Contacts
Rachel F.
Levin, 612-713-5311
The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service today announced grants totaling $567,008 to fund fish
and wildlife restoration projects in the Great Lakes basin. The projects
will be funded under authority of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration
Act of 1998, which provides assistance to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission,
states, tribes and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation,
restoration and management of fish and wildlife resources and their habitat
in the Great Lakes basin.
Project funds
will go to Michigan State University, the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources, Northern Illinois University, the University of Michigan and the
Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The seven approved projects focus primarily
on the rehabilitation of sustainable populations of fish and other aquatic
species, and include the study of various aspects of their reproduction,
distribution, movement, diet and habitat use within the Great Lakes ecosystem.
For example,
one project will investigate the responses of lake trout and Chinook salmon
to unprecedented declines in major prey fish abundance in Lake Huron; another
will use stream-side rearing facilities to restore lake sturgeon in the Manitowoc
River, a tributary of Lake Michigan; another will examine demographic responses
of the threatened Lake Erie watersnake to the presence of invasive round
gobies; and another will identify potential pheromones important for lake
trout restoration.
Project proposals
are developed and sponsored each year by tribes and states in the Great Lakes
in response to a request for proposals from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission
and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Council of Lake Committees, a 21-member
body representing state, tribal and Canadian provincial agencies, recommends
proposals for funding to the Director of the Service.
The Service
contributes up to 75 percent of the cost of the projects, with matching funds
this year coming from Michigan State University, the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources, Northern Illinois University, the University of Michigan
and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
“ The
Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act is an important tool for restoring
fish and wildlife populations and their habitat within the Great Lakes basin,” said
Gerry Jackson, Assistant Regional Director for Fisheries for the Fish and
Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region. “The act provides
essential resources for working with others to address some of the complex
restoration challenges that we face.”
When it was
passed, the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act authorized $4.5
million annually for state and tribal grants through 2004. Funds to continue
activities under the act have been provided in 2005, and the act is currently
being considered for reauthorization. Since 1998, 65 restoration projects
totaling close to $6 million, including $3.3 million in federal funds, have
been implemented. More than 60 organizations have contributed matching funds
and expertise.
Projects have
focused on rehabilitation of fishery resources and aquatic habitat to benefit
species such as lake trout, walleye, yellow perch, brook trout, lake sturgeon
and freshwater mussels. One of the most important outcomes of funded projects
has been the development of state-of-the-art geographic information systems
that will eventually cover the entire Great Lakes basin and allow agencies
to better prioritize and focus restoration activities.
The Great
Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act has been key in building partnerships
among state, federal, tribal and provincial agencies for cooperative conservation,
enhancement and restoration of Great Lakes fish and wildlife resources and
their habitat. It has fueled existing resource management partnerships coordinated
through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and opened up new possibilities
for international coordination.
Project and
funds recipients for 2005 are:
-
Responses
of lake trout and Chinook salmon to unprecedented declines in major prey
fish abundance in Lake Huron—Michigan State University
-
Lake
sturgeon rehabilitation using stream-side rearing facilities in Manitowoc
River, a tributary of Lake Michigan—Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources
-
Models
of lake herring population dynamics in Lake Superior: implications for
restoration in the lower Great Lakes—Michigan State University
-
Lake Erie
watersnake recovery plan implementation: demographic responses to invasive
round gobies—Northern Illinois University
-
Development
of a GIS for Great Lakes aquatic habitat: Lakes Superior and Ontario—University
of Michigan
-
Identification
of potential pheromones important for lake trout reproduction—Michigan
State University
-
Quality
assurance of proposal development and peer review process—Great
Lakes Fishery Commission
Since 1871,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries Program has played a vital role
in conserving and managing native fish and other aquatic resources. The Fisheries
Program focuses its efforts on achieving its long-term strategic vision of
protecting the health of aquatic habitats, restoring fish and other aquatic
species, and providing opportunities for the American public to enjoy the
benefits of healthy aquatic resources. For more information about the Fisheries
Program, go to http://fisheries.fws.gov
The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving,
protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for
the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre
National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife
refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.
It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management
offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal
wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory
bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and
restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments
with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance
program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes
on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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