Project Title: Integrating Science, Public Engagement and Innovative Technology for Solving the Plastics Crisis

Amount: $333,790

Project Period: September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2027

Grantee: Michigan State University

Project Lead: Dr. Joan Rose

Project Description: This grant will provide funding to Michigan State University to characterize the plastic waste in the Grand River, model the hydrology and hydrodynamics of the Grand River, evaluate the potential ecological impacts should a bubble barrier technology be installed, conduct public attitude surveys, and install public art and develop informal environmental learning materials to engage communities in conversations about healthy rivers, place relationships, and stewardship. The project will also investigate the social, ecological, and hydrological conditions of the Grand River. The research team includes MSU’s Water Alliance and Grand Valley State University.

Project Title: Michigan Maritime Strategy

Amount: $256,738

Project Period: October 1, 2024 – January 31, 2026

Grantee: University of Michigan

Project Lead: Dr. Thomas McKenney

Project Description: The University of Michigan team led by Principal Investigator Dr. Thomas McKenney will engage state, local, and federal agencies; tribal governments; port authorities; terminal operators; ship owners; recreational boaters; marina operators; harbor communities; tourism organizations; community organizations; and other stakeholders to develop the Michigan Maritime Strategy. The strategy will advance greening, electrification, decarbonization, equity and Environmental Justice, infrastructure, and sustainability of Michigan’s maritime sector while ensuring the efficient movement of goods. The project will contribute toward Michigan’s goals under the MI Healthy Climate Plan. The project will also advance goals and priorities of other state and regional strategies.

Strategic Planning and Communications Support for Ox Creek Restoration Project, University of Michigan – Michigan Sea Grant

Project Title: Strategic Planning and Communications Support for Ox Creek Restoration Project

Amount: $79,990

Project Period: November 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025

Grantee: University of Michigan - Michigan Sea Grant 

Project Lead: Dr. Michael Shriberg

Project Description: Michigan Sea Grant supported the Ox Creek Collaborative Partnership in the development and implementation of the Ox Creek Restoration and Revitalization Strategic Plan. The Ox Creek Collaborative Partnership was formed by city of Benton Harbor leaders and local, county, regional, academic, state, and federal partners – including the OGL, the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, and the University of Michigan to support efforts to revitalize and restore the creek in the city and township. The Partnership is a new model that supports and advances the city’s vision for a vibrant, healthy Ox Creek corridor with biking/walking trails and bridges, commercial development, housing opportunities, and more. This project also advances several of Michigan’s priority objectives, including protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, creating vibrant communities, addressing Environmental Justice and equity, and promoting water stewardship.

The Ox Creek Restoration and Revitalization Strategic Plan provides a high-level overview of the vision, goals, and objectives and strategies for long-term funding, capacity building and governance, and stewardship of the corridor that will support and institutionalize existing and planned projects. Michigan Sea Grant served on the steering committee for the strategic planning process, participated in strategic planning meetings, and gathered input and feedback from stakeholders to develop content for a high-level strategic plan document for review, input, and finalization by project team members. In addition, Michigan Sea Grant facilitated follow-up meetings to invite and obtain feedback from stakeholders and the project team on the draft plan and review and incorporated comments into a final plan. Michigan Sea Grant will also provided communications support to the larger Ox Creek Restoration and Revitalization project.

Innovation in Water Conservation Best Management Practices

Project Title: Innovation in Water Conservation Best Management Practices

Amount: total of $89,648, 50% funded by the MGLPF and 50% by federal funds

Project Period: March 1, 2024 – August 30, 2025

Grantee: Alliance for Water Efficiency

Project Lead: Ron Burke, CEO, Alliance for Water Efficiency

Final Reports:

• Innovation in Water Conservation Best Practices - Analytical Report
• Innovation in Water Conservation Best Practices - Narrative Report

Project Description: The team led by the Alliance for Water Efficiency engaged Michigan water sectors, identified innovations and technological advancements in water conservation best practices and presented findings to water sectors and the Water Use Advisory Council.

This research project focused on innovation and technological advancements in water sector water conservation best management practices (BMP) and their impacts within the business and industry sectors in other Great Lakes states and provinces and other innovative jurisdictions. In addition, the project summarized findings that will advance Michigan water sectors’ water conservation best management practices (BMPs) to help contribute to Michigan’s water conservation and efficiency program goals as well as contribute toward achieving Michigan’s climate and carbon neutrality goals. The overall project can be used to inform the State of Michigan Water Use Program and Michigan’s Water Conservation and Efficiency Program and advance progress toward achieving Michigan’s water conservation and efficiency goals and objectives established under the Great Lakes Compact.

