Trout Unlimited and partners at the Natural Resources Conservation Service working on wetland restoration
By Jamie Vaughan
Trout
Unlimited and partners have received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program that will promote conservation efforts in the Lower Grand River Watershed.
In the Rogue River, as part of TU’s Home Rivers Initiative, approximately $2 million of the $8 million federal grant will support conservation agreements and help agricultural landowners to implement best practices to address water quality concerns.
Trout Unlimited will work with partners including the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kent Conservation District, the Rogue River Watershed Partners, local municipalities, and schools to restore wetlands, reconnect floodplains, install buffer strips and implement other erosion control practices to reduce sedimentation in the local waterways.
This 5-year grant is regionally important as there are partners implementing restoration practices all throughout the Lower Grand River Watershed, including in downtown Grand Rapids as part of the river revitalization project.
For that project to be successful, it is necessary to protect and restore upstream communities and watersheds such as the Rogue River, as it is a significant coldwater tributary to the Grand. Trout Unlimited is pleased to be a part of such a momentous project and excited to expand their efforts in the Rogue River watershed.
The Rogue River Home Rivers Initiative Project is funded by the Frey Foundation, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, the Wege Foundation, the Wolverine World Wide Foundation, and the Schrems West Michigan chapter of Trout Unlimited.