EPA announces grant to restore habitat in Indiana’s Grand Calumet River Area of Concern
Indiana Department of Natural Resources receives a $100,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant
For Immediate Release: No. 19-OPA126
INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 10, 2019) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a recently-awarded Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant to Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The $100,000 grant will be used to design a project to restore habitat in the Pine Station Nature Preserve in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern on Lake Michigan.
“Through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and our partners, including the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, are working collaboratively to solve the complex environmental challenges facing the Great Lakes,” said EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager and Regional Administrator Cathy Stepp. “With this grant, EPA is reaffirming its commitment to protecting and restoring Lake Michigan so it can continue to be a source of vitality for generations to come.”
This GLRI grant is part of a larger effort to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Last month, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced GLRI Action Plan III, an aggressive plan that will guide Great Lakes restoration and protection activities by EPA and its many partners over the next 5 years.
“This grant is important because it will help us protect an incredibly diverse array of plants and animals, including more than 40 species that are considered endangered, threatened or rare,” said Ronald Hellmich, director of Nature Preserves for the Indiana DNR. “Beyond that, this nature preserve is also near the highest concentration of endangered species anywhere in Indiana.”
IDNR will implement this project to support the GLRI goal of protecting and restoring the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin. The restoration work will reduce invasive species populations, improve habitat quality, and contribute to the removal of the fish and wildlife habitat beneficial use impairment.
For more information on GLRI, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-funding/great-lakes-restoration-initiative-glri.
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