U.P. communities to share in major DNR grant

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that 10 community parks and recreation facilities across the state will share $695,500 in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants. The federal LWCF program, administered in Michigan by the DNR, supports cities, counties and townships in their efforts to provide better public outdoor recreation opportunities for their residents.

The LWCF grants have been awarded to:

City of Auburn (Bay County)
Portsmouth Charter Township (Bay County)
New Buffalo Township (Berrien County)
Village of Beulah (Benzie County)
City of Ironwood (Gogebic County)
Davison Township (Genesee County)
City of Manistee (Manistee County)
City of Marquette (Marquette County)
Sands Township (Marquette County)
City of Negaunee (Marquette County)
The full list of award recipients, grant amounts and descriptions of their projects are available at www.michigan.gov/dnr-grants; click on Land and Water Conservation Fund.

“The DNR is proud to partner with these communities by providing grants for these excellent projects,” said Steve DeBrabander, DNR Grants Management section supervisor. “Public outdoor recreation promotes healthy lifestyles and helps these communities create a sense of place.”

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a federal program administered in Michigan by the Department of Natural Resources on behalf of the National Park Service (NPS). The DNR uses LWCF funding to help develop public outdoor recreation facilities and to provide matching grants for local governments to do the same. The LWCF is supported by revenues from federal gas and oil development from the outer continental shelf. Following congressional appropriation, LWCF monies are apportioned to the states by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior each fiscal year in accordance with the apportionment formula contained in the LWCF Act.

Application materials for future Land and Water Conservation Fund grants will soon be available at www.michigan.gov/dnr-grants, by calling 517-373-9125, or by writing to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Grants Management, P.O. Box 30425, Lansing, MI 48909-7925.