Tools and Tactics for Sustainable Small Harbors – Phase II

Amount: $175,000 comprised of $50,000 from the Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund and $125,000 from Michigan Sea Grant’s NOAA funding

End date: January 31, 2024

Grantee: Michigan Sea Grant

Project Leads: Dr. Donald Carpenter, Drummond Carpenter, and Dr. Michael Shriberg, Michigan Sea Grant

Project Description: The project team led by Michigan Sea Grant expanded and further disseminated the Sustainable Small Harbors Tools and Tactics Guidebook, originally funded by the Office of the Great Lakes (OGL), to provide a toolkit of best practices, resources, and funding opportunities to support small harbor planning. The Guidebook was updated to include updated information and resources to support decision-making by small harbor communities, including strategies related to fluctuating water levels, decarbonization, changing economic activity, and state and federal funding and programs. The Guidebook was updated to consider how issues related to Environmental Justice may affect policy implementation, and how to address them.

Development of a Tribal-State Collaborative Stewardship Plan for Manoomin (Wild Rice) in Michigan, University of Michigan – Water Center

Project Title: Development of a Tribal-State Collaborative Stewardship Plan for Manoomin (Wild Rice) in Michigan

Amount: $100,000

Project Period: March 1, 2022 - June 30, 2024

Grantee: University of Michigan

Project Lead: Dr. Jennifer Read, director, University of Michigan - Water Center

Project Description: The University of Michigan's Water Center supported the Tribal-State of Michigan Wild Rice Initiative (MWRI) in the development of a Tribal-State Collaborative Stewardship Plan for Manoomin (Wild Rice) in Michigan to help protect wild rice, one of the state's most culturally and ecologically significant native plants.

Michigan's wild rice, Zizania palustris and Zizania aquatica, is native to the Great Lakes region and portions of Canada. Found in shallow waters of inland lakes, slow-flowing streams, and Great Lakes embayments, wild rice has ecological, social, cultural and economic value in the state, specifically and most particularly for Anishinaabe communities in the region, who know the plant as manoomin or mnomen. Once plentiful in places like northern Michigan, wild rice is under threat from climate change, habitat loss, uninformed harvesting practices, degraded water quality and other factors.

The project advanced a priority recommendation in the 2016 Michigan Water Strategy for the state to work with federally recognized tribes and other stakeholders with an interest in preserving and enhancing wild rice resources across the state.

The stewardship plan will lead to more coordinated research, protection and restoration of wild rice in Michigan and facilitate collaboration among tribal and state agencies, where appropriate.

From Students to Stewards: Fostering Great Lakes Literacy to Improve School Performance

Amount: $189,025, comprised of $50,000 from the Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund and $139,025 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, both for phase 2

End Date: September 30, 2023

Grantee: Grand Valley State University

Project Lead: Larry Wyn

Project Description: The State of Michigan launched the From Students to Stewards Initiative (FS2S) in 2019 to address a recommendation in the Michigan Water Strategy to grow future water stewards, leaders, and decision-makers in Michigan. The FS2S Initiative is a collaborative effort by several state-level partners: The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's Office of the Great Lakes, fostering Great Lakes literacy and stewardship; the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), through its focus on talent and workforce development and the priorities of the governor's MiSTEM Advisory Council; the statewide MiSTEM Network, through its interest in authentic STEM-rich instruction; and the Michigan Department of Education, through elements of its Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process.The FS2S initiative worked towards improving school performance by integrating place-based Great Lakes literacy principles into school curricula through continuous school improvement plans. FS2S worked to make progress toward closing the water literacy gap in Michigan and growing the next generation of water stewards, leaders, skilled workers, and decision-makers needed to solve complex water issues in a changing world. Simultaneously, the project demonstrated how using Great Lakes-focused, place-based, authentic educational opportunities grounded in the whole child model can improve student performance, boost teacher morale, strengthen schools' continuous improvement processes, and increase student exposure to water resource-related careers.

The project started as a pilot in Phase 1 and continued through an expansion in phase 2. An initial $50,000 grant was awarded in 2019 to support the Phase 1 pilot field testing grant opportunity for schools and districts.

