Public input regarding funding for Lake Michigan’s watershed program is being sought during a public meeting on July 21.

The DNR’s Lake Michigan Coastal Program will host the meeting, which will focus on funding priorities for its 2022 grants cycle.

Those in attendance are encouraged to provide input regarding which types of projects should receive priority consideration.

The input process also features an online survey, which allows members of the public to submit suggestions regarding funding priorities.

Survey input will be accepted until Aug. 13.

The public meeting is at 10 a.m. Central Standard Time at the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, which is located at 6100 Southport Road in Portage.

LMCP holds an annual competitive grants program that awards funds to units of local government, regional and state agencies, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations.

Program funds may be expended on projects that support public access, habitat improvements, land acquisition, planning and coordination, education and outreach, and applied research in Indiana’s Lake Michigan coastal region. Projects must be located entirely within the northern portions of Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.

With an annual allocation of approximately $600,000 in grant funding, LMCP has provided more than $13 million to local partners for projects since 2001.

The LMCP was created to provide technical and financial assistance, to coordinate efforts between local, state and federal governments and local non-profit organizations, and to support projects that protect and restore natural, cultural and historical resources in Indiana’s Lake Michigan coastal region.

The LMCP, located within DNR’s Division of Nature Preserves, is funded through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Coastal Management.

For more information visit the DNR website.