A GLRI-backed grant will help preserve forest land on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie. Photo: Derek Jensen
The first Great Lakes Restoration Initiative-backed grants are lining up. Michigan and Ohio announced their plans to use $2.9 million to buy 1,600 acres of Great Lakes coastal wetlands, sand dunes, forests and beaches.
That $2.9 million comes from $4.75 million in GLRI funding funneled through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program. The other $1.8 million will go to Wisconsin for land acquisitions in Houghton Falls and Mashek Creek.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Bete Grise Wetlands Acquisition, Michigan: $1.7 million
- Houghton Falls, Wisconsin: $1.4 million
- Kelleys Island Monagan Road Preserve, Ohio: $476,750
- Mashek Creek Acquisition, Wisconsin: $398,000
- Lake Erie Bluff Preservation Project, Ohio: $732,600
The grants require a 1:1 state match.