who is interested.

EPA Chief Announces GLRI Awards!

tpache — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:03:46 +0000

Flanked by state and city officials, Environmental Protection Agency head Lisa Jackson announced the President’s picks for the first round of Great Lakes Restoration Inatiative funding. President Barack Obama is the first US President to attach a budget line to the restoration of the lakes and in his first year in office he and the US Congress set aside $475 million to supplement restoration work.

Events were held this morning in Toledo, Ohio and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Healing Our Waters National Campaign Director Jeff Skelding joined Jackson, Sen. Russ Feingold and Rep. Steve Kagan on the dias in Wisconsin to name the first awardees.

“These grants are a long-overdue investment in a place that is home to millions of Americans, billions of dollars in economic activity, and 95 percent of our nation’s fresh surface water. It’s essential that we act today, and set a new standard of care for the next generation,” said Jackson. “President Obama has made protecting the Great Lakes a national priority. EPA is investing in a diverse network of partners to put boots on the ground and boatsin the water to begin this historic Great Lakes restoration effort.”

This day has been a long time in the making and is due to the diligent efforts of the residents and activists in the region who have fought to get the federal government to recognize the great need for restoration and the economic potential such efforts promise to the region.

Coalition Announces Grants to Help Groups Participate In $475 Million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:45:30 +0000

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (September 1, 2010) —The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today announced $189,564 in grants that will be awarded to 12 organizations poised to jump-start restoration projects on each of the Great Lakes.

The Coalition grants will help conservation organizations participate in the $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program to clean up toxic pollution, confront aquatic invasive species and restore habitat and wetlands.

Grants of up to $15,000 per project are being awarded to groups in five geographic priority areas: The St. Louis River and St. Louis Bay in Lake Superior; the waters of Lake Michigan in the Chicagoland area; Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay; western Lake Erie’s Maumee Bay and eastern Lake Ontario.

The funds will support efforts to restore fish habitat on Lake Ontario, reduce bacterial contamination that forces beach closures near Chicago, control the invasive reed phragmites in coastal areas around Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, remove contaminated sediments from Duluth Harbor and decrease the amount of sediment washing into Lake Erie from the Maumee River.

A complete list of grants is included here.

“These grants will address an array of issues that are important to the health of the Great Lakes and the regional economy,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We’re excited to partner with local groups to advance Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery.”

In the inaugural year of the Coalition’s grant program, 12 organizations received funding of the 14 that applied. The coalition is funding 13 projects.

“There were a lot of great proposals demonstrating an amazing array of projects to restore and protect rivers, lakes, and wetlands that came out of each of the five priority areas ,” said Cheryl Mendoza, Freshwater Future associate director and Healing Our Waters implementation coordinator. “There were some tough choices to make and while we couldn’t fund everyone, we are thrilled that the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition will to be able to support some great efforts.”

A panel of Great Lakes scientists advised the Coalition in its selection of priority areas, recommending sites suffering from some of the biggest, most acute problems, while also exhibiting the potential to be successfully restored. Coalition staff and outside advisors selected the final grant recipients.

The coalition’s announcement comes as the U.S. EPA prepares to unveil the final grant awards of the $475 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative—the most ambitious federal effort to date to restore the Great Lakes. The initiative—proposed by President Obama and enacted by the U.S. Congress—has been widely hailed as kick-starting a lagging federal response to the many serious threats facing the Great Lakes, the largest source of surface freshwater in North America.

Funded at $475 million in its inaugural year, President Obama requested the program to be cut to $300 million in the 2011 budget. House of Representative appropriators agreed, slashing the program to $300 million. The Senate has yet to agree on a funding level for the program.

“Now is not the time to scale back the nation’s commitment to a resource that is the backbone of our economy and way of life,” said Skelding. “After years of neglect and abuse, there is a huge need for a robust federal investment in Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery.”

When the EPA put out its request for restoration proposals as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the agency was inundated. It received proposals that outpaced funding by more than 7-to-1. Many projects will not be funded.

Every day, the lakes face serious threats, including:
• Sewage contamination, which closes beaches and threatens public health.
• Aquatic invasive species, which cost people, communities and businesses at least $200 million annually in damage and control costs.
• A legacy of toxic pollution, which leads to drinking water restrictions, beach closings and fish consumption advisories.
• Habitat destruction, which threatens water quality and harms the region’s outdoor recreation economy.

