Senator Stabenow announces $7,400,000 Investment to Improve Water Quality in Lake Erie and Region’s Farmland

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today announced a new $7,400,000 investment, which will be matched by private investments, to improve farmland, water quality, and recreation opportunities near Lake Erie. This innovative new partnership is one of three projects in Michigan made possible by the Farm Bill’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program, authored by Stabenow.

“Bringing together local leaders to work with farmers on the ground will help improve water quality in Lake Erie and protect farmland in the region,” said Senator Stabenow. “This new partnership will build on historic investments in land and water conservation already made across the state that are protecting our Great Lakes and creating new opportunities for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation.”

The project, led by the City of Ann Arbor Greenbelt Program, will bring together local partners to work with land owners to protect and conserve farmland vital to the overall health of Lake Erie’s waters. This project will also increase access to affordable farmland for beginning farmers.

Stabenow created the Regional Conservation Partnership Program in the bipartisan 2014 Farm Bill to form locally led partnerships between agriculture and conservation groups to preserve land and water, improve hunting and fishing, and protect the Great Lakes. These local projects leverage private and public dollars to address regional conservation issues. Eleven Michigan projects have already received $130 million in funding from the Farm Bill’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Three additional projects totaling over $16 million were added in this latest round of funding.

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