MOUNT PLEASANT, MI (AP)-- Central Michigan University has received a $10 million federal grant to evaluate how wetlands are faring under a region-wide program aimed at improving the Great Lakes environment.
It follows up on another grant awarded five years ago for collection of data assessing the health of coastal wetlands spanning more than 10,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline.
Wetlands filter pollution from the lakes and tributary rivers, provide habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide crucial flood control. But development has eliminated more than half of the region's wetlands.
Donald Uzarski of Central Michigan's Institute for Great Lakes Research says the latest grant will help set priorities for rebuilding wetlands. It also will be used to measure the effectiveness of restoration projects so they won't need to be redone later.