Restoring the lakes will be good for fish and wildlife, tourism, human health and the economy.

A study by the Brookings Institution found that every $1 investment in Great Lakes restoration leads to $2 in economic benefit for the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery go hand-in-hand,” said Skelding. “We have solutions to restore the environment and jump-start the economy. It is time to use them. Every day we wait, the problems get worse and the solutions get more costly.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition consists of more than 115 environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos, aquariums and museums representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

For Immediate Release:
September 1, 2010

Contact:
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, 734-887-7109
Jeff Skelding, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, 410-245-8021

Coalition Grant Recipients for 2010

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:37:18 +0000

The Healing Our Water-Great Lakes Coalition today announced $189,564 in grants that will be awarded to 12 organizations poised to jump-start restoration projects on each of the Great Lakes.

Grant projects and recipients include:

Project Title: Lake and Suburban Cook County Ravine Project Identification and Engagement
Applicant: Alliance for the Great Lakes
Priority Area: Chicago Land
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
The Alliance for the Great Lakes will build municipal partnerships in northeastern Illinois to support a federal funding proposal that creates a ravine improvement prioritization and tracking system. This will lead to the implementation of on-the-ground Lake Michigan ravine restoration projects by allowing landowners to identify and prioritize erosion and water quality impairments and demonstrate improvements over time. This project builds on research previously completed with funding from Illinois DNR that established a baseline data set of ravine erosion problems. This preliminary system has already been used in two on-the-ground ravine restoration proposals recommended for GLRI funding of nearly $1 million in 2010, and support for this work will generate additional on-the-ground projects.

Project Title: Indiana Lake Michigan Beaches Sanitary Survey Public Involvement and Implementation
Applicant: Save the Dunes Conservation Fund, dba “Save the Dunes”
Priority Area: Chicago Land
Award: $14,588
Project Summary:
Save the Dunes will assess the feasibility of and develop a competitive GLRI proposal to build upon the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)’s “Indiana Lake Michigan Beaches Sanitary Survey” project by facilitating public involvement, implementing practices and projects identified in this process to address E. coli sources. To do this, Save the Dunes will meet with stakeholders, including IDEM, USGS, municipalities, and beach managers and users to assess the needs for additional outreach, analysis, and implementation work to ensure that the results of the surveys yield meaningful results toward removing beach closure beneficial use impairments with emphasis on the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern.

Project Title: Pultneyville Watershed Plan Development
Applicant: Center for Environmental Information
Priority Area: Eastern Lake Ontario
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
Residents, visitors, fisherman and boaters who use the Pultneyville Harbor cannot access that resource to the extent they want due in part to eutrophication and e-coli contamination. The Center for Environmental Information will facilitate the initiation of a formal watershed planning and implementation process for the Pultneyville Watershed. This effort will result in sufficient detail being developed to allow this newly formed watershed group to seek Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding to complete their watershed plan and begin implementation of initial restoration work identified in planning process under this project.
Project Title: Fish Habitat Enhancement at Lake Shore Marshes WMA, Eastern Lake Ontario, N.Y.
Applicant: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. New York
Priority Area: Eastern Lake Ontario
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
Ducks Unlimited will restore hydrologic function, improve fish passage and enhance spawning habitat within two coastal marsh systems in Eastern Lake Ontario. Dense cattail mats in these marshes, caused in part by man-induced stable water levels, have reduced access by fish to suitable spawning habitat and to adjacent streams and tributaries, reducing utilization and productivity. Restoration activities will involve creation of open water potholes with diverse emergent vegetation for spawning habitat within the cattail marsh. The coalition grant will be used to build collaborative partnerships, develop restoration designs and prepare permit applications, thus enhancing the potential for funding under GLRI opportunities.

Project Title: Rifle River Watershed Nonpoint Implementation Project
Applicant: Huron Pines
Priority Area: Saginaw Bay and Saginaw Watershed
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
The Rifle River Watershed Nonpoint Implementation Project is an intensive, action-oriented three-year project aimed at achieving on-the-ground results. In order to implement solutions to the highest priority sites within the watershed, additional support is needed to assist Huron Pines and partners in project promotion, educational outreach and helping to engage stakeholders. Support from the Healing Our Waters grant program will encourage higher involvement with the project, resulting in more water resource information sharing, higher participation in public meetings and site visits, and the opportunity for more stakeholders to help identify problems and selecting solutions to improve water quality.

