DNR's Lake Michigan Coastal Program is now accepting pre-proposals from eligible applicants for the 2017 Coastal Grants Program Funding Cycle until Sept. 16.

Pre-proposals that receive favorable recommendation from the Coastal Advisory Board will then be eligible for full application submission. Funding will be available in August 2017.

Grant workshops will be held:

—Thursday, July 28, at 10 a.m., at Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center, Chesterton. This workshop also will be available in real-time via webinar at www.webinar.in.gov/dnrdunesnc.

—Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 1 p.m., at Michigan City Hall, Emergency Operations Center, 100 E. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City.

—Thursday, Aug. 4, at 1 p.m., at Crown Point Community Library, 122 N. Main St., Crown Point.

The LMCP is an annual competitive grants program that awards up to $600,000 to units of local government, regional and state agencies, colleges and universities and non-profit organizations. Program funds can be spent on low-cost construction, land acquisition, planning and coordination, education and outreach, and applied research projects. Projects must be located entirely within the Lake Michigan Coastal area, which is the northern portion of Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.

In addition to financial assistance, the LMCP offers technical assistance in natural areas management and restoration; coastal hazards mitigation planning; sustainable land use planning; smart growth principles; conservation development and incorporating natural resource planning into comprehensive plans, ordinances, sub-area plans and other planning initiatives; and nonpoint source pollution control, including surface water runoff management, low-impact development, watershed planning assistance, and implementation of the Clean Marinas program.

Technical assistance also is available for eligible grant applicants who wish to formulate a more competitive project proposal.

The DNR's LMCP was created to coordinate efforts between local, state and federal governments, and local organizations, and to support projects that protect and restore natural, cultural and historical resources in Indiana's Lake Michigan coastal region.

The LMCP is funded through the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Coastal Management.

For more information, visit dnr.IN.gov/lakemich.

To view all DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.



Media contact: Maggie Byrne, grant specialist, Lake Michigan Coastal Program, DNR Division of Nature Preserves, (219) 983-9912.