The Great Lakes Protection Fund is pleased to announce grant awards totaling $1,272,000 made to project teams working to improve the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

At its September, 2012 meeting, the Board of Directors awarded two grants that further the Fund’s mission to identify, demonstrate, and promote regional action to enhance the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Applying Water Stewardship Tools in the Great Lakes Basin
A grant of up to $449,000 was awarded to a team (comprised of 8 organizations) let by the Council of Great Lakes Industries to create, through pilot testing, a new water stewardship toolkit specific to the Great Lakes region, that will prevent or reduce ecosystem impacts from water use, and be compatible with industry needs.

This award furthers the Great Lakes Governors’ priority to ensure the sustainable use of our water resources while confirming that the States retain authority over water use and diversions of Great Lakes waters.

Automated Ballast Treatment Verification Project
A grant of up to $823,000 was awarded to a team (comprised of 8 organizations) led by Wayne State University to develop, test, and implement an automated shipboard sampling system that will enable real-time verification of the efficacy of ballast water treatment systems and reduce the likelihood of new invasive  species entering the Great Lakes.

This award furthers the Great Lakes Governors’ priority to stop the introduction and spread of non-native aquatic invasive species.

To read more about these awards and our active portfolio of projects, please visit the Funded Projects section of glpf.org.