Project Title: Identification of Phragmites Control Sites in Saginaw Bay Coastal Areas
Applicant: Partnership for the Saginaw Bay Watershed
Priority Area: Saginaw Bay and Saginaw Watershed
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
Dense stands of phragmites are crowding out native plants, blocking shoreline views, reducing public access, and creating fire hazards in Saginaw Bay coastal areas. The communities in Bay, Arenac, Tuscola, and Huron Counties have teamed together to conduct an invasive species control project on public lands. The first step in this project will identify where control of the species would be most cost effective and measureable. The completion of this first step will show progress toward restoring the beneficial use impairments in Saginaw Bay and providing the opportunity for all to more fully enjoy the Bay.

Project Title: Getting to the Source: Thermal Imaging to Identify Failing Septic Systems in a High Priority Watershed
Applicant: The Conservation Fund
Priority Area: Saginaw Bay and Saginaw Watershed
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
The Kawkawlin River is a direct tributary of the Saginaw Bay Area of Concern and has been identified by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment as AOC-influencing because of persistent water quality issues that are directly affecting both the river itself and Bay. Since 2005, the Kawkawlin has been closed to body contact for 181 days, with high bacteria levels being cited as the cause. Coalition funding will support an innovative thermal (color infra-red) imaging effort to identify failing septic systems that are thought to be a cause of some of the water quality issues. This project will support a Great Lakes Restoration Initiaitve application to establish a revolving fund to encourage system repair and replacement where municipal sewer is not available.

Project Title: Implementing St. Louis River Habitat Plan Priority Projects
Applicant: Minnesota Land Trust
Priority Area: St. Louis Bay and St. Louis River
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
The St. Louis River Habitat Plan is a component of the St. Louis River Remedial Action Plan that outlines targets and projects to restore the ecological integrity and address the Beneficial Use Impairments of the lower St. Louis River. Projects within the Habitat Plan support the objectives of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration’s Habitat Conservation and Species Management section. Minnesota Land Trust is positioned as the primary NGO partner for implementation of on-the-ground clean-up, restoration and protection projects in the St. Louis River Area of Concern. Minnesota Land Trust works in close collaboration with local, state and federal agencies and the St. Louis River Alliance in selecting and developing projects for implementation. With funding from the Coalition, the trust will increase their capacity support to develop and submit funding proposals to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Minnesota’s newly-created Outdoor Heritage Fund to implement two to three priority restoration and protection projects in the St. Louis Bay Priority Area.

Project Title: St. Louis River AOC Remediation and Restoration Initiative
Applicant: St. Louis River Alliance (Formerly the St. Louis River Citizens Action Committee)
Priority Area: St. Louis Bay and St. Louis River
Award: $24,976
Project Summary:
Funding from the coalition will provide the St. Louis River Alliance needed capacity assistance that will enable project development for GLRI funding regarding high priority projects within the St Louis River Area of Concern (AOC). The two separate projects under this proposal will focus on high priority projects that advance delisting the St Louis River through the remediation of contaminated sediments and habitat restoration. Efforts will focus on developing funding-ready scoping documents detailing recommendations for project design and implementation. The first project will develop detailed recommendations for design and implementation of remediation to restoration projects within the AOC. The second project is habitat restoration for piping plover on Wisconsin Point. Both projects involve facilitating partnerships between federal, tribal, state and local agencies.

Project Title: Step-by-Step Support for Permit Applications for GLRI Wetlands Project
Applicant: Partners For Clean Streams, Inc.
Priority Area: Western Lake Erie
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
Partners for Clean Streams, the Maumee RAP’s non-profit, will restore at least 10 acres of wetland, 30 acres of upland habitat and 1,200 linear feet of stream bank along the Ottawa River, at a 157-acre Boy Scout Camp in the Oak Openings Region, directly improving Lake Erie’s Western basin. Partners for Clean Streams was invited by U.S. EPA to submit a full proposal for this restoration. Partners for Clean Streams would use the funding from the coalition to allow them to hire an experienced consultant to guide us through the process of writing and submitting federal and state permit applications, moving their Great Lakes Restoration Initiative project closer to implementation.

