Now is the time for interested parties to provide input on what projects the Lake Michigan Coastal Program should support for the next funding cycle.

The Indiana Lake Michigan Coastal Program will hold a public meeting to seek input on the 2006 funding cycle project priorities. This meeting will be held Wednesday, July 13, 6:15 p.m., at Portage’s Willowcreek Park Sycamore Room.

At the meeting, the coastal program’s Coastal Advisory Board will take public comment on the types of projects that should receive preferential scoring for potential funding. 2005 funding cycle priorities included: natural area restoration, natural area preservation, and natural area management – resource management plans and diagnostic studies.

The Lake Michigan Coastal Grants Program is an annual competitive grants program that awards up to $850,000 to units of local government, regional and state agencies, colleges and universities, as well as non-profit organizations. Program funds may be expended on low-cost construction, land acquisition, and planning and coordination projects. Projects must be located entirely within the Lake Michigan Coastal area (the northern portion of Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties).

Run by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Nature Preserves, the Lake Michigan Coastal Program is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Coastal Resource Management. The purpose of the program is to preserve, protect, restore and (where possible) develop the resources of the coast for this and succeeding generations; and to achieve wise use of the land and water resources of the coastal region, giving full consideration to ecological, cultural, historic and values, as well as to economic development needs.

For more information about the Lake Michigan Coastal Program, please visit: www.in.gov/dnr/lakemich or contact Mike Molnar, Lake Michigan Coastal Program manager, 317-233-0132 or mmolnar@dnr.in.gov

For a complete list of projects currently receiving Coastal Grants Program funding please visit: www.in.gov/dnr/lakemich/pdf/projectupdate.pdf