Northeast michigan contains many miles of lake huron shoreline habitats and islands that support globally significant species assemblages

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $200,000 cooperative agreement to Huron Pines Resource Conservation And Development Council Inc. under the Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630) from May 1, 2023 to September 30, 2026.

Under this award, Huron Pines will provide habitat restoration, invasive species control, population monitoring and management, and prescribed burning services across 10 ecologically significant islands in Lake Huron. Activities include replacing outdated island inventories, treating invasive species, monitoring the federally endangered Piping Plover and threatened Pitcher's Thistle, and habitat management. These products and services will benefit globally significant coastal species in Northeast Michigan. As the prime recipient, Huron Pines will directly perform the majority of work under this cooperative agreement to preserve critical Lake Huron shoreline habitats.

The disruption of natural processes from pollution, development, climate change and invasive species has caused the extirpation and decline of many species in the region. While many of the lake huron islands have been spared the pressure of human disturbance, they are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and invasive species. Huron pines and our partners, USFWS personnel, michigan natural features inventory, and local municipalities, have prioritized 10 islands of conservation significance in lake huron to receive comprehensive restoration efforts that will benefit and sustain local biodiversity and inform conservation strategies for michigan S great lakes islands. These activities include extensive surveys to replace incomplete or outdated island inventories, invasive species treatments, population monitoring and habitat management for federally endangered piping plover, population monitoring and augmentation for federally threatened pitcher S thistle, and prescribed fire. Through this collaborative, landscape-level project, many species that rely on globally significant shoreline habitats will benefit simultaneously.