The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced it will award grants for over $578,000 to fund fish and wildlife restoration projects in the Great Lakes Basin.
The projects are funded under authority of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (Act), which provides assistance to states, tribes and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of native fish and wildlife resources and their habitat in the Great Lakes Basin.
Six projects were selected for funding with Fiscal Year 2007 funds. Grants are being awarded to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority & Michigan State University (sharing one grant), the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (two grants), Ducks Unlimited and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The projects focus on the rehabilitation of sustainable populations of native fish and wildlife and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin, and will be matched by $311,876 in partner contributions.
Project proposals are developed by interested entities and sponsored each year by tribes and states in the Great Lakes in response to a request for proposals from the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Proposal Review Committee, a 24-member body representing states and tribes in the Great Lakes Basin and chaired by the Service, develops recommendations on projects and funding for approval by the Service’s Director.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service’s mission calls on us to work with partners to conserve, protect and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats to benefit the American people,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall. “The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act gives natural resource managers powerful and effective tools to address the complex environmental challenges facing the Great Lakes.”
Passed in 1990 and reauthorized in 1998 and 2006, the Act provides an important vehicle to implement many recommendations in the “Final Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes,” part of President Bush’s 2004 Executive Order 13340. The Order established the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and promotes regional collaboration on Great Lakes issues of national significance.
Under the Act, the Service is authorized to implement fish and wildlife restoration projects and other activities of regional importance in the Great Lakes Basin. Since 1998, 77 restoration projects totaling $7.4 million -- including $4.4 million in Federal funds -- have been implemented. More than 60 organizations have contributed $3 million in matching partner support.
The following projects will be funded with 2007 dollars:
- Strain Composition of Lake Trout at Lake Michigans Mid-Lake Reef Complex—University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ($88,344). This project will identify which lake trout strains are best suited for stocking efforts on deep spawning reefs in Lake Michigan. Restoring self-sustaining native lake trout, an important recreational and commercial species, through stocking and sea lamprey control has been an important focus for the Service, states and tribes in the Great Lakes since the 1960s.
- The Importance of the Larval Stage to Cisco Recruitment Variation in the Great Lakes—Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority & Michigan State University ($223,259). This project will evaluate possible impediments to cisco recruitment in the Great Lakes. Understanding impediments to recruitment will augment development of interagency rehabilitation plans for this important native species.
- Genetic Population Structure of Lake Whitefish in Lake Huron— University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ($49,006). This project will determine the genetic stocks of lake whitefish in Lake Huron. This genetic stock information is required for scientifically sound management to help maintain the diversity of lake whitefish, to set safe harvest levels and ensure a self-sustaining fishery.
- Ashland Wildlife Management Area Grassland Restoration Project—Ducks Unlimited ($56,962). This project will restore 100 acres of high quality grassland habitat in the St. Lawrence Valley in Jefferson County, N.Y. These grasslands are critically important to numerous resident and migratory bird species for nesting and foraging.
- Poor Quality of Spawning Habitat: A Serious Impediment to Cisco Rehabilitation in the Great Lakes—University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ($74,602). This project will evaluate the suitability of cisco spawning habitat in Green Bay to determine whether degraded conditions at this historic spawning area represent a serious impediment to cisco rehabilitation.
- Identifying Potential Lake Trout Spawning Habitat in Lake Erie—Ohio Department of Natural Resources ($85,840). This project will evaluate the utility of new GIS tools and field equipment to verify habitat suitable for lake trout spawning in Lake Erie based on comparisons with environmental characteristics from historic spawning sites.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov
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