Natural Resources Trust Fund awards Leelanau grants

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a list of projects recommended for funding by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund board. Included on the list of projects are a couple of area ones:

The DNR (Leelanau State Park) was recommended to receive $2 million to acquire a conservation and access easement of 42 acres and 640 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline to ensure the protection of essential bird migratory stopover habitat in Leelanau County. Empire was recommended to receive $356,600 to develop restrooms, an entrance road, parking area, beach wall, signage, boardwalks, fishing piers and other amenities at Lake Michigan Beach Park.

In the “nearby” category is a $2,675,000 acquisition of the CMS Arcadia/Green Point Dunes Conservation Easement (Benzie County) that will allow public access to 1,850 acres on Lake Michigan, 2.4 miles of coastline and 280 acres of critical dunes. This is the third phase of a three-phase project.

View the complete list from the DNR and learn more about the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund from the Red Tape blog at MSU. Also check out Celebrating the news in the Leelanau Enterprise.

Photo credit: Empire Beach by Heidi