Project Title: Addressing Altered Hydrology in the Western Lake Erie Basin
Applicant: The Nature Conservancy
Priority Area: Western Lake Erie
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
The Western Lake Erie basin faces many water quality and water quantity challenges—from flooded basements in Findlay, Ohio, to algal blooms in Maumee Bay. Coalition funding will compliment assembled grant proposals that focus not only on water quality but also water quantity issues. With the use of a practice called the two-stage ditch, water quality and quantity will improve. The practice will also benefit aquatic habitat. The proposed Great Lakes Restoration Initiative project would construct eight segments of two-staged ditch within the Maumee watershed. This project would reduce the amount of sediment reaching Lake Erie by an estimated 1.2 million pounds per year, as well as reducing nutrients. All reductions will be monitored by the University of Notre Dame. This helps to meet numerous goals established by the Environmental Protection Agency and other groups. The project will also establish and promote this technology in the watershed, and seek to provide additional funding sources for further two-stage ditch construction.

Project Title: Public Outreach & Early Detection of Invasive Species in the Toledo Shipping Channel Area of Western Lake Erie
Applicant: Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association
Priority Area: Western Lake Erie
Award: $15,000
Project Summary:
Toledo Harbor and western Lake Erie has been described as a “canary in the coal mine” for the Great Lakes. It is one of the most biologically productive water habitats in the world—yet as the shallowest, warmest Great Lakes it is highly susceptible to threats. For the Early Detection Invasive Species pilot project, coalition funding will be used to raise public awareness and hands-on participation in invasive species research. Funding will be used to pilot a project to detect invasive species that will lead to a proposal that meets a goal of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to contrast, test, validate, and improve EPA-ORD Early Detection methods developed in Duluth Harbor. Researchers and Waterkeeper volunteers will use ponar grab, trawls, and other methods to collect samples for microscopic and DNA analysis, followed by informative meetings to discuss implications of results for Great Lakes.

Priority Area Implementation Program

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:14:34 +0000

Download this page as a PDF.

Download the grant application Request for Proposal (RFP).

Download the grant application form.
DOC | PDF

In 2009, President Obama and the U.S. Congress approved and funded precedent-setting legislation to restore the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) will invest $475 million in 2010 to restore habitat, clean up toxic sediments, reduce non-point source pollution and prevent and control invasive species.

The Healing Our Waters®-Great Lakes Coalition (HOW) has launched a new Implementation Program to make sure that local groups are equipped to efficiently manage projects under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and to ensure that funding for the GLRI results in effective projects on the ground. Equally critical will be the Coalition’s work to demonstrate the enormous need for the GLRI as the best tool to restore the Lakes and revitalize the regional economy.

The Coalition has identified five priority areas to focus our limited resources for the first year of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. These areas, which were selected based on science, are some of the most degraded in the Great Lakes, but also show vast potential for restoration success. Restoring them will not only create jobs, but most importantly will put in place a missing link in the burgeoning effort to nurse the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem back to health.

Click on an area above or view the How Priority watershed priority map. (PDF | Image)

ST. LOUIS BAY

including the St. Louis River and Beartrap-Nemadji watersheds

PROBLEMS: Historic pollution and habitat destruction made the St. Louis River a Great Lakes Area of Concern. Pollutants from the land, air and water prompted restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption and have caused beach closings; the bay is a hotspot for new aquatic invasive species from ballast water discharges; there are ongoing threats of new contamination within the watershed, particularly from new mining operations; coastal alterations damaged wetlands and other nearshore habitat; several tributaries north of Duluth suffer from abnormally high water temperatures; and excessive nutrients and sediments degrade many streams in the area.

RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES: Improve stream habitat for Coaster brook trout; improve fish habitat and restore coldwater regimes in select streams by removing dams; prevent development in ecologically sensitive areas to protect critical fish and wildlife habitat; and restore wetlands in the St. Louis River and bay.

