GLFT Grant Library

The goal of the project was to develop students as citizen stewards able to understand and promote healthy ecological and social systems affecting the Great Lakes basin and their communities through community-based learning projects. This was accomplished by bringing schools and community partners together.

The GLFT provided funding to the HeadWaters Land Conservancy (HWLC) to identify priority parcels for conservation within the Au Sable watershed and support landowner outreach efforts leading to new conservation easements. Through the GLFT’s support, the HWLC placed easements on seven properties representing 507 acres of land and 15,896 feet of waterfront.

Using genetic and age composition data, Michigan State University's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife developed new methods for identifying stock and cohort contribution to admixed, open-water fisheries. This innovation improves the ability to evaluate stock-specific recruitment from routine assessment or harvest data. The usefulness and performance of this new method were demonstrated with simulations and applications to Great Lakes stocks of lake sturgeon, lake trout, and walleye, which range in longevity, aging uncertainty and geographic scale of movements.

Thiamine Deficiency Complex (TDC), caused by thiaminase in the diet, adversely affects reproduction in Great Lakes lake trout, resulting in fry mortality. Thiaminase in prey may come from thiaminase-producing bacteria or may be produced de novo by the fish themselves. Preliminary data indicate that thiaminase-producing bacteria Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus are undetectable in some alewife with high thiaminase activity. Oregon State University used genetic and biochemical approaches to determine if alewife produce thiaminase de novo.

This study encompassed molecular, histological, and microbiological analyses of preserved Diporeia collected from the Great Lakes over three decades. Microorganisms and parasites will be identified and quantified. Quantitative analysis was combined the results obtained on disease status and prevailing environmental conditions during sampling in a system of analysis. The study helped developed a better understanding to the mechanism(s) that led to Diporeia decline in the Laurentian Great Lakes.

Despite agency actions (regulations, outreach programs) in Ontario and Michigan to halt the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) and viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in the Great Lakes basin, live baitfish are thought to be a growing vector for these problems. Mail surveys of anglers and bait industry individuals were used to learn why live baitfish continue to be illegally dumped in the basin's waters despite management efforts to stop this practice. Results are being used to strengthen management programs.

This grant money was used for the transfer of the Calhoun County conservation easement.

The Nature Conservancy received funding from the GLFT to support fee acquisition of 179 acres, including 2,750 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline, along the garden peninsula. The acquisition represents Phase III of a four-phase, multi-partner effort to protect 1,153 acres of coastal wetland and adjoining upland habitat.

Large scale mortality of fish due to Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) has resulted in an urgent need to contain the pathogen and inhibit its rapid spread to all Great Lakes and inland waters. This project’s goal was to promote development of an effective chemical delivery system to treat ballast water, which helps stop the spread of this pathogen and help prevent the introduction of new invasive species and fish diseases to the Great Lakes.

The 2007 Consent Decree, signed by five tribal nations, the State of Michigan and the United States, recognized tribal rights for hunting, fishing, and gathering within the inland portion of the 1836 Treaty of Washington ceded territory. Tribal rights for the Great Lakes had been established prior to this agreement, which contained similarities and differences in institutional structure. The 2007 Inland Decree recognized the tribes may need to conduct biological assessments and restoration—as well as reclamation and enhancement activities—and specific provisions were developed recognizing this need.

When the 2007 Consent Decree was signed, and since that time, leaders of the respective agencies  recognized that an opportunity existed to collaborate to achieve outcomes that would protect the fishery resource within the treaty area in a mutually beneficial manner. Grant funding from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust  enabled the project team to work with the respective agencies to develop strategies for collaboration on assessment and restoration activities.

This grant was funded under the GLFT's Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI). Its supported a planning process for a GLSI hub to serve the Grand River Watershed in Kent County. The process resulted in an implementation plan for the hub, which was successfully submitted to the GLFT for funding.

This grant was funded under the GLFT's Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI). It was jointly supported by the C.S. Mott Foundation and the GLFT, funded a planning process to create a GLSI hub focused on Flint, the Flint River (in the Saginaw Bay Watershed), and selected schools in region. Partners in planning included the Genesee County Land Bank, the Michigan Nature Association, and Flint Community Schools. The planning process involved an assessment of school and community readiness (when additional planners will be identified and recruited), developing a vision for a sustainable effort, and crafting an implementation plan. The plan was approved and funded by the GLFT.