Smart Ships Coalition and Marine Autonomy Research Site (MARS) Development Phase 2

Amount: $99,997

End date: May 31, 2023

Grantee: Michigan Technological University

Project Lead: Travis White

Project Description: The Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund (MGLPF) supported the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) at Michigan Technological University (MTU) to continue efforts to advance the Great Lakes region as a hub for marine technology, industry, trade, and education and to support implementation of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers Regional Maritime Strategy. MTU now continues coordinating multi-sector partners through the ongoing development and administration of the Smart Ships Coalition (SSC) and oversees the operation of the Marine Autonomy Research Site (MARS), a marine technology and autonomous vehicle test bed facility located on Lake Superior near MTU's main campus.

The MGLPF provided funding for Phase 1 to MTU to establish the SSC and the MARS test bed in 2018.

Institutional Controls for Groundwater Management: Long-term Costs and Their Impact for Policy

Amount: $349,808

Project Period: July 1, 2021-February 29, 2024

Grantee: Michigan State University

Project Leads: Jeremiah Asher, assistant director, Michigan State University Institute of Water Research

Final Report: Institutional Controls for Groundwater Management: Long-term Costs and Their Impact for Policy

Project Description: The Institute of Water Research (IWR) at Michigan State University (MSU) studied the long-term costs of implementing institutional controls (IC) as a groundwater contamination response in Michigan. Institutional controls are a groundwater contamination management strategy that allows groundwater contamination to be left in the ground, so long as human and environmental exposure pathways are controlled. The team studied seven sites where an institutional control for groundwater contamination was used in Michigan and calculated the cumulative cost of that choice at each site, including costs associated with monitoring, wildlife impacts, property value, public health, and recreational loss, among others. The multidisciplinary project team also developed a framework to guide future decision making for controlling exposures to groundwater contamination.

Water User Committee and User Manual Integrated Assessment Project, co-funded by University of Michigan – Michigan Sea Grant (grant subrecipient Michigan State University)

Project Title: Water User Committee and User Manual Integrated Assessment Project

Amount: $224,877

Project Period: July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2025

Grantee: University of Michigan - Michigan Sea Grant

Project Leads: Dr. Adam Zwickle, Principal Investigator, Michigan State University

Project Description: This Integrated Assessment project, co-funded by the Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund and Michigan Sea Grant, developed a Water User Committee (WUC) User’s Manual. The WUC guide incorporates the diverse perspectives of state water users and builds capacity among Michiganders toward local collaborative governance of water resources. The manual will be used to will educate water users about Michigan’s water laws and water rights, the role of state agencies and various water user groups, and strategies and best practices for successful WUC form and function.

From Students to Stewards: Fostering Great Lakes Literacy to Improve School Performance

Amount: $50,000

End Date: August 31, 2021

Grantee: Grand Valley State University

Project Lead: Mo Thomas

Project Description: The "From Students to Stewards" pilot project initiative is a collaborative effort involving EGLE's Office of the Great Lakes, Michigan Department of Education, and the MiSTEM Network to improve school performance by integrating place-based Great Lakes literacy principles into school curriculum through continuous school improvement plans. "From Students to Stewards" will make progress toward closing the water literacy gap in Michigan and growing the next generation of water stewards, leaders, skilled workers, and decision-makers needed to solve complex water issues in a changing world. Simultaneously, the project will demonstrate how using Great Lakes-focused, place-based, authentic educational opportunities grounded in the whole child model can improve student performance, boost teacher morale, strengthen schools' continuous improvement processes, and increase student exposure to water resource related careers. GVSU will conduct a competitive process for schools to support field testing of this concept for the 2020-2021 school year for a minimum of five schools. This project is part of the implementation of Michigan's Water Strategy.

Great Lakes Islands Initiative

Amount: $25,000

End Date: December 31, 2019

Grantee: Islands Institute

Project Lead: Kate Tagai 

Project Description: This project built upon earlier efforts to develop a regional network of Great Lakes island communities. The Island Institute of Maine was instrumental in spurring the creation of this network from 2015 to 2017. As the network moved from concept into operation mode, Island Institute staff served as technical advisors to the full network as well as individual member communities. This included advising on the development of the network coordination and communications structure; tactically developing and implementing shared initiatives; supporting the creation of media articles, blogs, or interviews; and serving as facilitators at the annual Islands Summit meetings. This effort led directly to the formation of the Great Lakes Islands Alliance, an organization dedicated to bringing island communities together to encourage relationship building, foster information exchange, and leverage resources to address shared challenges and embrace opportunities to benefit islands. This project is part of the implementation of Michigan’s Water Strategy.  

