December 21, 2007

The Department of Environmental Quality and the Great Lakes Commission are pleased to announce the release of the 2008 Grant Application Package for Michigan's Volunteer River, Stream, and Creek Cleanup Program (VRSCCP). A total of $25,000 is available under the program for Fiscal Year 2008 and is provided by the DEQ from fees collected from the sale of the State's Water Quality Protection license plates.

The Michigan VRSCCP provides small grants to local units of government to help implement the cleanup and improvement of Michigan's rivers, streams, and creeks. Local units of government may partner with nonprofit organizations or other volunteer groups to carry out the cleanups. There is a minimum local match requirement of 25 percent of the total project costs.

The application package is available online at the following Web site http://www.glc.org/streamclean/app08.

The application deadline for VRSCCP grants is January 25, 2008. Applications will be reviewed and assessed by the DEQ and the GLC staff, with final decisions anticipated in March 2008.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact John Hummer, GLC, at (734) 971-9135 or jhummer@glc.org; or John Wuycheck, DEQ, at (517) 335-4195 or wuychecj@Michigan.gov.

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised December 21, 2007 by Pat Watson