Financial Boost for Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program

The Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program recently received $2.5 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide technical and financial support to coastal communities and to improve the administration of existing shoreline statutes.

The Coastal Zone Management Program, or CZM, is housed in DEQ’s Office of the Great Lakes, which matched the federal dollars 1-to-1.

The program’s goal is to protect and preserve critical coastal habitats, enhance public access to the Great Lakes, revitalize urban waterfronts, protect water quality, improve dangerous currents forecasting and messaging, increase coastal communities’ resiliency to climate change, implement a statewide Adopt-A-Beach Program, protect Great Lakes underwater antiquities, and support state shoreline regulatory compliance assistance activities.

Using the federal dollars, the CZM Program will provide 14 coastal grants totaling $676,841 to the following entities:

• Department of Natural Resources’ Parks and Recreation Division – $135,000;

• Emmet County – $90,000;

• Michigan State University – $75,000;

• Noble Odyssey Foundation – $66,820;

• Arenac County Parks and Recreation – $60,000;

• Michigan Association of Planning – $50,035;

• Ottawa County – $35,000;

• Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Planning and Development – $33,250;

• Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council – $32,631;

• Keweenaw Land Trust – $25,525;

• Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy – $21,080;

• Huron County Road Commission – $20,000;

• Van Buren County – $20,000;

• Macomb County’s Department of Planning and Economic Development – $12,500.

“It is essential to support local stewardship activities that promote healthy, functioning systems and human use as well as protect our coast and Great Lakes resources,” said Office of the Great Lakes Director Jon W. Allan. “The CZM Program provides strong leadership for our coastal resources by fostering environmental stewardship, encouraging innovative methods for understanding and communicating coastal challenges, and serving as partners in economic development.”

[mappress]

Press Release, August 5, 2014