Michigan: DNR Announces Recipient of Habitat Grants

Fourteen habitat restoration projects totaling more than $2 million will be funded by several Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant programs in 2018. Nonprofit organizations, government agencies and private citizens submitted a total of 41 applications requesting more than $7.72 million in funding to complete priority habitat projects in their areas. These projects were submitted, evaluated and awarded through three grant processes.

The Aquatic Habitat Grant Program seeks to protect and restore fish and aquatic habitats; the Dam Management Grant Program focuses on dam removal, maintenance and repair; and the Habitat Improvement Account provides funding for habitat projects in the Manistee, Muskegon and Au Sable rivers’ watersheds.

“These projects continue our investment in habitats to sustain healthy fisheries for generations to come,” said Joe Nohner, a DNR fisheries biologist. “We’re excited to award these grants and work with the recipients to improve upon Michigan’s already world-class fisheries.”

This year’s grant recipients (applicant, project name, county and grant amount) include:

Aquatic Habitat Grant Recipients

  • Huron Pines, Brook Trout Habitat Restoration: Improving Regional Priority Road/Stream Crossings (Ogemaw and Presque Isle), $110,000
  • DNR Fisheries Division, Manistique Dam Center Flume Wall Removal (Schoolcraft), $362,650
  • Conservation Resource Alliance, Reconnecting the North Branch of the Platte River (Benzie), $100,000
  • Golden Lotus, Inc., Pigeon River Restoration at Song of the Morning Ranch (Otsego), $301,850
  • Ottawa County Parks, Grand River Shoreline Restoration & Bayou Connectivity Project at Riverside Park (Ottawa), $88,000
  • Clinton River Watershed Council, Clinton River Restoration at Yates (Oakland), $287,500
  • TOTAL: $1,250,000

Dam Management Grant Recipients

  • DNR Wildlife Division, Trowbridge Dam Removal – Kalamazoo River (Allegan), $52,000
  • Conservation Resource Alliance, Lake Kathleen Dam Removal – Maple River (Emmet), $125,000
  • Gladwin County Road Commission, Heil Dam Removal – Black Creek (Gladwin), $65,000
  • Friends of the Shiawassee River, Shiatown Dam Removal – Shiawassee River (Shiawassee), $108,000
  • TOTAL: $350,000

Habitat Improvement Account Recipients

  • Huron Pines, Au Sable – Small Dam Removal and Culvert Replacement (Alcona and Oscoda), $147,906
  • Trout Unlimited, Bank and Access Repair Below Tippy Dam (Manistee), $185,043
  • DNR Fisheries Division, Walleye Pond Improvements (Muskegon), $46,944
  • Upper Manistee, Habitat Improvement and Erosion Control (Kalkaska), $88,070
  • TOTAL: $467,963

The Aquatic Habitat Grant Program is funded by revenues from fishing and hunting license fees. The Dam Management Grant Program is funded by General Fund dollars appropriated by the Legislature. The Habitat Improvement Account is funded by Consumers Energy as part of a major settlement agreement that relicensed the company’s hydropower projects on the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon rivers.

Learn more about these programs and other grant opportunities on the DNR website at michigan.gov/dnrgrants.


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