This grant was funded under the GLFT's Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI). It supported a planning process for a GLSI hub to serve the Saginaw Bay area. The process resulted in an implementation plan/proposal for the hub, which was submitted to the GLFT for funding. While the planning process resulted in stronger partnerships amoung educators and community organizations, it was not funded by the GLFT.

This grant was funded under the GLFT's Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI). It builds on a capacity-building grant provided earlier by the GLFT. The grant funded a planning process for a GLSI hub to serve six counties in northeastern lower Michigan. The process resulted in an implementation plan for the hub, which was successfully submitted to the GLFT for funding.

This grant was funded under the GLFT's Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI). It supported a planning process for a GLSI hub in Traverse City that would serve the Grand Traverse region and Manistee. The process resulted in an implementation plan for the hub.

The Michigan Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Initiative is a joint project between Lt. Governor John Cherry, the Office of the Great Lakes and Michigan United Conservation Clubs. The purpose of this effort is to develop a Michigan Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Plan. A Framework for the plan has been developed that examines Michigan’s Great Lakes Protection and Restoration needs by utilizing the same focus areas of the Great Lakes Regional Collaborative, e.g. habitat, invasive species, coastal health, sustainable development, indicators, nonpoint source, toxic pollutants and areas of concern. This Framework has been shared widely and been reshaped into a series of conference calls. Next the Framework will be taken to eight regional meetings to garner stakeholders’ comments and concerns and to discuss their interest and concern for managing the Great Lakes to foster prosperity for Michigan’s economic future. These eight meetings will focus on regional interests and will examine watershed restoration efforts as the foundation for Great Lakes restoration. A final report is expected to be released by the first of the year. This grant will be used to offset the cost of the regional meetings and travel for key participants, and fund an economic analysis to reframe the report.

This project's purpose is to contribute towards the North American Benthological Society's 57th Annual Meeting to be held in Grand Rapids in 2009.

This project provides enhanced shoreline fishing access on Pentwater Lake, a tributary to Lake Michigan. The construction of a fishing pier facility provides increased opportunities to fish for migrating Great Lakes species. Pentwater is a known destination for fishing, but the opportunity for shoreline fishing in the area is limited. The new fishing pier is the only designated facility in Oceana County for Great Lakes fishing for children and individuals requiring ADA access.    

New and updated fishing access was built on the shores of Lake Macatawa, near Lake Michigan. The new facilities include fishing decks, fishing piers, and informational signage, as well as connecting walkways, boardwalk, and parking. 

A fish cleaning station was constructed on Lake Macatawa, which is connected to Lake Michigan. 

The City of Muskegon Heights  requested a grant from GLFT to construct a fishing pier, boardwalk, bathrooms with small setting plaza, walkways and native plantings. Mona Lake is a contributary of Lake Michigan and is the only source of lakefront recreation for 12,000, low to moderate income residents of Muskegon Heights. This project was part of the renovation of Mona Lake Park. The project is sustainable and meets LEED certification requirements.

The 10th Street Fishing Pier located along the East bank of Harbor Point was constructed with MNRTF, CMI, and local matching funds. Phase I of the Gladstone Harbor Point Project was the next step in an aggressive plan to revitalize Van Cleve Park and the Gladstone Municipal Harbor. The project included construction of a public restroom, fish cleaning station, paved parking lot, connecting walkways to the fishing pier, navigation light station refurbishment, shoreline erosion protection, and site restoration.

The proejct removed a wooden box structure running the width of the river, a wooden retaining wall at each end of the strucuture, an adjacent generator shed and underground wiring, and fencing around the area. Banks and other areas of the site were restored. Removal of the barrier reconnected the lower two miles of stream with the upper 21 miles of river.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition which administers the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives public awareness campaign was launched with the generous support of the Wege Foundation and Peter Wege, a Michigan philanthropist and former CEO of Steelcase Inc. Since its inception in 1968, the Wege Foundation has supported a number of causes, including the environment, education, health care and community development.

The focus of the symposium was on habitat restoration in urban areas. The urban nearshore zone, with over 17,000 kilometers, is heavily stressed by habitat alterations associated with increasing populations, heavy industry, commercial navigation, and pollution. Despite the immense importance of the nearshore region and the major economic return it provides, scientists and policymakers know very little about how and why problems emerge or how to mitigate them. Moreover, while significant funding is available for restoring urban nearshore and riverine areas, the knowledge of how do to so—and the ultimate affect of restoration efforts—was less developed than it should be. Through this symposium, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission shared technical knowledge, coordinated these existing efforts to maximize the effectiveness of work being done, and improved attendees’ ability to define what comprises a successful urban restoration project.