The University of Michigan Water Center announced a grant of $413,234 will go to
Saginaw Valley State University's Saginaw Bay Environmental Science Institute.
The institute will use the money to conduct ecological studies of Saginaw Bay, and create a plan of priorities to map the way for conservation efforts in the region. It's an ambitious goal, but institute director David Karpovich says SVSU researchers have all the tools they need to reach it.
"This project will integrate all of the available data, models, and decision tools to address the scientific gap between placement of land-based conservation actions and their resulting ecological outcomes in rivers and near shore areas of the Saginaw Bay Watershed," he says.
When the grant-funded project is done, the results will allow the scientific, business, agricultural and Saginaw Bay communities to use best management practices for the best ecological outcomes, at the lowest cost and impact to the community, Karpovich says.
Quite the tall order, but they have help from the NOAA-funded Multiple Stressor Project, the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and the institute's existing partners, the Bay County Health Department, Delta College, the Kawkawlin River Property Owners Association, and others.
"This is our first major grant," Karpovich says. "We are pleased to have many talented external collaborators on our team, including scientists from LimnoTech, The Nature Conservancy, several state and federal agencies, and Michigan State University's Institute for Water Resources. This project will help build an important foundation for continued scientific work by SVSU faculty and students."
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Saginaw Valley State University
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