View the St.. Louis Bay watershed priority map. (PDF | Image)

CHICAGOLAND

including the Little Calumet-Galien, Pike-Root, and Chicago River watersheds

PROBLEMS: High potential for Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species to enter via the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC); significant pollution problems and habitat loss have caused 14 beneficial use impairments — including contaminated sediments, damage to fish and wildlife and degraded plankton populations — in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern and Waukegan Harbor Area of Concern. Bacterial pollution often forces the closure of Lake Michigan beaches in the area and noxious algae blooms contribute to taste and odor problems in drinking water.

RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES: Removing contaminated sediments and reducing ongoing pollution will improve water quality and fish habitat; preventing the introduction of invasive species via the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal would help protect ecosystem integrity in the rivers and the Great Lakes; and restoring nearshore habitat could benefit wildlife and birds, including the federal endangered piping plover, which nests at the nearby Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

View the Chicagoland watershed priority map. (PDF | Image)

WESTERN LAKE ERIE

including the Lower Maumee River watershed and its coastal zone

PROBLEMS: Historic and ongoing pollution from urban and rural areas have caused 10 beneficial use impairments in the Maumee River, including eutrophication, harmful and noxious algae blooms, taste and odor problems in drinking water and restrictions on fish consumption; zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species are hurting fish populations; and the loss of more than 90 percent of coastal wetlands has eliminated significant habitat for fish and wildlife.

RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES: Because the Maumee River and western Lake Erie are important sources of nutrients for the entire lake, reducing excessive nutrient loadings here will have broader benefits; reducing phosphorous runoff from farms could reduce harmful and noxious algae blooms; and restoring wetlands will create habitat for fish and wildlife.

View the Western lake Erie watershed priority map. (PDF | Image)

SAGINAW BAY

including the Saginaw River watershed and the bay’s coastal zone

PROBLEMS: Historic and ongoing chemical and biological pollution have caused significant degradation and 14 beneficial use impairments in the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay, including: deformities in some fish and wildlife; taste and odor problems in drinking water; beach closings and restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption. Blooms of harmful and noxious algae degrade water quality and threaten human health, fish and wildlife; destruction of wetlands has caused extensive habitat loss; and invasive species are widespread, particularly foreign mussels and Phragmites along the shoreline.

RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES: Because Saginaw Bay plays an important role in broader Lake Huron functions, restoring wetlands and nearshore habitat could reap significant dividends for fish and wildlife; reducing nonpoint source pollution from urban and rural areas could slow eutrophication in the bay and reduce the incidence of harmful and noxious algae blooms; and controlling Phragmites, an invasive reed, could help restore native plant communities along the shoreline.

View the Saginaw Bay watershed priority map. (PDF | Image)

EASTERN LAKE ONTARIO

including the Irondequoit-Ninemile watershed

PROBLEMS: Water level regulation has caused unnatural fluctuations that damage coastal plant communities and help invasive species, such as cattails, thrive in coastal wetlands.

RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES: A more natural hydrological scheme for Lake Ontario would help restore damaged wetlands, benefit native plant communities in coastal areas and protect unique dune complexes along eastern Lake Ontario. There is also the potential for increased restoration of native fish species in Sandy Creek and New York’s Ontario Bay.

View the Eastern Lake Ontario watershed priority map. (PDF | Image)

Coalition Targets 5 Great Lakes Restoration Priority Areas

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:31:37 +0000

New Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition program to help local groups participate in federal $475 million restoration initiative

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (April, 6 2010)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today launched a new program to help local conservation partners participate in the federal $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The coalition will be providing $200,000 to help groups jump-start restoration projects in five priority areas—one on each of the Great Lakes.

“Our top priority is to ensure that Great Lakes restoration succeeds,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “After decades of abuse, there is an enormous backlog of work that needs to be done. We’re focusing our work on five priority areas where we believe we can make a difference for the Lakes and the economy.”

Coalition grants to local conservation groups will help provide the tools, capacity and expertise to apply for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds. The federal initiative—enacted by President Obama and the U.S. Congress last year—funds projects to clean up toxic pollution that threatens the health of people and wildlife; prevent and control invasive species that cost the region $200 million per year in damages and control costs; and restore wetlands that help improve water quality and provide the foundation for the region’s outdoor recreation industry.

