Professional Documents
Culture Documents
org
Bay Area Community Foundation Supports Conservation Efforts in the Au Gres River Watershed
Momentum for the restoration and protection of clean water and our regions great outdoor opportunities
continues to build. Huron Pines was recently awarded $7,500 from the Saginaw Bay Watershed
Restoration Fund of the Bay Area Community Foundation to help residents in the Au Gres River Watershed
improve land and water stewardship practices and to involve the public in watershed planning and
restoration activities. This project kicks off in 2016 and is the next step in the larger Northern Saginaw Bay
Restoration Initiative, an ongoing effort to protect clean water, enhance wildlife habitat and strengthen
communities throughout Arenac, Iosco and Ogemaw counties.
The continued investment in the Northern Saginaw Bay Restoration Initiative by the Bay Area Community
Foundationtotaling $22,000 since 2012demonstrates a strong commitment to our local communities
and for natural resources such as clean water and healthy wildlife. explains Josh Leisen, a Watershed
Project Manager at Huron Pines. Huron Pines will use this support to organize public meetings, engage
local K-12 students in outdoor education opportunities and provide technical and financial assistance to
residents of the Au Gres River Watershed who want to better manage their property to promote clean
water and healthy wildlife.
Contributions from local organizations like the Bay Area Community Foundation have been absolutely
critical to Huron Pines success in leveraging more than $1.5 million dollars in federal funding for the
Northern Saginaw Bay Restoration Initiative. The federal money brought into the region through this
project provides an economic boost for the local communities, county road commissions, businesses,
farmers and other landowners that participate in the process to protect our natural resources.
Over the next couple years Huron Pines and partners are planning to complete lots of restoration work in
the Au Gres River Watershed. Huron Pines has secured $235,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife
FoundationSustain Our Great Lakes Program to improve five road/stream crossings, stabilize eroding
streambanks and work with farmers to improve stewardship practices on agricultural lands. The Bay Area
Community Foundation funding complements this federal funding by boosting the amount of education,
outreach and private land stewardship work that will be completed as part of the project.
The importance of long-term protection of water quality and natural resources cannot be overstated
says Bay Area Community Foundations President and CEO Eileen Curtis. By supporting conservation
outreach and restoration efforts of organizations such as Huron Pines, the Bay Area Community
Foundation helps strengthen communities and rural economies in the region by helping to safeguard the
natural resources on which they depend.
Huron Pines is a nonprofit conservation organization and equal opportunity provider with a mission to
protect the Great Lakes by conserving the forests, lakes and streams of Northeast Michigan. For more
information about Huron Pines or the Northern Saginaw Bay Restoration Initiative please visit
A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and an equal opportunity provider.
www.huronpines.org or contact Josh Leisen, Huron Pines Watershed Project Manager, at (989) 448-2293
ext. 16 or josh@huronpines.org.
The Bay Area Community Foundation has a mission to fulfill a wide array of donors charitable wishes
throughout Bay and Arenac counties by building permanent endowment funds and serving as a leader for
community improvement through effective grantmaking and collaboration. More information about Bay
Area Community Foundation can be found at bayfoundation.org or by calling (989) 893-4438.
###