The largest grant from the Fund for Lake Michigan’s efforts to improve water quality is $190,000 to the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences to conduct an extensive aquatic survey of the city’s harbor.
UWM will work with the Department of Natural Resources, Army Corps of Engineers, Harbor District, Inc. and other stakeholders to advance harbor rehabilitation.
“The long-term goal of this study is to restore a thriving recreational fishery and vibrant wildlife population in the heart of urban Milwaukee,” said Vicki Elkins, executive director of the Milwaukee-based Fund for Lake Michigan.
The grants, $1.4 million in all, will fund 26 projects from Kenosha to Marinette and range from restoration of Harrington Beach State Park north of Port Washington to helping advance one of the country’s largest fish passage projects on the Menominee River.
Results of the UWM study are expected to help the DNR and others improve habitat for a range of fish species in Milwaukee’s harbor, including possibly yellow perch, a popular sport fish.
