GLIN==> Grants for Volunteer Stream Monitoring in Michigan Now Available under the Michigan Clean Water Corps Program

The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) is pleased to announce the release of two grant opportunities for volunteer stream monitoring in Michigan: the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program and the new Volunteer Stream Monitoring Start-Up Grant Program.

Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program
Application deadline: December 4, 2006.
http://www.micorps.net/app/gap07

The Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program (VSMPG) provides grants for water quality monitoring in wadable streams and rivers. The monitoring primarily includes an evaluation of benthic invertebrate communities and stream habitat. The grants may be used to fund a local monitoring coordinator and/or purchase water quality monitoring supplies. Local units of government and nonprofit entities are eligible to receive grant funding.

This year $50,000 is available to fund organizations that seek to develop community-based volunteer programs to monitor macroinvertebrates and habitat characteristics. The Grant Application Package, which includes grant information and application instructions, is available online at: http://www.micorps.net/app/gap07.

Volunteer Stream Monitoring Start-Up Grant Program
Application deadline: December 4, 2006.
http://www.micorps.net/app/startup07

MiCorps has set aside a portion of the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant funds as “seed money” for newly forming volunteer monitoring groups. These start-up funds will serve two purposes: 1) provide funding and support to assist start-up groups in designing a monitoring strategy for their community; and 2) help groups develop a full proposal for the 2008 Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program (VSMGP).

Start-up grant recipients will have access to MiCorps resources and training and can use the start-up money to conduct research on a monitoring project and strategy. Interested individuals and small groups are encouraged to apply, but applications must come from a local unit of government or a nonprofit organization as the fiduciary agent to be eligible to receive grant funding.

Up to $10,000 will be available for start-up grants, with multiple grants expected in the $1,000 to $3,000 range. If you are interested in applying for the Start-Up Grant Program, please visit the grant web page at: http://www.micorps.net/app/startup07.

If you have questions about either grant program, MiCorps staff are available to answer questions via phone [Ric Lawson at 734-769- 5123, X13] or the MiCorps listserv at http://www.micorps.net/listserv.html. We will also schedule a conference call to answer questions about the grant programs and associated application process in early November.

The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) was created through an executive order by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm to assist the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. For more information on MiCorps programs and services, visit the MiCorps website at http://www.micorps.net/index.html.