When is the last time you thought about macroinvertebrates? They are actually pretty important, as they are monitored to determine the health of rivers and streams. The Friends of the St. Clair River organization has received a $2000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to continue their work in monitoring the health of our vitally important waterways.
Sheri Faust, President of Friends of the St. Clair River, said, “This grant revitalizes our Stream Leaders program from 2008 with the St. Clair County Health Department. It’s exciting to receive funding since this is the first opportunity that became available in the MiCorp Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program after a long funding hiatus.”
The grants went to organizations that were just starting out with stream monitoring as well as veteran stream monitoring agencies like Friends of the St. Clair River, who received a maintenance grant to help them continue monitoring the health of the river.
Faust said that they will be adding five new testing sites to the existing 12 sites. She said the grant will help train volunteers, provide education, and guide management actions to keep our rivers healthy.
The grants are funded by water protection fundraising license plates.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