Smart Ships Coalition and Marine Autonomy Research Site Development (Phase 1)

Amount: $50,000 

End Date: May 31, 2020

Grantee: Michigan Technological University

Principal Investigators: Dr. Guy Meadows and Travis White 

Project Description: This grant provides funding to Michigan Technological University to support formation and development of the Smart Ships Coalition, establishment of an autonomous vehicle testbed facility, the Maritime Autonomy Research Site (MARS), designation of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Region as a hub for advancing autonomous marine technologies. The SSC will provide a network and organizational structure to facilitate autonomous marine vehicle adoption, operations, and technology advancement through information exchange, demonstration, and training, with the MARS test area open to companies, research institutions, government agencies, and others wishing to test and demonstrate autonomous surface and sub-surface vehicles and related technologies. This effort reflects the goals identified in the Strategy for the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Maritime Transportation. The Strategy, which was developed in 2016 by the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, identifies autonomous vessels as an important avenue of technological development for the long-term competitiveness of the Maritime Transportation System. This project is part of the implementation of Michigan’s Water Strategy. 

Twin Cities Sustainable Harbor Strategy 

Amount: $169,760

End Date: January 31, 2020

Grantee: The Regents of the University of Michigan

Project Lead: Dr. Don Carpenter

Project Webpage: Twin Cities Sustainable Harbor Strategy webpage

Final Report: Twin Cities Sustainable Harbor Strategy Final Report

Project Description: The grant supported a collaborative effort by Regents of the University of Michigan–Michigan Sea Grant, Drummond Carpenter LLC, the Office of the Great Lakes, St. Joseph Charter Township, the cities of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, and the Harbor Conservancy to apply the Small Harbors Sustainability Strategy and best practices to assist the communities in development of a shared vision, implementation strategy, and governance structure for the Twin Cities Harbor. The project completed a Twin Cities Harbor Visioning Charrette process aimed to bring the three communities together to develop a 20-year shared vision for the harbor. The project was necessary to collect stakeholder opinions, ensure that all voices in the community are heard and incorporated, and generate a preferred alternative for the waterfront based on community engagement, design meetings, and consensus building. In addition, the project supported a facilitated process to assist the communities in development of harbor governance strategies to revitalize the harbor. This project is part of the implementation of Michigan’s Water Strategy.

The Michigan Water Heritage Project 

Funders: Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation ($150,000), Michigan Humanities Council ($110,000), Michigan Office of the Great Lakes ($25,000 in-kind)

Participating Organizations: Michigan Humanities Council, Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, Cranbrook Institute of Science, Michigan State University 

Final Report: Michigan Water Heritage Project

Project Description: The Water Heritage Project is a collaborative initiative that developed Great Lakes specific exhibit panels to travel to various communities throughout Michigan. The project supports The State of Michigan Water Strategy goals to inspire stewardship for water resources and increase knowledge of our water system. Launched in June 2018, the Michigan Water Heritage Project visited seven communities throughout the state of Michigan, actively engaging individuals in these communities through facilitated conversation and water-themed exhibits. The four desired project outcomes were:

• To facilitate a deeper understanding of Michigan’s water heritage and stewardship needs through outreach and water-themed museum exhibitions.
• To establish a deeper understanding of the issues impacting water and quality of life in Michigan.
• To evaluate the impact of the Water Heritage Project on participants’ perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors toward water resources.
• To make project deliverables available to Michigan communities throughout the grant period and over a three-year period following the conclusion of programming. 

The Water Heritage Project facilitated conversations and hosted exhibitions in six rural communities chosen through the Michigan Humanities Council’s partnership with the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street Water/Ways exhibition. After the Smithsonian Waterways exhibit returned to Washington D.C. the Michigan Water Heritage Project was displayed at Michigan Science Center in downtown Detroit for the summer of 2019. 

Measuring the Socioeconomic Impacts of Water Restoration Projects: Contributions to Community Vibrancy 

Amount: $122,269 

End Date: May 31, 2019 

Grantee: Michigan State University 

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michelle Rutty and Dr. Lissy Goralnik 

Final Report: Contributions to Community Vibrancy

Project Description: This research project was part of a two-part effort to develop standard, easily transferable metrics for measuring the effect of water restoration projects on community vibrancy. The metrics will serve two purposes: 1) to measure the ways a community changes after a project has been implemented and 2) to assess the ‘readiness’ of a community to implement a project before the project is begun or an investment is made. The readiness indicators will demonstrate to the office whether a community has the capacity to implement a water resource project, or whether more targeted investment is needed to increase capacity before a water resource project can begin. In this part of the project, two researchers from Michigan State University conducted case studies in four communities around the state where water resource projects had already been successfully implemented in order to identify common characteristics and capacities. In each community (Alpena, Manistee, Port Huron, and Sault Ste. Marie), the research team conducted interviews, focus groups, and a community forum. This project is part of the implementation of Michigan’s Water Strategy.  