The coalition will focus its efforts on 5 priority areas:

Lake Superior: St Louis Bay and St. Louis River
Lake Michigan: Chicagoland
Lake Huron: Saginaw Bay
Lake Erie: Western Lake Erie
Lake Ontario: Eastern Lake Ontario

“Based on our resources, the coalition cannot be everywhere, but we want to do our part,” said Jill Ryan, executive director of Freshwater Future and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Our goal is to make sure that restoration projects succeed, so that public officials continue to support solutions to serious problems facing the Lakes, people, businesses and communities. It’s going to take a sustained, multi-year effort to restore the largest freshwater resource in the world. ”

A panel of Great Lakes scientists advised the coalition in its selection of priority areas, recommending sites that were highly degraded, while at the same time holding great promise for being successfully restored.

“These sites represent some of the many areas across the region that suffer from multiple assaults, including invasive species, toxic chemical pollution, habitat loss and polluted run-off,” said Michael Murray, Ph.D., staff scientist for the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office, who convened the panel of science advisors. “The bottom line is that in the end, we are going to have to restore many areas to successfully nurse the Great Lakes back to health. Our list is a staring point, not an end point.”

Many of the science advisors to the coalition helped craft a 2005 paper asserting that the cumulative impact of threats to the Great Lakes were causing the Lakes to lose their natural resiliency. Without a comprehensive effort to confront these threats, the paper concluded, the Great Lakes were in danger of collapse and could face irreversible changes.

The release of that paper, “Prescription for Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection and Restoration: Avoiding the Tipping Point of Irreversible Changes,” helped underscore the urgency behind restoring the Great Lakes—yet in subsequent years, the federal investment in the Lakes’ restoration lagged behind the mounting threats of invasive species, sewage contamination, toxic pollution and habitat destruction.

Even with significant new federal support from President Obama and the U.S. Congress, the need for funding far outweighs what is currently available. Federal agencies recently requested proposals for $144 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds. Nearly 1,400 proposals were submitted, totaling more than $1.1 billion dollars—a demand 7 times more than the supply of existing funds. Many projects will go unfunded.

The coalition is urging the U.S. Congress to maintain funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $475 million, the level of funding approved last year by federal lawmakers.

“Now more than ever, we need to fully fund solutions to these serious threats,” said Skelding. “Reducing funding will hamper our progress. We have a big job ahead of us. Let’s not hold back from what needs to be done. The health of our lakes and our economy depend on swift action by Congress now.”

The Brookings Institution found that every $1 investment in Great Lakes restoration leads to $2 in economic benefit for the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition consists of more than 100 environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos, aquariums and museums representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

For more information, visit: healthylakes.org/implementation-program

For Immediate Release:

April 6, 2010

Contact:

Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, 734-887-7109

Jeff Skelding, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, 410-242-2704

Jill Ryan, Freshwater Future, 231-348-8200

Michael Murray, National Wildlife Federation, 734-887-7110

Implementation Program Offers Hope to Great Lakes Region

tpache — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:22:00 +0000

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is going to help local groups in the Great Lakes region obtain and use funds from the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with a new Implementation Program. The effort will ensure local groups are equipped to manage and complete effective programs with GLRI funds and by so doing, will help ensure sustained support from the federal government to clean up, restore and heal the Great Lakes.

The Implementation Program has chosen five of the most degraded areas in the Great Lakes to focus our efforts with the 2010 round of GLRI funding ($475 million). The areas include:
• Lake Superior: St Louis Bay and St. Louis River
• Lake Michigan: Chicagoland
• Lake Huron: Saginaw Bay
• Lake Erie: Western Lake Erie
• Lake Ontario: Eastern Lake Ontario

The HOW program will be providing $200,000 to help jump-start each of these projects. These priority areas were selected by a panel of Great Lakes scientists because they were in great need yet hold significant promise for success.

“Based on our resources, the coalition cannot be everywhere, but we want to do our part,” said Jill Ryan, executive director of Freshwater Future and co‐chair of the Healing Our Waters‐Great Lakes Coalition. “Our goal is to make sure that restoration projects succeed, so that public officials continue to support solutions to serious problems facing the Lakes, people, businesses and communities. It’s going to take a sustained, multi‐year effort to restore the largest freshwater resource in the world. ”