Grants To Fight Invasive Species

woods6-14
woods6-14

Two grants totaling $113,000 have been announced for agencies in southwest Michigan to fight against the spread of invasive species. Michigan Department of Natural Resources invasive species communications coordinator Joanne Foreman tells us the southwest corner of the state is viewed as key to preventing non-native species.

“They are really taking that idea of the gateway to Michigan and using that to address a lot of the recreational tourists and visitors, and even those who are just visiting from in-state in Michigan for the many campgrounds and the many water resources in the area,” Foreman said.

Announced on Wednesday was a grant of $53,000 for the Van Buren Conservation District for an outreach campaign to help boaters, campers, and others understand how to avoid bringing invasives into the state. The other grant is $60,000 for the Southwest by Southwest Corner CISMA to continue its efforts to identify and respond to invasive species issues. In total, the DNR announced $3.6 million in invasive species grants statewide this week.