DEP Awards More Than $264,000 In Lake Erie Coastal Zone Grants

On October 22, the Department of Environmental Protection awarded more than $264,000 in grants to protect and restore the Lake Erie Coastal Zone.

The grants support 9 projects that include development of a bluff erosion model, shorebird monitoring and research of the geographical sources of E. coli contamination at Presque State Park beaches.

“Our coastal zones are vital environmental, economic, and community resources for the commonwealth,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “Each year, the diverse coastal zone projects help us rethink, reexamine, and rededicate our efforts towards a comprehensive approach to ensuring the sustainability of these habitats.”

Coastal zones are the area where land meets the coast and includes both coastal waters and adjacent shorelands and are under increasing pressure from development, erosion, biodiversity loss, and pollution. 

Coastal Zone grants are awarded to projects related to fisheries, wetlands, stormwater management improvements, recreation, public education, coastal hazards such as bluff recession, and other areas. 

Grants may also be awarded to other projects in the watershed that have an impact on coastal waters.

The 77-mile Lake Erie Coastal Zone is in Erie County and includes the Lake Erie shoreline and several major tributaries. The coastal zone also extends to the middle of the lake, to the international boundary with Canada, and inland an average of 1.4 miles.

Approved projects include:

Erie County

-- Erie County: $70,000 for coordination and technical assistance with Lake Erie coastal zone projects

-- Erie County: $9,000 to assist Lake Erie coastal communities in administering the Bluff Recession and Setback Act of 1980

-- Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: $15,000 to perform shorebird monitoring at Presque Isle State Park

-- Erie County Conservation District: $2,250 to develop an Invasive Species Management Plan for Headwaters Park located in Millcreek Township

-- Erie County Conservation District: $3,273 for the Nature Immersion youth education program to establish the value of environmental stewardship   

-- Erie Times-News in Education:  $50,000 for a recurring Newspaper in Education weekly page focusing on coastal zone environmental issues

-- Mercyhurst University: $15,000 to develop a bluff erosion model along Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie shoreline 

-- Millcreek Township: $50,000 to develop the completed design for the stream restoration of Wilkins Run in Millcreek Township

-- Great Lakes Regional Science Consortium: $50,000 to research the geographical sources of E. coli contamination at Presque State Park beaches

Funded primarily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the grants are administered by DEP’s Coastal Resources Management Program. 

Since federal approval of the DEP Coastal Resources Management Program in 1980, the program has provided more than $50 million in funding for coastal zone projects.

For more information on this program, visit DEP’s dep Coastal Resources Management Program webpage.

Related Article:

DEP Awards $430,000 In Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone Grants

[Posted: October 22, 2019]  www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com