Michigan is committed to maintaining a formal and cohesive aquatic invasive species (AIS) program guided by sound science and contemporary approaches

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (DOI) has awarded a $984,181 Project Grant under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (CFDA 15.662) to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (MDEGLE) for the period of October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026. The grant will support a multi-faceted approach to implementing Michigan's Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Strategic Management Plan and Response Plan, with a focus on the following key initiatives:

1. Rapid response and directed law enforcement patrol of key organisms in trade pathways, monitoring of businesses selling non-native aquatic species, and improving collaboration and communication with partners.
2. Building long-term sustainability into prevention, early detection, and response efforts for Michigan's AIS watchlist plants.
3. Enhancing invasive aquatic plant management capacity through digital reporting, trends analysis, and stakeholder engagement.
4. Developing a statewide citizen-led monitoring network and research on environmental drivers of didymo bloom formation.

The grant aims to block pathways for new AIS introductions, enable early detection and rapid response, and build long-term programmatic capacity to protect Michigan's Great Lakes ecosystems.

Michigans AIS program is cooperatively implemented by the departments of environment great lakes and energy (egle) natural resources (DNR) agriculture and rural development (mdard) and transportation (MDOT). This work plan is for supporting strategic advances to prevent detect and control AIS. The budget is for S800000 of federal funds to continue implementing michigans updated 2013 AIS SMP and response plan for AIS in michigan. The departments in cooperation with partners propose to take a multifaceted approach to AIS SMP implementation with projects in fiscal years 2025 and 2026 focused onproject 1 rapid response and directed law enforcement patrol of key organisms in trade (OIT) pathways monitoring of businesses selling nonnative aquatic species importation by motor carriers rail and air freight and commercial bait movement. Improving collaboration record keeping and communication with partners.project 2 building long term sustainability into prevention early detection and response to michigans watchlist aquatic invasive plants.project 3 building invasive aquatic plant management capacity through digital reporting trends analysis and stakeholder engagement.project 4 statewide citizen led didymo monitoring for early detection network development and focus study on environmental drivers of bloom formation.as the great lakes state the great lakes will be the primary beneficiary of michigans AIS prevention early detection and control program. Direct benefits will be achieved through an emphasis on blocking the pathways new species may use to arrive in the state and spread within the state as well as early detection and response to AIS. Since virtually all of the state falls within the great lakes watershed AIS program activities occurring inland will benefit the entire basin.