STATEWIDE — Several Indiana counties will receive funds to improve their waterways thanks to $1,506,640 in grants awarded by DNR Director Daniel W. Bortner through the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program.
DNR grants totaling $908,700 will be used in sediment or logjam removal projects and will support 13 projects in 15 counties. The other $597,940 will be used to fight aquatic invasive plants, including 37 projects involving 57 bodies of water in 11 counties.
In Southeastern Indiana, a $7,500 grant will be used for sediment removal at Goose Creek in Switzerland County.
Funded projects include grants for both planning and removal of sediment.
Removal projects help improve recreation and remove excessive nutrients near inlets.
Projects to dredge lake inlets or boating access channels receive the highest priority for LARE funding.
Logjam projects include the removal of massive amounts of debris that block the stream channel.
Because some woody debris in streams provides valuable habitat, removal projects focus only on large jams that block the entire stream and may cause bank erosion and cutting of new channels.
Aquatic invasive plant control grants help control or manage aggressive non-native species that can outcompete native species and dominate plant communities.
Some examples include Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, and starry stonewort.
The grants can also provide economic benefits to lake communities by improving and increasing public access opportunities for those who fish or pleasure boat.
LARE grants are funded through the LARE fee paid by boat owners annually when they register their boats with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
This user-funded program benefits boaters all over the state.
The grants allow for the completion of projects that would be difficult for local organizations to fund on their own.
Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, and local sponsors share at least 20 percent of the cost.
Reports for all past project reports funded through LARE are at larereports.dnr.IN.gov, where you can also learn more about the program.
Learn more about LARE at LARE.dnr.IN.gov.
(Indiana Department of Natural Resources press release)
