The Superior Watershed Partnership received a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant in the amount of $216,395 from the USDA Forest Service for an Upper Peninsula project titled; The Northern Tribal and Community Green Infrastructure Collaborative. Project partners include the Hannahville Indian Community, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and the City of Ishpeming.
The Great Lakes Climate Corps (GLCC) and project partners will implement three green infrastructure projects that include planting over 5,800 climate-adaptive native trees and over 600 native shrubs at prioritized sites with an estimated reduction of over 700,000 gallons of untreated stormwater runoff annually. Other benefits of green infrastructure projects include erosion control, reducing nutrient loading and improving habitat conditions for wildlife and important pollinator species. The three projects will benefit the waters of Lake Superior (KBIC, Ishpeming) and Lake Michigan (Hannahville).
Capturing untreated stormwater runoff at these priority locations targets pollutants that can enter the Great Lakes as a result of increased development pressures, climate change impacts and unprecedented tourism. Specifically, green infrastructure projects mitigate sediment, algae blooms, nitrates, and phosphorus pollutants impacting Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. This collaborative effort utilizes the Great Lakes Climate Corps (GLCC), community partners, and local volunteers for on-the-ground implementation, education, and outreach.
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