Grants: Land Use

Dow Diamond LED Light and Occupancy Sensor Additions

This project, proposed by the nonprofit Michigan Baseball Foundation, includes the purchase and installation of new LED lights and occupancy sensors at Dow Diamond in Midland. Dow Diamond is the home of the Great Lakes Loons minor league baseball team. This effort is part of Dow Diamond’s effort to reduce energy use, water use, and waste by 50% by the year 2020. It is estimated that the project will cut down on energy usage by 2.8% yearly.

Potential Conservation Area Analysis for Genesse, Lapeer and Shiawasse Counties

Using a science-based approach to identify “potention conservation areas”, the projected prioritized those important places in Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee counties that, with proper management, will have their ecological integrity maintained. The primary audience for this project was conservation organizations, so that they can more effectively and efficiently identify and protect sites of imiportant ecological integrity. This project was an additional component of the previously WIN – funded GLSGreenlinks project.

Urban and Community Forestry / Saginaw Bay Watershed Region

This project, developed by Global ReLeaf of Michigan, supports a growing a network of communities in the Saginaw Bay region that are focused on maintaining and establishing urban tree programs. This grant supports quarterly meetings for watershed communities, provision of technical assistance to communities, the utilization of native and local provenance trees for street tree replacement and park plantings, and the engagement of volunteers in tree inventories, tree boards, and tree plantings.

Flint River Priority Lands, Landowner Connection and Enrollment Program

This project builds on previous WIN investments including the Genesee, Lapeer, Shiawassee Greenlinks Project and Metamora Horse Country Project. Fashioned after WIN-funded work at Little Forks Conservancy in 2004, this effort will target and map strategic lands in the upper Flint watershed that are most strategic for conservation. In addition, the program will develop that region’s first enrollment program (registry) of landowners interested in conservation, but not yet ready to commit to permanent conservation. This project also seeks to implement the “bioreserve” program, which will establish biological inventories on properties of willing landowners.

Place Based Blended Learning

This project, sponsored by University of Michigan – Flint intends to fund the development of a series of on-line short courses focused on improving the capacity of schools (particular focus on urban schools) to conduct place-based education. Place-based education promotes learning that is rooted in local, unique history, environment, culture etc… that is in a student’s own place or immediate geographic location. This project is a part of an ongoing effort at U-M Flint that partners the university with the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative in a 10-year program to promote and address urban environmental stewardship needs. The online course will focus on sustainability – the relationship of the environment, community, and economy – and will offer continuing education credits through UM-Flint for successful completion of the courses.

Community Wood Use and Demonstration Project

This project considers a demonstration / fundraising project related to the use of urban wood (forest management and tree removal primarily). Recognizing the increased infestation of the emerald ash borer and its effect on the ash tree stock, as well as the fact that communities continue to cut back significantly on forestry programs, this project proposed to use this wood – and other urban wood -for new purposes. Generally, urban wood is chipped. This project will show that the wood can be used for other purposes, some of which can be profitable and can self-support these efforts.

Bay-Zilwaukee Trail

This project, sponsored by the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy, contemplates the acquisition of more than

six miles of abandoned railway for the purpose of providing a connection between current and proposed non
motorized/railtrail systems in Bay City and Saginaw. This WIN investment will be used as a match to
leverage approximately $200,000 that has been made available by the Michigan Department of
Transportation. This route has been identified as a critical link in the WIN funded “Vision of Green” report
that developed the plan for a three-county connected non-motorized link.

University Center Trail

The project requested initial cash investment in a proposed non-motorized trail between Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University. This trail appeared as a priority in the Saginaw/Bay/Midland Greenways plan that was funded by WIN in 2005. The funding will match additional grants that are required for this $1.5 million non-motorized route.

Metamore Horse Country Project

Located in parts of Lapeer and Oakland Counties, the Metamora “Horse Country” region encompasses approximately 60 square miles. This project implemented components of the GLS Greenlink Plan (funded in part by WIN) by protecting critical natural areas, agricultural land, and connection between them primarily by the use of conservation easements. This area is currently under development pressure by the metro Flint and Detroit areas. This project is unique because it focused on a distinct part of the community – horse owners- who also own a majority of the land available for conservation. This project funded forums, planning activities, outreach and education.

Genesee County Land Bank Clean and Green Program

The Genesee County Land Bank (GCLB) assembles tax-reverted land for transfer to adjacent homeowners, develops long and short-term green spaces, and assembles land for new housing and commercial development. The objective is to restore the integrity of the community by removing dilapidated structures and redeveloping abandoned properties. The Land Bank encourages re-use of more than 4,000 residential, commercial, and industrial properties that it has acquired through the tax foreclosure process. The Clean and Green Program works with community groups to support the maintenance of these reverted properties and prepare them for productive use. The “adopt a lot” process provides small grants to established neighborhood groups to assist in the maintenance of these properties. WIN funding expanded this effort beyond simple maintenance and into innovative demonstration projects such as phytoremediation, vegetable gardens, rain gardens, tree nursery, and turf alternatives.

Southern Lakes Planning Initiative

This project, located in Genesee County, was a planning and regional cooperation initiative designed to better coordinate land use planning across local government jurisdictions. This area, known as the “Lakes Region” includes the communities of Linden and Fenton, as well as the Townships of Mundy, Fenton, Argentine and Tyrone. This effort inventoried land use in the region, develop strategies for managing growth, develop a steering committee made up of representatives of the affected communities, and gradually move toward the creation of an area-wide land use plan and strategy.

Bay County Farmland Preservation Program

This project coordinated and developed a Farmland Preservation Program for Bay County. Led by a steering committee consisting of both rural and urban interests, this project established the mechanism by which Bay County can potentially preserve high quality farmland through a variety of market mechanisms such as the purchase of development rights. Currently, many farmers are facing escalating lad prices and pressure to sell their land to developers, which can result in “urban sprawl”, loss of community character, and adverse environmental consequences. This project help Bay County plan for the protection of high quality areas, while at the same time identify areas where development may make sense.