Michigan municipal parks split $550,000 in grants

Michigan DNR awards more than $550,000 in Land and Water Conservation Fund Grants to support local communities’ park improvements

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that seven community parks and recreation facilities across the state would share more than $550,000 in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants. The federal LWCF program, administered in Michigan by the DNR, supports cities, counties and townships in their efforts to provide better public outdoor recreation opportunities for their residents.

Land and Water Conservation Fund grants have been awarded to Crawford County, Laketown Township (Allegan County), the city of Leslie (Ingham County), Lincoln Township (Berrien County), Plymouth Township (Wayne County), Richland Township (Saginaw County) and Traverse City (Grand Traverse County).

The full list of award recipients, grant amounts and descriptions of their projects is available at www.michigan.gov/dnr-grants.

“This year’s grant recipients will build and renovate a broad range of public recreation facilities, everything from pavilions, bathrooms and baseball fields to boardwalks, fishing platforms and a community pool,” said Steve DeBrabander, DNR Grants Management section supervisor.

“Improvements like these will help local communities meet the recreation needs of their residents and keep people going outdoors,” DeBrabander said. “The DNR is committed to working with local officials over the long term to ensure these projects become successful, valuable community assets.”

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a federal program administered in Michigan by the Department of Natural Resources on behalf of the National Park Service (NPS). The DNR uses LWCF funding to help develop public outdoor recreation facilities and to provide matching grants for local governments to do the same.

The LWCF is supported by revenues from federal gas and oil development from the outer continental shelf. Following congressional appropriation, LWCF monies are apportioned to the states by the Secretary of the Interior each fiscal year in accordance with the apportionment formula contained in the LWCF Act.

Application materials for future Land and Water Conservation Fund grants are available at www.michigan.gov/dnr-grants, by calling 517-373-9125, or writing to Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Grants Management, P.O. Box 30425, Lansing, MI 48909-7925.