Socioeconomic Indicators of Community Vitality: Research and Case Studies of Coastal Communities in Michigan 

Amount: $100,000 

End Date: May 31, 2019 

Grantee: Michigan State University 

Principal Investigators: Jeremiah Asher and Dr. Mike Thomas 

Final Report: Socioeconomic Indicators

Project Description: This research project was the second part of a two-part effort to develop standard, easily transferable metrics for measuring the effect of water restoration projects on community vibrancy. The metrics will serve two purposes: 1) to measure the ways a community changes after a project has been implemented and 2) to assess the ‘readiness’ of a community to implement a project before the project is begun or an investment is made. The readiness indicators will demonstrate to the office whether a community has the capacity to implement a water resource project, or whether more targeted investment is needed to increase capacity before a water resource project can begin. In this part, a second team of researchers from Michigan State University used the findings from the first part of the project to develop a suite of easily collected and broadly transferable metrics for measuring community vibrancy and project readiness. This project is part of the implementation of Michigan’s Water Strategy.  

Sustainable Small Harbors Proof of Concept Community Engagement 

Amount: $25,000

End Date: February 28, 2017

Grantee: Lawrence Technological University

Project Lead: Dr. Don Carpenter 

Project Description: The grant provided funding to the Lawrence Technological University to conduct two proof of concept community visioning sessions (Rogers City and St. Ignace) as part of an integrated assessment in collaboration with Michigan Sea Grant to develop a Sustainable Small Harbor Management Strategy for Michigan’s coastal communities. This strategy provides communities with knowledge, tools, and processes to integrate the harbor as a strategic asset into community and economic development plans.

This project is part of the implementation of Michigan’s Water Strategy. Implementation of this project helped address the variability of water levels combined with the increasing economic constraints that have devastated local economies in small harbor towns. The integrated assessment process and proof of concept analysis led to further refinement of a community toolkit and planning resources as well as the development of a financial model to guide public harbors in the pursuit of financial sustainability and overall economic, environmental, and social well-being.

Great Lakes Unbridged Island Communities Project 

Amount: $30,000 

End Date: September 30, 2017 

Grantee: Island Institute 

Project Lead: Kate Tagai 

Project Description: This grant supported staff from the Island Institute of Maine to collaborate with OGL staff and Great Lakes islands communities to understand the unique challenges of unbridged, year-round islands and develop solutions to support vibrant, resilient coastal communities. This project is part of the implementation of Michigan’s Water Strategy.

Institute staff participated in multiple knowledge exchange trips with several Great Lakes islands to present convening strategies that have worked in Maine, including the Maine Islands Coalition, fellows programs, and Island Institute’s publication about island issues and management strategies. The Island Institute assisted in exploring the creation of a collaborative network of Great Lakes islands communities and was instrumental to the ultimate decision to establish the Great Lakes Islands Alliance. 

Sustainable Harbors Management Process 

Amount: $15,000

End Date: December 31, 2015 

Grantee: The Regents of the University of Michigan 

Project Lead: Dr. Catherine Riseng

Project Description: The grant provided funding to the Regents of the University of Michigan–Michigan Sea Grant to conduct an integrated assessment in collaboration with Lawrence Technological University (LTU) to develop a Sustainable Small Harbor Management Strategy for Michigan’s coastal communities. This strategy will provide communities with knowledge, tools, and processes to integrate the harbor as a strategic asset into community and economic development plans. The project was initiated to help address the increasing complex issues associated with living on Michigan’s coast, including water level fluctuation and increasing economic constraints. Implementation of this project helped to address the ten-year-long trend of lower water levels combined with the increasing economic constraints that have devastated local economies.

As part of the integrated assessment, LTU conducted community engagement charrette processes in four communities (New Baltimore, Pentwater, Au Gres, and Ontonagon) to assist communities in the development of a shared vision for the harbor and implementation of strategies to realize the vision. The integrated assessment process and case study analysis informed the development of a toolkit and planning resources to guide public harbors in the pursuit of financial sustainability and overall economic, environmental, and social well-being.