Levin and Stabenow Announce Funding for Michigan Projects in Interior Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today announced that the Department of the Interior funding bill for the 2004 fiscal year contains $1 million for land acquisition at Sleeping Bear Dunes, $1.5 million to purchase land for Michigan's three national forests, and $1.5 million for the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, among other projects. The Senate passed the bill last night by voice vote.

"This bill provides several million dollars for various land acquisition projects in Michigan, including land at Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and at Michigan's national forests," said Levin. "These land acquisition projects are an important priority because they ensure that large expanses of land remain both undeveloped and accessible to the public."

"Park and wetland enhancement in Michigan is important to the region and the nation, because of Michigan's key location in the Great Lakes basin and along migration routes," Stabenow said. "I'm very pleased that projects like the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore have received funding for land acquisition in this bill. The funding provided for the Automobile National Heritage Area is also important in preserving for our nation Michigan's rich automotive and labor heritage."

The following Michigan projects were funded in the bill:

• Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge: $1,500,000
  The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was recently established to give the Secretary of Interior authority to acquire American lands adjacent to the Detroit River in order to protect its wildlife and habitat. This funding will be used to protect land along the river and to preserve remaining high quality habitats before they are lost to further development.
• Sleeping Bear Dunes: $1 million
  The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan's eastern coastline was established primarily for its outstanding natural features, including forests, beaches, dune formations and ancient glacial phenomena. This funding will be used to acquire properties from willing sellers in order to preserve this beautiful area for future generations.
• Auto National Heritage Area: $600,000
  The Automobile National Heritage Area (ANHA) in Michigan includes the major cities of Detroit, Dearborn, Pontiac, Flint, Lansing, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Jackson, and covers 19 counties. The ANHA will use the money appropriated to preserve, interpret and promote Michigan's rich automotive and labor heritage.
• Great Lakes/Great Lands: $1,500,000 for land acquisition
  These funds will be used by Michigan's three national forests to purchase environmentally sensitive or unique parcels of land that could be threatened by development within the forests' existing borders.
• Authorization for funds to construct a Kris Eggle memorial
  Kris Eggle, a National Park Service Ranger from Cadillac, Michigan, was shot and killed in the line of duty while stationed at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. He was very active in the Cadillac community and served in a variety of roles before leaving the area to work for the National Park Service. The bill authorizes the use of funds to construct a fountain in the Cadillac Lakefront Park in honor of Kris Eggle's life and service.
• Forest Legacy Program: $500,000
  The Forest Legacy Program is a voluntary program that assists private landowners in preserving their forestland, keeping valuable parcels of land intact.
• Great Lakes Area Resource Management Circle of Flight program: $261,000
  The Circle of Life program distributes funds to reservations and inter-tribal organizations for waterfowl and wetland enhancement projects. The program provides a strategy for preserving and enhancing wetlands and related habitats.
• Fish & Wildlife Services Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Joint Ventures Program: $646,000
  The Joint Venture partnerships between federal, state and local governments are an effective approach to meeting our commitment to the international North American Wildfowl Management Plan. By working cooperatively through voluntary, non-regulatory agreements, partners conserve important migratory wetland and grassland habitat. Nationwide, these programs have helped protect over 5.3 million acres of wetland habitat, primarily through the six regional programs.

U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes Mapping Coalition: $500,000
The Great Lakes Mapping coalition is a collaborative effort among Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and the federal government that seeks to produce detailed geological surveys of the Great Lakes basin. Detailed geological maps of the basin are crucial in making informed decisions regarding water and mineral resources in the Great Lakes.

The House of Representatives passed the Interior appropriations bill in July. The House and Senate will now meet in a conference committee to work out the differences between the two versions of the bill.