Northland College’s Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation has been awarded $500,000 of new funding to support the third phase of its Sediment Reduction Project on North Fish Creek—the largest source of sediment flowing into Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay.
A grant of nearly $300,000 was recently awarded from the Great Lakes Commission’s Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program. This is in addition to $200,000 of new funding received from the US Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program this summer.
Focusing on freshwater science, water issues, and conservation, the Burke Center has successfully coordinated three bluff stabilization projects along North Fish Creek since 2018 under the umbrella of its Phase 1 and 2 projects. The upcoming Phase 3 project builds upon these achievements, forming a crucial part of a long-term, multi-partner effort to improve fish habitat and mitigate excessive sedimentation in North Fish Creek, which is currently the largest source of sediment flowing into Chequamegon Bay.
Phase 3 of the North Fish Creek Sediment Reduction Project is expected to start in October 2023.