(Provided by Indiana DNR)
New grants for the care of Indiana's water bodies totaling $994,300 have been awarded through the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program in the Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife.
The grants help fund 23 projects in 18 counties. Local sponsors submit applications for LARE assistance and commit to sharing a portion of the total cost. DNR's share comes from a fee paid annually by boat owners when registering their boats with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The grants allow for the completion of projects that are difficult for smaller local organizations to fund.
The projects include water quality monitoring, bank erosion control, and watershed land treatments to reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients entering water. Six grants for land treatment were awarded to Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). These grants will complement SWCD efforts with local landowners.
Some projects also will result in the creation of habitat elements such as riffle pools, stream meanders and wetlands for fish and other aquatic organisms. Habitat enhancements encourage biological diversity in and around the streams, including more opportunities for game fish populations to thrive.
"Simultaneously enhancing habitat for fish and other organisms while addressing erosion make this a clear ëwin-winí for both the resources and the citizens of Indiana," said Mark Reiter, director of DNR Fish & Wildlife.
The list of northern Indiana projects by water body, county, project type and grant award:
August 2014 LARE grant awards
| Water Body | County | Project Type | Grant Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Dam Lake | Kosciusko | Bio-engineered shoreline protection | $10,900 |
| Crooked Lake | Whitley | Gully stabilization and watershed detention basins | $19,700 |
| Eel River | Wabash | Watershed land treatment | $60,000 |
| Lake Galbraith | Marshall | Rain garden construction | $15,000 |
| Lake George | in Hobart in Lake County | Shoreline stabilization | $98,000 |
| Lake James tributary | Steuben | Stream channel improvements and†wetland restoration | $71,200 |
| Loon Lake | Whitley and Noble counties | Bio-engineered island protection | $33,000 |
| Oliver Lake tributary | LaGrange | Stream bank improvements | $16,900 |
| Spy Run Creek | Allen | Design project to improve habitat and reduce bank erosion | $55,600 |
| Tippecanoe River | Pulaski | Design project for stream bank restoration | $42,000 |
| Upper Tippecanoe River | Kosciusko | Watershed land treatment | $35,000 |
| Upper Tippecanoe River | Whitley | Watershed land treatment | $35,000 |
| Yellow Creek | Elkhart | Bio-engineered stream bank stabilization | $50,000 |
| Yellow River | Marshall | Water quality monitoring project | $33,000 |
| Webster Lake | Kosciusko | Bio-engineered island protection | $56,000 |